{"id":{"repo_id":"exeter","oai_identifier":"oai:figshare.com:article/31970691"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/exeter/oai:figshare.com:article/31970691","repository":{"repo_id":"exeter","name":"University of Exeter","base_url":"https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai"},"display":{"title":"A Mixed-Methods Study of Femininity, Possible Selves, and L2 Motivation Among Female English Graduates in Zhuhai, China","abstract":"Around 300 million people in China were studying foreign languages in 2024, the majority of whom were women. Despite this, little attention has been paid to gender dimensions, including gendered social and familial expectations and the career development of modern language university graduates. This study focuses on women graduates of English, amidst narratives of a decline in L2 (second language) motivation in China and greater concerns about unemployment rates post-graduation, with potential negative impacts for women’s progress and equality. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design with both survey (200 valid responses) and interviews (20 one-to-one interviews) with female English graduates from Zhuhai, southern China, this thesis applied Harrison’s (2018) possible selves and Dörnyei’s (1998) L2MSS (L2 Motivational Self System) theory with Butler’s (1990) theory of the heterosexual matrix and Connell’s (1995) theory of femininity and masculinity to examine in considerable depth the lived experiences of these young women, most of who became language teachers post-graduation. This study finds an increase in participants’ feelings of parental expectation postgraduation as an L2 motivation factor. These women’s possible selves also demonstrate change across three timelines (before graduation, after employment, and in the future) with their ideal L2 self declining and ought-to L2 self increasing post-graduation. The influence of ‘possible others’ (i.e., parents and families) was found to have strong influence on these Chinese women’s possible selves, grounded in normative gender assumptions and visions of traditional middleclass femininity. This study finds that even when women have very clear and elaborate ideal selves when they are younger in university, the realities of careers and life, including gender inequalities and discrimination in the workplace, can provoke changes in desired selves further into adulthood. This study adds to our understandings of gender inequality in HE in a nonWestern context and offers valuable information for L2 learners, educators, and HE policymakers. It also contributes to femininity theory through considering the cultural perspective of Chinese Confucian values, and the intersection of ethnicity, culture, class, and gender, adding to the literature on limited exploration of gender dynamics in possible selves research within the Chinese HE context, and HE literature more broadly.<p></p>","abstract_html":"Around 300 million people in China were studying foreign languages in 2024, the majority of whom were women. Despite this, little attention has been paid to gender dimensions, including gendered social and familial expectations and the career development of modern language university graduates. This study focuses on women graduates of English, amidst narratives of a decline in L2 (second language) motivation in China and greater concerns about unemployment rates post-graduation, with potential negative impacts for women’s progress and equality. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design with both survey (200 valid responses) and interviews (20 one-to-one interviews) with female English graduates from Zhuhai, southern China, this thesis applied Harrison’s (2018) possible selves and Dörnyei’s (1998) L2MSS (L2 Motivational Self System) theory with Butler’s (1990) theory of the heterosexual matrix and Connell’s (1995) theory of femininity and masculinity to examine in considerable depth the lived experiences of these young women, most of who became language teachers post-graduation. This study finds an increase in participants’ feelings of parental expectation postgraduation as an L2 motivation factor. These women’s possible selves also demonstrate change across three timelines (before graduation, after employment, and in the future) with their ideal L2 self declining and ought-to L2 self increasing post-graduation. The influence of ‘possible others’ (i.e., parents and families) was found to have strong influence on these Chinese women’s possible selves, grounded in normative gender assumptions and visions of traditional middleclass femininity. This study finds that even when women have very clear and elaborate ideal selves when they are younger in university, the realities of careers and life, including gender inequalities and discrimination in the workplace, can provoke changes in desired selves further into adulthood. This study adds to our understandings of gender inequality in HE in a nonWestern context and offers valuable information for L2 learners, educators, and HE policymakers. It also contributes to femininity theory through considering the cultural perspective of Chinese Confucian values, and the intersection of ethnicity, culture, class, and gender, adding to the literature on limited exploration of gender dynamics in possible selves research within the Chinese HE context, and HE literature more broadly.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Belinda Li (21039947)"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2026,"date_issued":"2026-03-16T00:00:00Z","date_published":"2026-03-16T00:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:33:29Z","subjects":["femininity","possible selves","L2 motivation","female English graduates","parental expectation","social and familial expectations"],"languages":[],"rights":["All rights reserved","Open Access after 2028-03-16"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["10779/exe.31970691.v1"],"render_values":[{"text":"10779/exe.31970691.v1","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":null,"outbound_label":null,"outbound_source":null},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Belinda Li (21039947)"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2026-03-16T00:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:relation","label":"Dc