Search

This paper extends our understanding of agency in second language (L2) students' academic English socialization by reporting on an investigation into how two mainland Chinese doctoral students enacted their agency in feedback-seeking for improving academic English writing during their studies in an English-medium university in Hong Kong. The findings show that the ways in which they exercised their agency to seek language feedback from socializing agents varied between individuals and in different feedback-seeking contexts. In particular, their enactments of feedback-seeking agency are found to be differentially shaped not only by their academic writing goals, but also by the habitus derived from their past experiences and the forms of social and cultural capital they accumulated prior to and during their doctoral studies. The findings also reveal that their language ideologies regarding the role of native-speaker norms in academic English writing mediated their feedback-seeking agency by exerting influence on their academic writing goals and their perceptions of different socializing agents as affordances for their language socialization. Overall, this paper offers more nuanced understandings of agency in L2 students' academic English socialization and illustrates the complex and dynamic interplay between agency, goal, habitus, capital and language ideology in shaping their feedback-seeking behaviour.

This paper takes a sociolinguistic perspective in understanding the international student's experiences in a multilingual university context. Drawing on a narrative inquiry approach, the present qualitative case study investigates a Brazilian Chinese international student's lived experiences of studying in a Hong Kong university, with particular attention to his identity construction in both in-class and out-of-class contexts and the role of language in shaping his dynamic identity construction. The findings suggest that the international student's language (in)competence appears to be closely intertwined with his identity construction in situated contexts, intersecting with his inclusion/exclusion and empowerment/marginalisation. The findings also reveal that multiple language ideologies mediate the impact of the international student's language (in)competence on his identity construction in various situated contexts. Taken together, the findings call attention to the complex and dynamic interaction between identity construction, language (in)competence and language ideology in advancing our understanding of the international student's experiences in a multilingual university context.

This paper investigates the language ideologies held by a group of international students in an English medium instruction (EMI) university in multilingual Hong Kong. The findings indicate that the participants' beliefs about English extend beyond its role as an instructional medium and encompass its use as a lingua franca and as a means of social inclusion. It is also found that the participants hold complex yet sometimes contradictory ideologies about the kinds of English to be used and/or accepted and about the monolingual and multilingual uses of English in the EMI university context. Taken together, the study suggests that the participants' ideologies with respect to the roles of English and the norms of English use in the EMI university context are much more complex than what "language policy from above" suggests. The findings also reveal the ideological tensions over the norms of English use in the EMI university context and the closely intertwined relationship between the participants' language ideologies and the maintenance of their interests, especially in relation to access to learning opportunities in the classroom. The study calls for attention to broader issues pertaining to social inclusion/exclusion, linguistic advantage/disadvantage and educational equality/inequality in the multilingual EMI university context.

This paper reports the findings of a qualitative study on a group of mainland Chinese students' multilingual experiences during their cross-border studies in a Hong Kong university from a language ideological perspective. Drawing on in-depth interviews as the primary dataset, the study investigated the language ideologies held by the participants about Cantonese, Putonghua and English. Findings indicated that while the participants espoused a distinct set of language ideologies about Cantonese, Putonghua and English underlying their multilingual experiences in the university, the ideology of language as identity and the ideology of language as commodity emerged as the two major language ideologies. It was also revealed that the ideological tensions arising from the co-existence of the multiple and competing language ideologies resulted in the participants' ambivalences in their use of, and/or investment in, particular languages. Findings also point to the role of the participants' language ideologies in maintaining the social hierarchy of languages within the local language ecology and reproducing the group boundaries between local and mainland Chinese students.

This paper presents a case study of a Hong Kong university student's experiences of learning English as a second language (L2) over a four-year period, with particular attention to the changes in her identities and beliefs across time and space. Drawing on a narrative inquiry approach, the study revealed that the student's L2 identities appeared to be shaped by specific contextual conditions and agentic choices made by the student in response to different contexts, including consultation sessions with native English-speaking tutors, study abroad in the U.S., interactions with non-native English-speaking peers, and classroom interactions. It was also found that her L2 identities and beliefs not only varied over time in a complex and dynamic manner, but also appeared to be closely interconnected and interacted with each other in a reciprocal and bi-directional manner. The case study points to the need to pay more attention to the complex and dynamic interrelationship between identity and belief in L2 learning trajectories.

