| Yhteenveto: | Research in the field of language learning has emphasized the importance of motivation in language learning. However, Thai language learners’ motivation to learn languages other than English (LOTEs) remains an under researched topic. With the rise of diverse language choices offered in Thai secondary and tertiary education, it is important to examine how learners make sense of their own motivation to study a LOTE. The purpose of this study is to understand Thai learners’ motivation to learn Spanish as a major in their bachelor's degree in a university in Thailand. In particular, the research questions of the current study are (1) How do the participants evaluate their own motivation to learn Spanish and their new linguistic development? and (2) What they highlight as motivational factors and obstacles in their learning journey through storytelling? The data is collected from online semi-structured interviews with five participants who are Spanish major graduates from a university in Thailand. The data is analyzed using narrative analysis framework. The flexibility of narrative analysis allows us to see how personal meaning-making is done as participants highlight motivational factors and obstacles through storytelling. The key findings show that participants draw on both the internally and externally co-constructed factors in order to explain their motivation. Furthermore, the relationship between the individual language learner and the context in which the language learning process is situated is also brought up in participants’ stories as they talk about their linguistic development, their learning experience, their goals and achievements. In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of personal meaning-making in the language learning context by presenting how language learners renegotiate their linguistic identity and their circumstances and how they rationalize their decision, motivation and behaviors.
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