China has recently witnessed an expansion of language-other-than-English (LOTE) programmes at all levels of education. Unlike many learners who choose to learn a LOTE for better job prospects, studying abroad or immigration purposes, most LOTE learners from Chinese public high schools see their enrolment in the LOTE programme as a strategic way to dodge the high-stake English Gaokao exam (National College Entrance Exam). Disillusioned by their English competence, the students place their bets on a new foreign language (FL) instead, expecting positive changes in their Gaokao scores. This thus creates a background of tension between FL learning as a tool to succeed and as a vehicle for identity transformation.
Recent theoretical advances have highlighted the inextricable link between language learning and identity. Yet, while many studies have explored learners' self-perception regarding certain languages, much is unknown about the situations in more linguistically-diverse settings. Taking a linguistically-inclusive approach, this study focuses on the construction of multilingual identity (MI), a higher-level construct that transcends individual linguistic identities and encompasses learners' explicit understandings of themselves as users of more than one language (Fisher et al., 2020). This focus enables a holistic understanding of learners' relationship with the totality of their linguistic repertoire and with the multilingual world around them, which is appropriate given the focus of this presentation on LOTE-as-L3 learners.
Drawing on data from a larger-scale study, this presentation tracks the MI development of three 16-year-old Japanese learners (L1 Chinese, L2 English, L3 Japanese) from a Chinese public high school over one academic year. This choice addresses the scarcity of learner identity research in school-based instructed FL learning settings, aiming to elucidate how school-related factors might impact learners' MI construction. Special attention is paid to the developmental trajectories of learners' MI and how individual learners' Japanese learning experience may contribute to their MI changes.
The following data were collected from each student over the course of one academic year: a). Q sort records (3 assessments per student) that target learners' MI profiles and the follow-up interviews. b). Weekly logs (20 entries per student) recording learners' most memorable language learning experience and bi-monthly log-based interviews (5 times). c). mono-multilingual self-ratings (6 ratings per student). Through interpretative phenomenological analysis, learners' subjectivity and lived experience are construed in context, presenting idiosyncratic changes in their MI profiles. It is argued that switching from English to Japanese is perceived as an empowering change as it provides an opportunity for learners to redeem their identity as capable language learners and multilinguals. However, the heavy emphasis on Gaokao scores tends to undermine the sustainability of learners' MI as they struggle to see the value of multilingual competence beyond college application. Pedagogical implications on how to nurture transportable and resilient MI will be discussed.
Reference:
Fisher, L., Evans, M., Forbes, K., Gayton, A., & Liu, Y. (2020).Participative multilingual identity construction in the languages classroom: A multi-theoretical conceptualisation. International Journal of Multilingualism, 17(4), 448–466.
