Imagined Identities and Communities in an EFL Context
[1]
Nooshin Goharimehr, Department of Education, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.
It is often assumed that language plays a significant role in identity construction and there is a link between language, origin, culture and identity. While the native and target culture can shape language learners’ imagined identities and future participation in communities of practice, the EFL learners’ imaginaries also impact their motivation and language learning practices. Drawing on post-structuralism in the field of foreign language learning, this qualitative case study attempts to understand how the Japanese EFL learners’ cultural identity impact the construction of L2 identity and learners’ motivation as members of imagined communities. Data were collected through an open-ended questionnaire among eleven undergraduate students in a Japanese university. The findings indicate that the learners who incorporated imagined identities and communities in their learning goals are more motivated toward language learning as opposed to those who lack confidence and imagination of their future identities or a desire to join community of practice. Moreover, EFL context as the community of practice can impact the EFL learners’ construction of new identities as English learners and act as a major factor in motivation to get engaged in language learning practices.
Identity Construction, Imagined Communities, Motivation, Foreign Language Learning
[1]
Anderson, B. O. R. (1991). Imagined communities: reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism (Revised and extended. ed.). London: Verso Books. pp. 6–7. IS.
[2]
Block, D. (2007). The Rise of Identity in SLA Research, Post Firth and Wagner. The Modern Language Journal 91, 863-875. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2007.00674.x.
[3]
Hofstede, G. (1986) ‘Cultural Differences in Teaching and Learning’. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, Vol. 10, pp. 301-320.
[4]
Gardner, R., & Lambert, W. (1972). Motivational Variables in Second-Language Acquisition. Canadian Journal of Psychology, 13 (4).
[5]
Kanno, Y. & Norton, B. (2003). Imagined communities and educational possibilities: Introduction. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 2 (4), 241-249. (1) Imagined Communities and Teaching English as a Second Language. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314231103_Imagined_Communities_and_Teaching_English_as_a_Second_Language [accessed Jan 14 2018].
[6]
Kunihoro, M. (1975). Indigenous barriers to communication. Japan interpreter, 8 (1), 96-108.
[7]
Lamb, M. (2004). Integrative motivation in a globalizing world. System, 72, 3–19.
[8]
Luke, A. (1996). Text and Discourse in Education: An Introduction to Critical Discourse Analysis. http://www.jstor.org/ p. 1-48.
[9]
Norton, B. (2006). Identity: Second Language. In K. Brown (ed), Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics, Second Edition: Elsevier.
[10]
Norton, B. (2001). Non-participation, imagined communities and the language classroom. In M. P. Breen (Ed.), Learner contributions to language learning (pp. 159-171). New York, NY: Pearson Education.
[11]
Norton, B. (2013). Identity and language learning: Gender, ethnicity and educational change. Harlow, England: Longman/Pearson Education Limited.
[12]
Pavlenko, A., & Norton, B. (2007) Imagined communities, identity and English language learning. In Cummins, J. & Davison, C. (Eds.), Kluwer Handbook of English Language Teaching. Dordrecht: Kluwer.
[13]
Pennycook, A. (2001). Critical applied linguistics: A critical introduction. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
[14]
Spackman, C. L. (2009). Culture and Second Language Acquisition. The Times.
[15]
Wang, C.-L. (2010). Toward a second language socialization perspective: Issues in study abroad research. Foreign Language Annals, 43 (1), 50-63.
[16]
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning and identity. New York: Cambridge University Press.
[17]
Yashima, T., (2000). Orientations and motivation in foreign language learning: A study of Japanese college students. JACET Bulletin. 31, 121-133.