This paper investigates mainland Chinese students' experiences of learning English as a second language (L2) in a multilingual university in Hong Kong, with particular attention to their negotiation of participation and identity. Drawing on a series of in-depth interviews with a group of mainland Chinese students, the study revealed that their participation in L2 practices appeared to be shaped by the contextual conditions in different communities within the university and mediated by their agentic responses to the contextual realities of these communities. While they gained fuller participation in L2-mediated activities in the local student community and the classroom community as a result of their appropriation of the associated language practices and their display of knowledge and competence in the related social practices, they struggled to gain access to L2 interactional opportunities in the community of exchange students, where their negotiation of positionalities was subject to the perceived unequal power relations between native and non-native speakers of the English. It is argued that their participation in L2-mediated activities in the university could be understood as a complex, dynamic, situated and co-constructed process of negotiating access, competence, membership, positionality, identities and discursive practices associated with different communities.

This paper investigates the experiences of two international students with different linguistic backgrounds in a university in Hong Kong, with particular attention to the role of language in their identity negotiation during their transnational studies. Based on their contrasting narratives, the study revealed that the two students' identity negotiation experiences appeared to be shaped by their different language competences, which were valued differently in the academic and social contexts within the university. It was found that the degree of (in)compatibility between their language competences and the norms and expectations associated with the academic and social contexts within the university context impacted on their negotiation of fuller forms of participation and their construction of desirable identities. Furthermore, the two students' different language ideologies and their different abilities to exercise agency in mobilising their linguistic capital in exchange for other forms of capital were found to mediate their identity negotiation and transformation.

This paper contributes to our conceptualization of linguistic identities in English as a lingua franca (ELF) communication by analyzing a group of multilingual international students' narrativized accounts of their ELF communication experiences in an international university in Hong Kong. The findings of the study indicate that despite their status as L2 speakers, the participants considered themselves as legitimate speakers of English when interacting with others through ELF. Moreover, they oriented to their national cultural identities and personal identities indexed through their accents in ELF communication. Their frequent use of ELF with other students from diverse linguacultural backgrounds also prompted them to identify positively with a local ELF-using community and envision their imagined identities as members of a global ELF-using community. The findings further reveal that the participants' ELF communication experiences opened up a space for them to take on new and alternative L2-speaking personal identities which they perceived to be markedly different from and more desirable than their L1-based selves. Overall, the analysis provides empirical support for applying a tripartite model of linguistic identity for understanding ELF communication experiences and calls attention to the multidimensional nature of linguistic identities and the interrelatedness between different dimensions of linguistic identities in ELF communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a qualitative inquiry into language identities in English as a lingua franca (ELF) communication from the perspectives of a group of Chinese-English bilingual students at a Hong Kong university. Using eighteen university students' narratives of their lived experiences in ELF communication, the study revealed that the students oriented to multiple language identities closely associated with their self-perceived proficiency of English in their communication experiences. It was found that they acknowledged the co-existence of their dual identities as language users and language learners in ELF communication and made reference to their language expertise by way of explicit orientations to their self-ascribed identity as English majors. Furthermore, the students constructed and negotiated their language identities differently in relation to their interlocutors who were defined in terms of the native/non-native dichotomy. Taken together, the findings point to the multiple and variable nature of language identities that are implicated in ELF communication experiences and demonstrate the role of language ideologies in mediating language identities in ELF contexts. The paper also calls for more nuanced understandings of bilingual individuals' own -- or emic -- perspectives on their language identities in ELF communication.

