Identity In Language Learning Research Articles

The use of multimodal narratives to explore English language learners' identity construction and re-construction

The present paper aims to provide an insight into English language learners’ beliefs, their ideal foreign language self and their language learner identity formation and transformation presented during the analysis of a set of visual and written narratives. The research involved 56 pupils who were asked to draw two portraits of themselves, one before being able to use English and one after, when they can already use the language. In order to better understand and interpret the drawings, students were also asked to provide a short, written description or explanation of their drawings. Results show that development in English as a foreign language comes with physical, professional, relational, experimental and psychological changes. Moreover, students’ answers suggest that they consider English language knowledge to be valuable and needed for understanding different applications, movies, TV-series, songs, books and other cultures. They believed that lack of English language knowledge excludes them from participating in such activities.

“We are in more interaction with students’ identity than with their physique”: L2 Teachers’ Understanding of Learner Identity

The study of language teacher and learner identity has turned into a vibrant line of research in recent years. Little research, however, has specifically addressed teachers' understanding of learner identity and the contributions this awareness offers to various aspects of their work. This study explored fifty Iranian EFL teachers' understanding of learner identity as relative to their practice in different language schools across the country. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and analyzed through content analysis. The teachers viewed learner identity as a multi-layered concept encompassing various sociocultural aspects external to learners as well as individual aspects internal to learners as influencing their identity construction. Regarding the nexus between teacher practice and learner identity, not all the teachers agreed with the goal of raising learners' awareness of identity issues in practice, yet most of them referred to the substantial behavioral impact of teachers on learners' identity construction. The study offers implications for systematic incorporation of identity-related issues in teacher education programs in order to further enhance the teachers' associated awareness.

History in Person: A Longitudinal Study of a Language Learner’s Experience at Home and Abroad

Abstract This study explores the longitudinal pathway of social identification traveled by a US learner of Chinese, Tom. Focusing on the historical production of persons, I analyze interactional recordings, instructional artifacts, and participant interviews collected over three years of qualitative inquiry. The analysis articulates how Tom’s narrative of intercultural encounters was reframed, rekeyed, and recycled at home and abroad. Along the way, Tom was identified as (i) an avid learner of Chinese in a language classroom in the USA; (ii) an ignorant foreigner while studying in China; and (iii) a political outcast upon his return to the USA whose intercultural experience abroad, nevertheless, afforded his classmates an opportunity to appreciate a more ethno-relative perspective. The consonance and dissonance of identification are results of interplay between history in person and history in institutionalized struggles. This interplay must be considered to understand the (re)making of language-learning identities across historical time, social space, and communicative modes. The findings illustrate how history, social identification, and engagement in intercultural communication mutually inform each other in and beyond transnational mobility.

Neoliberal ideology, discursive paradox and communicative language teaching

This paper deals with the relationship between neoliberalism and communicative language teaching in language-in-education policy. Neoliberalism, or the deregulation of state based on meritocracy, or equal competition, gives rise to paradoxical discourses. On the one hand, sociolinguistic superdiversity shows us the unprecedented mixing and switching of languages by transnational migrants. On the other, language commodification requires us to use standard or monolingual language forms to access high-paying jobs in the global market. Parallel discourses in communicative language teaching pedagogy that distinguish between weak and strong forms also give rise to monolingual and multilingual language practices, respectively. This paper examines how language commodification and sociolinguistic superdiversity relate to the method-related problem of identity, a tension in the literature between the monolingual language practices of weak communicative language teaching, and post-structuralist language learner identities that are delineated by language. By drawing discursive and epistemic links between language commodification and sociolinguistic superdiversity and weak and strong communicative language teaching, I argue that language commodification emerges as a hegemonic discourse in weak communicative language teaching policy precepts, responsible for the method-related problem of identity. I attribute the discursive hegemony to a positivist epistemic framework that imposes preconceived language structures and identities on post-structuralist language learners in second and foreign language learning through monolingualism. This paper discusses important implications of sociolinguistic superdiversity as a counter-hegemonic discourse in superdiverse communicative language teaching contexts, as well as directions for future research.

Construction and re-construction of identities: A study of learners’ personal and L2 identity

The indispensable role of identity in language learning has recently attracted considerable attention among SLA scholars. Consequently, the current mixed-methods classroom-based study investigated ...

