Unveiling the relationship between perceived attitudes toward translanguaging and translanguaging experience among Chinese as a second language learners: The mediating role of L2 motivation

Although research on translanguaging abounds in second language acquisition over the past two decades, relatively few studies have examined how second language (L2) motivation mediates the relationship between perceived attitudes toward translanguaging (PAtT) and translanguaging experience (TE) in Chinese as a second language (CSL) context. To address this gap, the present study explored the mediating effect of L2 motivation on the relationship between PAtT and TE among a cohort of 229 CSL learners in China. Data were collected using a questionnaire survey and processed using SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 28.0. The results revealed: 1) the participants were discrepant in their PAtT, being strongly positive while moderately conservative; they had a satisfactory translanguaging experience with a moderately high level of L2 motivation; 2) there is a significantly positive correlation among the three variables; 3) the learners' PAtT significantly predicts L2 motivation and TE; 4) L2 motivation plays a critical mediating role in the relationship between PAtT and TE. Specifically, PAtT, via enhancing L2MSS, significantly bolstered TE. Based on these findings, theoretical and pedagogical implications are discussed.