Exploring foreign language learners’ cognitive motivation in the learning process and subsequent language use

This study compares foreign language learners’ cognitive motivation across two stages: the language learning process and subsequent language use in professional settings. It specifically examines how learners’ level of multilingualism, based on the number of foreign languages learned and used during university, shapes motivation in each stage. Drawing on data from 190 Chinese university graduates who studied foreign languages and now use them professionally, the study employed a questionnaire survey combining Likert-scale items and open-ended questions. Quantitative data were analysed using repeated-measures ANOVA, while qualitative responses underwent thematic analysis. The findings reveal that both the mode of language engagement (i.e., formal learning vs. practical use) and the degree of multilingualism (one, two, or three or more languages) significantly influence cognitive motivation. Motivation was highest in real-world use contexts, and while multilingualism provided motivational benefits, its influence was complex and non-uniform, partly due to factors such as cognitive overload and differing contextual demands between learning and use. Learners of two languages maintained motivation more consistently than those managing three or more. These insights inform language education by highlighting the importance of balancing linguistic challenge and contextual relevance to sustain learner motivation across multilingual trajectories.