Identity and Agency Development in a CLIL-based Teacher Education Program

A consensus exists in applied linguistics that agency and identity are key concepts in understanding teacher development. Although a large body of research has focused on studying language teacher and learner identity and agency separately, less attention has been paid to the relationship of these concepts in individual development. In this contribution, we use an ecological perspective to explore and illustrate the interplay between and development of agency and identity. The participants in the study were primary school teacher students specializing in foreign language pedagogy for younger learners and studying in a CLIL-based teacher education program. The qualitative data were collected through reflective essays focusing on the Finnish student teachers’ past, present, and future relationships with the English language during different phases of their bachelor’s studies.

Lessons from Ibn Khaldun's Muqaddimah for Today’s Foreign Language Teacher

The Muqaddimah, a massive 14th century text by Arab historian Ibn Khaldun, while primarily a history, in the later chapters deals with linguistics and pedagogy. Multiple publications on what his work contributes to the field of education exist. But surprisingly, only two papers have appeared specific to teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL): one decades old, the other primarily arguing an early case for communicative language teaching (CLT) is presented. Ibn Khaldun lived in a kind of global world, an Islamic one: cosmopolitan, and having its own international language. Analogies with today’s globalism and English are obvious. This article therefore reviews the total Muqaddimah, comparing its content to dominant ideas and figures in contemporary English language teaching (ELT), and showing it is still relevant to ELT. Congruences include Ibn Khaldun’s constructivist-like conception of identity and realization of second language learner (L2) identity’s role and formation process. Also, what would today be called Whorfianism, leading to concluding a language should be taught together with its discourses — but English is no longer viewed as just Anglo-American or native-speaker — Ibn Khaldun’s case is saved by reimagining English as global and cosmopolitan, which TESOL exactly has. It will also be shown that not CLT, but rather study abroad or immersion education is being portrayed. The importance of affect, a case made for both learner and teacher autonomy, together with other issues, all current in TESOL today, make Ibn Khaldun’s Muqaddimah a rediscovered source of inspiration for the milieu of modern ELT.

Navigating issues of inequity in ELT: An interview with Associate Professor Nathanael Rudolph

Nathanael Rudolph is an associate professor of sociolinguistics and language education at Kindai University in Higashiosaka, Japan. His research interests include translingual practice, critical approaches to language teacher and learner identity, and (in)equity in (and beyond) language education.

Writing and identity

Using a multidisciplinary approach to social justice teaching, this article explores the often invisible impact of double consciousness on adult English language learners in the United States and provides examples of classroom practice that invite students to reflect on its effects. The experience of double consciousness is examined as it relates to English language learner identities. A Critical Language Awareness (CLA) framework and identity-conscious teaching practices are explored to encourage student participation and reflection. This approach, demonstrated through examples used in writing classes, encourages the exploration of identity in the face of oppression by interrogating social constructions and fiction and nonfiction stories containing connected themes. Three classroom lessons and consequent writing are analyzed with a critical discourse lens to examine student responses and reflections on language and identity. Student writing demonstrates that encouraging English language classes to interrogate the language of institutionalized inequity and identity formation can illuminate potential influences of double consciousness, which can empower students to think critically about their identities and choose whether to take steps to mediate the ways in which they could be affected by double consciousness.

A Review of the Literature on Multicultural Families in Korea

The purpose of this article is to review the literature on three aspects of the experiences of multicultural families in Korea, specifically: the policy supports for theses families; language learner identity formation; and approaches to their children’s language education, including Korean, heritage languages, and English. First, one of the most noticeable characteristics of multicultural families in Korea ― normally composed of a Korean male from a rural area and a foreign female from a developing country ― is that they are generally in a marginalized position with very low income. Second, literature on language learner identity suggests that language learners negotiate multiple aspects of identity according to the situation, and their identity is not fixed, but changes continually. However, little research on this issue has been conducted in the EFL context. Third, the review of language education in multilingual families reveals that they focus more on Korean than on heritage languages or English. They often view the use of a heritage language as an obstruction to Korean language development and cannot afford to pay attention to their children’s English education. Suggestions for future research are also provided.