Relation","values":["https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/A_Mixed-Methods_Study_of_Femininity_Possible_Selves_and_L2_Motivation_Among_Female_English_Graduates_in_Zhuhai_China/31970691"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Text","Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["femininity","possible selves","L2 motivation","female English graduates","parental expectation","social and familial expectations"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["All rights reserved","Open Access after 2028-03-16"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["10779/exe.31970691.v1"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Around 300 million people in China were studying foreign languages in 2024, the majority of whom were women. Despite this, little attention has been paid to gender dimensions, including gendered social and familial expectations and the career development of modern language university graduates. This study focuses on women graduates of English, amidst narratives of a decline in L2 (second language) motivation in China and greater concerns about unemployment rates post-graduation, with potential negative impacts for women’s progress and equality. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design with both survey (200 valid responses) and interviews (20 one-to-one interviews) with female English graduates from Zhuhai, southern China, this thesis applied Harrison’s (2018) possible selves and Dörnyei’s (1998) L2MSS (L2 Motivational Self System) theory with Butler’s (1990) theory of the heterosexual matrix and Connell’s (1995) theory of femininity and masculinity to examine in considerable depth the lived experiences of these young women, most of who became language teachers post-graduation. This study finds an increase in participants’ feelings of parental expectation postgraduation as an L2 motivation factor. These women’s possible selves also demonstrate change across three timelines (before graduation, after employment, and in the future) with their ideal L2 self declining and ought-to L2 self increasing post-graduation. The influence of ‘possible others’ (i.e., parents and families) was found to have strong influence on these Chinese women’s possible selves, grounded in normative gender assumptions and visions of traditional middleclass femininity. This study finds that even when women have very clear and elaborate ideal selves when they are younger in university, the realities of careers and life, including gender inequalities and discrimination in the workplace, can provoke changes in desired selves further into adulthood. This study adds to our understandings of gender inequality in HE in a nonWestern context and offers valuable information for L2 learners, educators, and HE policymakers. It also contributes to femininity theory through considering the cultural perspective of Chinese Confucian values, and the intersection of ethnicity, culture, class, and gender, adding to the literature on limited exploration of gender dynamics in possible selves research within the Chinese HE context, and HE literature more broadly.<p></p>"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["A Mixed-Methods Study of Femininity, Possible Selves, and L2 Motivation Among Female English Graduates in Zhuhai, China"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Belinda Li (21039947)"],"dc:date":["2026-03-16T00:00:00Z"],"dc:description":["Around 300 million people in China were studying foreign languages in 2024, the majority of whom were women. Despite this, little attention has been paid to gender dimensions, including gendered social and familial expectations and the career development of modern language university graduates. This study focuses on women graduates of English, amidst narratives of a decline in L2 (second language) motivation in China and greater concerns about unemployment rates post-graduation, with potential negative impacts for women’s progress and equality. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design with both survey (200 valid responses) and interviews (20 one-to-one interviews) with female English graduates from Zhuhai, southern China, this thesis applied Harrison’s (2018) possible selves and Dörnyei’s (1998) L2MSS (L2 Motivational Self System) theory with Butler’s (1990) theory of the heterosexual matrix and Connell’s (1995) theory of femininity and masculinity to examine in considerable depth the lived experiences of these young women, most of who became language teachers post-graduation. This study finds an increase in participants’ feelings of parental expectation postgraduation as an L2 motivation factor. These women’s possible selves also demonstrate change across three timelines (before graduation, after employment, and in the future) with their ideal L2 self declining and ought-to L2 self increasing post-graduation. The influence of ‘possible others’ (i.e., parents and families) was found to have strong influence on these Chinese women’s possible selves, grounded in normative gender assumptions and visions of traditional middleclass femininity. This study finds that even when women have very clear and elaborate ideal selves when they are younger in university, the realities of careers and life, including gender inequalities and discrimination in the workplace, can provoke changes in desired selves further into adulthood. This study adds to our understandings of gender inequality in HE in a nonWestern context and offers valuable information for L2 learners, educators, and HE policymakers. It also contributes to femininity theory through considering the cultural perspective of Chinese Confucian values, and the intersection of ethnicity, culture, class, and gender, adding to the literature on limited exploration of gender dynamics in possible selves research within the Chinese HE context, and HE literature more broadly.<p></p>"],"dc:identifier":["10779/exe.31970691.v1"],"dc:relation":["https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/A_Mixed-Methods_Study_of_Femininity_Possible_Selves_and_L2_Motivation_Among_Female_English_Graduates_in_Zhuhai_China/31970691"],"dc:rights":["All rights reserved","Open Access after 2028-03-16"],"dc:subject":["femininity","possible selves","L2 motivation","female English graduates","parental expectation","social and familial expectations"],"dc:title":["A Mixed-Methods Study of Femininity, Possible Selves, and L2 Motivation Among Female English Graduates in Zhuhai, China"],"dc:type":["Text","Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:33:29Z"}