From linguistic insecurity to confidence: Language emotion and ideology in South Korean study-abroad students’ post-journey reflections

Abstract

This study explores how emotions mediate students’ post-journey evaluations of their study abroad experiences and why specific emotions are valued in the evaluative process. Based on 175 post-journey reports and four focus-group interviews produced by South Korean students attending a short-term study-abroad program at U.S. universities, this study analyzes the emotional shift from linguistic insecurity to confidence. Their reflections show that their linguistic insecurity stemmed from their ideology of self-deprecation and the unfamiliar types of English encountered in the host country. However, they state that English-only environments and enhanced awareness of English as a lingua franca helped them overcome linguistic insecurity. In this process, they valued improved confidence in English, while defying the possibility of improving their actual English proficiency. Drawing on the ideology of English in South Korea, this study suggests that such a distinctive evaluation of emotions rationalizes students’ investment in English language learning.