A Canadian study of student orientation (integrative, instrumental, or other) and its relationship to second language learning motivation and sociocultural factors in the learning environment is discussed. The study compared the orientations and stated reasons for studying a second language of over 800 grade 11 students with data on three sociocultural factors: ethnolinguistic group (anglophone and francophone), the sociopolitical status of the target language (official French or English vs. minority Spanish), and the cultural composition of the milieu (unicultural or multicultural). The results indicate that students are motivated by several relatively specific and concrete orientations simultaneously, and that the relative importance of these several orientations varies according to the structural factors in the learning environment. The report discusses the implications of these findings for changes in current models of second language acquisition and teaching practice. (MSE)