Predicting language learning strategies from competence need satisfaction and autonomous motivation

Given the growing importance for countries worldwide to achieve high levels of competence in English as a second language (L2), Latin American countries face the challenge of motivating their students and making their efforts more productive. Within the framework of Self-Determination Theory, the relationships between the perceived frequency of use of language learning strategies (LLS), autonomous motivation and the satisfaction of the basic psychological need for competence were analyzed in a sample of Chilean university students (N = 202). A structural equation model was used. The results revealed significant effects between all the latent variables considered, indicating that competence satisfaction directly and indirectly predicts the perceived frequency of use of LLS, with a mediating role of autonomous motivation. The contribution of empirical evidence to the theory and the implications for practice of English as a foreign language teaching are discussed.