“I’m a Heritage Speaker of the Damascene Dialect of Arabic”: Negotiating the Identity Label of Arabic Heritage Language Learner

Utilizing an ecological perspective of heritage language learner (HLL) identity (Hornberger & Wang, 2008), this study investigates how an underexamined group within HLL studies—language learners with diverse ties to the Arabic language—perceive the label of HLL and how they position themselves and their classmates relative to this label during interviews and in an advanced Arabic language classroom. I draw on interview, observational, and videotaped classroom interaction data collected as part of a larger ethnographic study of this classroom community and show how a priori educational labels assigned to these students did not always match with their self-concepts and ignored the nuances of their relationship to the umbrella term “Arabic.” These labels also affected students’ classroom roles, self-esteem, and participation in the classroom. I examine the implications of educational classifications and assigned identities that are constructed by stakeholders such as researchers, teachers, or administrators, rather than negotiated by the language learners themselves, and critique Arabic HLL as an identity and educational classification. Finally, I offer some suggestions for how to engage language learners (HLLs if they choose to identify themselves as such) in critical discussions about their relationship with the language of study.

Learning Chinese as the United Nations Language? Implications for Language Learning Motivation and Identity in Adult Higher Education

In this study, the researcher strives to build on earlier work in which the roles of motivation and identity in language learning in adult higher education were examined. In the present connection, the focus falls on the roles played by a seldom researched group consisting of staff members in an intergovernmental organization. This group is comprised of United Nations staff members (N=33/18 female, 15 male) involved with the United Nations Chinese language program at the UN Headquarter for the Asia region in Bangkok. The past research has shown that an adult language learner’s learning level becomes very high when s/he is sufficiently motivated. In this light, then, the researcher explores whether the language-learning process would be improved if adult staff members from an intergovernmental organization engage in language learning with a greater sense of a professional self/institutional identity than would be the case with a merely personal identity. Also considered is whether the language-learning process is enhanced by an individual/personal identity in contrast to having only a professional self/institutional identity. The findings show that UN staff members who are highly motivated to learn Chinese are more likely to harbor a mixture of both personal and professional identities. Nevertheless, prioritizing the learning of Chinese often stems from functional and practical reasons, i.e., from instrumental motivation. Finally, this study finds no clear links between Chinese heritage and success in Chinese language learning in the adult higher educational sector.

Student Writers’ Affective Engagement with Grammar-Centred Written Corrective Feedback: The Impact of (Mis)Aligned Practices and Perceptions

This project firstly explored Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ perceptions about written corrective feedback (WCF)-related practices and preferences. Secondly, the student participants’ first language (L1; e.g., Farsi) learner identities were operationalized, especially focusing on the skill of writing, WCF, and grammar-centred WCF. Thirdly, the students’ affective engagement with WCF was scrutinized, particularly in light of L1 student identities. The participants in the study were 15 students in an Iranian EFL context. Analysis of interview data revealed that the skill of writing was held in low regard by the students. Also, several discrepancies emerged vis-à-vis WCF methods (e.g., direct vs. coded), error correctors (e.g., teacher feedback vs. peer feedback), the amount of correction (e.g., selective vs. comprehensive correction), and the relative importance of different components of writing (e.g., grammar vs. content vs. organization). In particular, the findings showed that the students’ L1 identities involved low regard for writing, but high regard for speaking skills, and that they attached high value to grammatical accuracy and teacher explicit feedback. Finally, the findings indicated that: (a) the students’ second language (L2) identities (e.g., WCF-related preferences) were profoundly affected by their L1 student identities, and (b) the discrepancies between the students’ L2 writing preferences (e.g., preferred amount of WCF) and the teachers’ reported practices could potentially hinder students’ affective engagement with WCF.

L2 Identity and Motivational Considerations in a Global Context

Abstract Objective: This paper sets out to examine language learner identity in a global context, by first analysing the dominant position of English in the world today and then in the light of this, revisiting the concepts which aim to describe how individuals are motivated to learn English. Methodology: The paper is based on research findings as documented in numerous studies, for example Smit & Dafouz (2012) and Wächter & Maiworm (2014). Findings: The findings emphasise the fact that the hegemony of English in the world today, where around 400 million people use English as a first language, shows no sign of diminishing. In fact, issues surrounding the consequences of globalisation make the place of English in the world ever more solidified, however the contexts and the purposes for which it used are changing. Value added: By examining certain aspects of the powerful position of English today, this paper proposes the view that conceptions of specific motivational aspects of language learner identity are no longer as valid as they once were. Recommendations: The paper recommends that a new theorizing of learner identity, with specific focus on L2 learner motivation, needs to be considered.