This paper presents findings of a qualitative inquiry into international students' experiences and perceptions of their language use in an English-medium international university in multilingual Hong Kong, with particular attention to the use of English as a lingua franca (ELF) in relation to other languages. Based on data collected from in-depth interviews with a group of international students, the study found that the participants embraced a pluralistic conceptualisation of ELF. While they emphasised the importance of ELF for their academic and social integration in the university, the perceived resistance against the use of ELF by local students means that the language norms operating in the university cannot be pre-determined. It was also found that the participants expressed monolingual ideologies with respect to the use of ELF as a result of their concerns about social exclusion and linguistic disadvantage. Meanwhile, multilingual language practices and multilingual ideologies in relation to the use of ELF were also found in the participants' accounts of language experiences and perceptions. The findings also point to the tensions arising from the language choice between ELF and the local language, as well as the co-existence of contradictory language ideologies concerning monolingualism/multilingualism in the international university context.

This article reports on a case study of a Hong Kong undergraduate student's lived experiences of second language (L2) investments and identities across different contexts, including inside and outside the classroom on the university campus, in the professional workplace, and during study abroad. Findings indicate that the student's differential L2 investments across contexts appear to be closely intertwined with the different identities constructed in specific circumstances and mediated by the perceived likelihood of yielding a good return on the investments. His selective L2 investments were also found to be driven by a desire for membership in an imagined international community and an imagined identity associated with a cosmopolitan lifestyle in the projected future. The article argues for the importance of a holistic understanding of individuals' L2 learning experiences both inside and outside the classroom in order to appreciate the complexities of their variable L2 investments and identities across contexts.

This paper reports on a qualitative study which investigated a group of student teachers' emotions in their second language (L2) learning experiences, with particular attention to the mediating role of language ideologies. The findings revealed that the participants reported both positive emotions (enjoyment and pride) and negative emotions (anxiety, frustration and embarrassment) in their L2 learning experiences. In particular, these different emotions were found to be mediated by multiple and sometimes conflicting language ideologies, including the ideology of native-speakerism, the World Englishes ideology and the ideology of language as a tool for communication. The findings also showed that the different emotions evoked in the participants' L2 learning experiences not only impacted on their identities as L2 learners and L2 users/communicators in divergent ways, but also shaped their goals and agentive efforts in their subsequent L2 learning. Overall, the analysis points to the complex, dynamic and reciprocal relationship between emotions, language ideologies, identities and agency in understanding the affective dimension of L2 learning in a more holistic manner. It also calls attention to the potential of incorporating reflections on L2 learning experiences in student teachers' professional development programmes in order to enhance their emotional awareness for L2 learning and teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the intricate relationship between identity and language use in a multilingual university context by analyzing a Filipina international student's narrativized accounts of her experiences in a Hong Kong university. The findings suggest that the international student's identity negotiation and language practices vary markedly across contexts and appear to be shaped by different language regimes operating in different in-class and out-of-class spaces within the university. The study also reveals that various language ideologies mediate the international student's situated identity negotiation and language use, including ideologies pertaining to the relationship between language and ethnicity, the relationship between English proficiency levels and the local/non-local student categorization, and the hierarchization of different varieties of English. Overall, the study argues for the need to attend to the complex and dynamic interplay between identity negotiation, language use and language ideology in understanding the international student's experiences in a multilingual university context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on the implementation of an out-of-class communication component of a university ELT course in Hong Kong to raise students' awareness of the pluralistic nature of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF). Drawing on students' written reflections as part of the coursework, the study investigated how out-of-class ELF communication activities impacted on students' understanding of English in a global context. Findings suggest that students developed an increased awareness of ELF as a result of the communication activities. In particular, they appreciated the diversity of English in the world, questioned the relevance of native-speaker norms, and emphasized the importance of communicative strategies in ELF communication. In addition, they reported practical and personal benefits derived from the out-of-class communication activities. The study points to the importance of first-hand, out-of-class communication experiences in raising students' awareness of ELF and the role of reflection in developing students' critical consciousness of the global role of English.

