Agency in Second Language Acquisition

Abstract

The concept of learner agency has long played a significant role in SLA research. This entry examines the conceptual development of agency mainly from (a) sociocultural and (b) poststructuralist and critical perspectives, both of which influenced the social turn in SLA. Unlike psychological research, which emphasizes learner characteristics, including motivation, with agency regarded as an individual property, agency is viewed here as socially structured and embedded in social contexts. From the sociocultural perspective, agency is never a property of an individual but a relationship constantly co‐constructed and renegotiated with those around the individual and with society. Another important historical development influencing the view of agency in SLA is poststructuralism, alongside the critical theories that followed. Bourdieu's and Giddens's theories, for example, provide a framework for viewing agency in L2 learners by emphasizing the dialectic of social structure and agentive action. Critical theories also supply lenses through which to examine those sociopolitical discourses that produce power differences. Researchers also focus on individuals' agency not only in resisting imposed identities but also in making choices and changing the course of their life. Thus viewed, agency is not a property of free, sovereign individuals but the capacity to create new ways of being through learning an L2. Empirical research into agency in L2 learning and teaching has accumulated since the social turn, reflecting growing interest among SLA researchers in the social and complex nature of agency.