Language learning and study abroad

The aim of this review is to synthesize empirical studies on undergraduate language learners’ experience abroad during a time period of a year or less. To help provide a framework to this synthesis, we begin our review by tracing the recent evolution of empirical mixed-method research on the learner, identifying problems and characteristics that language learners generally encounter in the study abroad (SA) experience. We take a closer look at variables related to individual difference such as anxiety, motivation, and attitudes to more recent views of learner identity in language learning. We highlight the shift to language learner agency, a topic that merits more discussion in SA literature. We then review how the SA learning environments are treated. This review takes a closer look at research informed by socially grounded theories. Finally, we review the role that SA plays in undergraduate language curricula, where the objectives of the experience are aligned with at-home (AH) curricula, a topic that has not been fully discussed in SA literature. The conclusions offer suggestions for keeping pace with the broader field of applied/educational linguistics.

Classroom Participation as a Performative Act of Language Learners’ Identity Construction

Abstract In the first part of this study, we briefly present different approaches used to define the concept of second language learners’ identity. Then we introduce Butler’s theory of performativity (1988) and we attempt to apply its main concepts as tools for describing L2 learners’ identity. In the second part of the study, we try to answer the following question: What are typical performative acts of a good and a poor language learner in the language learning classroom? Our research suggests that performing a good language learner identity refers to the learner’s frequent and repetitive participation in utterances whose content is related to the language classroom, regardless of the chosen communicative resources. As for performing a poor language learner identity, it appeared that it refers to the learner’s repetitive and frequent participation in utterances whose content is not related to the language classroom, regardless of the chosen communicative resources.

Role of Self-Identity and Self-Determination in English Learning among High School Students

ABSTRACTA considerable amount of research has investigated the separate roles of motivation and identity in language learning. This study aimed to examine these two important constructs jointly by exploring the relationship between motivation, identity processing styles, and English learning among high school students. The hypotheses were empirically tested using questionnaire data collected from 187 Macau high school students. Correlation analysis found that only self-determined motivation was significantly positively related to academic performance in English and that none of the five identity processing styles was relevant. Further hierarchical regression analysis revealed that after controlling for age and gender, identification with commitment and ruminative exploration both negatively predicted English performance. Significant interaction effects were found between exploration in depth and self-determination and between ruminative exploration and self-determined motivation. However, ruminative exploration was the only significant predictor of academic performance when the students had low levels of self-determined motivation.

Research tasks on identity in language learning and teaching

The growing interest in identity and language education over the past two decades, coupled with increased interest in digital technology and transnationalism, has resulted in a rich body of work that has informed language learning, teaching, and research. To keep abreast of these developments in identity research, the authors propose a series of research tasks arising from this changing landscape. To frame the discussion, they first examine how theories of identity have developed, and present a theoretical toolkit that might help scholars negotiate the fast evolving research area. In the second section, they present three broad and interrelated research questions relevant to identity in language learning and teaching, and describe nine research tasks that arise from the questions outlined. In the final section, they provide readers with a methodology toolkit to help carry out the research tasks discussed in the second section. By framing the nine proposed research tasks in relation to current theoretical and methodological developments, they provide a contemporary guide to research on identity in language learning and teaching. In doing so, the authors hope to contribute to a trajectory of vibrant and productive research in language education and applied linguistics.

Justifying code switching through the lens of teacher identities: novice EFL teachers’ perceptions

Although considerable amount of research has been carried out regarding the relationship between identity and language, to date, there has been relatively little attention paid to the role of code switching on teachers’ identity positionings. In an attempt to fill this gap in the literature, this research investigates how novice English as a foreign language teachers position their identities while justifying the code switching instances that occur during the classroom interactions. This exploratory study adopted a case study approach and three novice English teachers were invited to participate in the research. Their classes were observed, video-recorded and they were asked to participate in stimulated-recall sessions. The results of the present study revealed positionings of multiple identities including but not limited to non-native and language learner identities. Results also indicated that novice teachers’ code switching practices showed interplay of personal, institutional and contextual factors.

EMERGING GENDER IDENTITIES IN STUDENTS’ SOCIAL MEDIA LANGUAGE CLASS GROUP INTERACTION

The aspiration of this study is to provide a lens to students’ emerging multiple identities, especially gender identities. The present study does not concern with the notion of typicality or representativeness but with the particularities and complexity together in the given context. Social media presents a fertile site for investigation of the discursive construction of emerging identities. In this study, one particular identity emerging along with L2 language learner identity through interactions is found to be gender identity. It was intertwined with other aspects of identity such as friendship and solidarity. The study revealed how social-community building of the students has been established through jokes, sarcasm and sharing by utilizing multi modalities in social media and foregrounding their gender identities. Article visualizations: