Self and Identity in Adolescent Foreign Language Learning

By (author) Dr. Florentina Taylor

Publication date:

04 July 2013

Publisher

Multilingual Matters

Dimensions:

210x148mm
6x8"

ISBN-13: 9781847699992

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.

Readers may wonder what factors drive English language learners like the participants in the book and us; do the Romanian adolescent learners have different learning experiences from ours? In reading this book, we were not only fascinated by the findings but also felt surprised by the fact that the study had not received the attention it should have in the field of language learner motivation and identity research.