Emerging Self Identities And Emotion In Foreign Language Learning

This book uses a narrative-oriented approach to shed light on the processes of identity construction and development among Japanese university students of English. The research highlights the instrumental agency of individuals in responding to and acting upon the social environment, and in developing, maintaining and/or reconstructing their identities as L2 users. The study offers unique insights into the role of experience, emotions, social and environmental affordances in shaping their personal orientations to English and self-perceptions as English learner-users. It also examines individuals’ responses to these factors and discusses fluctuations in their motivations. The additional value of this book lies in its detailed account of methodological procedures, challenges and ways to overcome obstacles encountered when undertaking qualitative longitudinal studies.

This book explores the role of identity in adolescent foreign language learning to provide evidence that an identity-focused approach can make a difference to achievement in education. It uses both in-depth exploratory interviews with language learners and a cross-sectional survey to provide a unique glimpse into the identity dynamics that learners need to manage in their interaction with contradictory relational contexts (e.g. teacher vs. classmates; parents vs. friends), and that appear to impair their perceived competence and declared achievement in language learning. Furthermore, this work presents a new model of identity which incorporates several educational psychology theories (e.g. self-discrepancy, self-presentation, impression management), developmental theories of adolescence and principles of foreign language teaching and learning. This book gives rise to potentially policy-changing insights and will be of importance to those interested in the relationship between self, identity and language teaching and learning.

This book brings together 18 theoretical and empirical chapters that analyze the role of emotion (expression, perception, processing) and identity (notions and representations, construction, conflict) in the process of learning a second language. Studies on the differences in emotionality in L1 and L2 agree that in L2 there is an alteration that, in many cases, manifests itself as a decrease in the affective load, which can lead to a certain indifference to the emotional content transmitted and to a lesser involvement in communication. It is also known that emotion plays a fundamental role in the construction of identity in a second language, in the shaping of the self that feels and communicates, and in the ability to cope with the learning process. Most of the studies have focused on the understanding of these two dimensions in balanced bilingual speakers, but there is little evidence on their functioning in speakers with otherdegrees of proficiency (the case of second language learners) and on their role in the learning process. Advancing in this knowledge is fundamental for the improvement of everything related to second language acquisition. We need new and innovate approaches approaches that lead to more effective programs, increased interest in language learning and the consolidation of multilingual societies.

This book explores self-concept in foreign language (FL) learning, tracing the trajectories of a group of Japanese language learners at an Australian university to illuminate new insights about the factors impacting positive self-concept and implications for language learning more broadly. The volume calls attention to the ways in which learners’ perception of themselves as FL learners plays a fundamental role in FL learning. Drawing on data from a longitudinal study, including student diaries, interviews and classroom observations, Yoshida outlines shifts in self-concept as learners progress from secondary school to university courses to study abroad and beyond. The book demonstrates how the learner journey is marked by a growing recognition of the importance of practice for achievement but also a greater sense of self-consciousness, with learners’ agency in creating opportunities for themselves to practice their FL as a key factor in improving self-concept over time. This work offers unique observations about self-concept for learners who already ‘have’ global English as a first language, inspiring ways forward for future research and language teaching in other under-studied languages. The book will appeal to students and researchers in applied linguistics, SLA and foreign language learning, as well as stakeholders in Japanese language programs.

Describes the prototypical foreign language learner as a complex, dynamic, multiple and systemic construct.

Language Education and Emotions presents innovative, empirical research into the influence of emotions and affective factors in language education, both in L1 and in foreign language education. It offers a comprehensive overview of studies authored and co-authored by researchers from all over the world. The volume opens and ends with "backbone" contributions by two of the discipline’s most reputed scholars: Jane Arnold (Spain) and Jean-Marc Dewaele (United Kingdom). This book broadens our understanding of emotions, including well-known concepts such as foreign language anxiety as well as addressing the emotions that have only recently received scientific attention, driven by the positive psychology movement. Chapters explore emotions from the perspective of the language learner and the language teacher, and in relation to educational processes. A number of contributions deal with traditional, school-based contexts, whereas others study new settings of foreign language education such as migration. The book paints a picture of the broad scale of approaches used to study this topic and offers new and relevant insights for the field of language education and emotions. This book will be of great interest to academics, researchers and postgraduate students in the field of language education, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, and applied linguistics.

This edited volume explores the multifaceted nature of teacher emotions, presenting current research from different approaches and perspectives, focused towards the second language classroom. Twenty three chapters by well-known scholars from the applied linguistics, TESOL and educational psychology fields provide the reader with a holistic picture of teacher emotions, making this collection a significant contribution to the field of second language teaching. Given the emotional nature of teaching, the book explores a number of key issues or dimensions of L2 teachers’ emotions that were until now rarely considered. The contributions present the views of a select group of applied linguistic researchers and L2 teacher educators from around the world. This international perspective makes the book essential reading for both L2 teachers and teacher educators.

How do some language learners triumph against all odds, despite not having obvious heritage links or spending extended periods of time in the L2 environment pre-adulthood? This book delves into the autobiographical stories of learners who achieve nativelike proficiency, opening a narrative window into their experiences and offering insights into their pathways to success. The in-depth analysis ties together a wide range of potentially relevant topics, from motivational vision and international posture to issues of identity, endurance and even musical ability, among other themes. The authors explore whether these successes can be repeated by others and the book will be of use to language teachers interested in learner motivation and the antecedents to high-level ultimate attainment. The book will also be of great interest to researchers working in the areas of language learner psychology, especially in topics concerning language learning motivation, identity and narrative inquiry.