Research on second language (L2) motivation, particularly within the Chinese context, frequently suffers from a lack of longitudinal designs and an oversight of cultural specificity, thus failing to capture the dynamic nature of motivation. This gap is further compounded by a scarcity of empirical validation for specific motivational strategies, especially concerning the role of the ideal English self (IES) and its capacity to explain motivational fluctuations over time. This dissertation aims to bridge these gaps by addressing the effectiveness of motivational strategies in English teaching at a Chinese university, specifically, (1) to identify the most important motivational strategies from teachers’ perspectives; (2) to examine student perceptions of strategy effectiveness and their temporal dynamics, grounded in Dörnyei’s (2001) process-oriented Motivational Teaching Practice (MTP) framework; (3) to determine optimal strategies to develop students’ ideal English self, based on the L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS; Dörnyei, 2009b); and 4) To design a two-semester pedagogical model that integrates motivational strategies into an EFL curriculum. This mixed-methods study includes two main parts. Part 1 observed and surveyed four university EFL teachers on the 102 motivational strategies from the MTP model, analysing frequency, perceived effectiveness, and their correlations, complemented with qualitative analysis through semi-structured interviews. Part 2 was a 26-week action research study involving 90 Chinese undergraduates, which employed a multi-method approach: quantitative analysis tracked the effectiveness of motivational strategies across intervention phases, while additional measures gauged changes in student motivation. Additionally, one-way ANOVAs examined temporal effects on motivation during the 3 intervention and the effectiveness of specific motivational activities. Qualitative coding of responses through open-ended questions and interviews provided deeper insights into student perceptions. The findings revealed that teachers applied strategies prioritizing teacher-student relational dynamics and intrinsic engagement and adapted their strategies to contextual factors. Furthermore, based on the perceived effectiveness of commonly used motivational strategies by teachers, students prioritized strategies that contribute to supportive teacher-student relationships, emotional encouragement, and fairness in evaluation but rated strategies emphasizing external or impersonal interventions lower. Moreover, as for the effectiveness of the strategies proposed to improve the IES based on L2MSS, students prioritized activities that addressed personal barriers and self-reflection as most effective for fostering self-awareness and actionable strategies. They also believed that personalized, introspective tasks sustained engagement better than externally focused or repetitive interventions. Finally, a two-semester pedagogical model was suggested, emphasizing phased interventions focused on vision formation through workshops and the enhancement of English Learning experience (ELE), while integrating micro-goals, and hybrid assessments to balance autonomy and accountability. This study provides empirical evidence on the adaptability of motivational theories in China’s EFL context, offering insights into the interplay between teacher-led interventions and learners’ IES. It advances L2MSS theory by empirically testing how self-discrepancies shape motivational changes and calls for attention to strategies, enhancing ought-to English self (OES) and ELE. The proposed pedagogical model offers educators a structured approach to fostering sustained motivation in highstakes learning environments.
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