Identity and Investment in English Language Learning: Immigrant ESOL Learners' Experiences with English Language Learning in a Norwegian School Context
Master thesis
Permanent lenke
https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3049012Utgivelsesdato
2022Metadata
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Sammendrag
The terms identity and motivation, both previously thought to be fairly static traits of anindividual, have gone through re-conceptualizations where the ever-changing social contextand factors such as past experiences, expectations, ambitions and power relations have gainedsignificant appreciation. Both terms are presently understood as dynamic concepts whosemanifestations are socially and contextually dependent. Identity and language are widelyaccepted as being closely related; identities can be explicitly communicated through language,both orally and in writing, and specific language choices can be implicitly indexical ofidentity traits such as socio-economic and ethnic origin, gender, or age. Within the field ofsecond language acquisition, motivation has long been an important factor. The present paperseeks to investigate the relationship between identity and the motivation for languagelearning, in the context of immigrant students learning English in Norwegian schools.Specifically, the thesis looks at how informant identities, personal backgrounds, and societalexpectations have shaped their motivation for English language learning, and what effectslearning English had both in regard to the other languages in their linguistic repertoire, and inthe way they perceive themselves. Data were collected through recorded interviews with fivestudents that have immigrated to Norway from different countries, and who were enrolled inEnglish classes in a Norwegian school at the time of the interviews. The results reflect themultifaceted and individual nature of both identity and motivation. Though the present dataset is too small to make extensive generalizations, the results indicate trends that concur withprevious research. English is widely regarded as an important skill due to its status as a linguafranca, but majority of the participants reported prioritizing learning Norwegian given theircircumstances. Knowledge of the English language and the ability to partake in discussionsrelated to English media is regarded as an important skill for a typical teenager in Norway.Multiple participants reported that English allowed them to access otherwise unavailable foraand media, which in turn provided them with opportunities to grow as individuals and furtherenhanced their motivation for their English language development.Key words: identity, immigration, language learning, investment, motivation, agency,social labels