This paper reports findings of a qualitative study that explored international students' identity negotiation during their cross-border studies against the backdrop of the internationalisation of higher education in Asia. Through a comparative narrative-based case study of two Burmese international students' experiences during their studies in a Hong Kong university, the paper reveals both similarities and differences in their negotiation of (i) identities as 'non-local'/'international' students in the university context and (ii) national identities in relation to the local community and the imagined global/international community. In particular, the findings illustrate the divergent ways in which the two international students negotiate the meanings they attach to the 'non-local' student label, respond to local students' (mis)recognition of their national identities, and perceive the (in)compatibility between their national and global identities. Overall, the findings point to the diversity and heterogeneity in international students' experiences which appear to be variably shaped by differential dispositions and capacities in exercising strategic agency for identity (re)construction. The case study also calls for the need to problematise the reification and over-simplification of the so-called 'international student experience' and argues for the importance of paying attention to the complexity of international students' identity negotiation in the context of international education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the findings of a qualitative study which investigated a group of English as a second language (ESL) university students' perceptions of their global identities in intercultural English as a lingua franca (ELF) communication at an international university in Hong Kong. Drawing on data collected via in-depth interviews and elicited journals, the paper found that these students shared a number of similarities in how they perceived and characterized their global identities in ELF contexts on campus. The analysis revealed that the expression of their global identities involved not only identification with the wider global community, but also acceptance of linguistic variation in the global use of English, display of communicative competence to ensure mutual understanding in lingua franca communication, and positive orientations toward hybrid linguistic practices in ELF settings. The findings reported in this paper will contribute to our understanding of the linguistic and cultural dimensions in the expression of global identities among ESL university students in ELF communication.

As a result of the global presence of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), it has been argued that learners of English should be exposed to a range of varieties of English, rather than a single variety of English, so that they can be better prepared to communicate with other people in ELF communication. However, little is known about second language (L2) learners' perspectives on exposure to multiple accents of English in the English Language Teaching (ELT) classroom. This paper reports on a study that investigated the views of L2 learners of English concerning exposure to different accents of English in the classroom. Data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire survey at a university in Hong Kong. The analysis revealed that these L2 learners showed rather ambivalent attitudes towards exposure to different accents of English in the classroom. While many participants seemed to be aware of the value of exposure to different native and non-native accents, there was less than wholehearted support for such a proposal in practice because of a number of pedagogical and practical concerns. Implications of the findings for classroom teaching are also discussed.

This paper investigates a group of mainland Chinese students' multilingual learning experiences in an English-medium university in multilingual Hong Kong. Informed by the sociological construct of investment, the study focuses on the role of identity and language ideology and their interaction in shaping the participants' experiences of learning English and Cantonese and their multilingual development. The findings reveal that the participants' multilingual investments were mediated by their ideologies of sociolinguistic competence and flexible multilingualism, which contributed to the development of their identities as competent multilingual speakers. However, the participants' negotiations of their multilingual identities were constrained by the local students' deficit perspectives on the participants' multilingual competences as a result of the influence of the ideology of native-speakerism in the local society. The findings also show that the participants' internalization of the ideology of neoliberal multilingualism and the ideology of multilingualism as indexical of cosmopolitan membership prompted their multilingual investments, which expanded their imagined identity options for the future. Taken together, the findings point to the complex and dynamic interaction between identity and language ideology in shaping multilingual investments. The study also expands our understanding of multilingual learning by contributing to the conceptualization of 'multilingual investment' from a sociological perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

English as a lingua franca (ELF) is now the most extensive sociolinguistic use of English around the world (Jenkins, 2015). As a widespread language phenomenon, ELF serves as 'a "contact language" between persons who share neither a common native tongue nor a common (national) culture and for whom English is the chosen foreign language of communication' (Firth, 1996: 240). More specifically, ELF refers to communication in English between speakers from different first language (L1) backgrounds (Mauranen, 2012; Seidlhofer, 2011). Instead of being a single variety of English, ELF is also conceptualized as a set of practices involving translingual uses of English (Jenkins, 2015; Seidlhofer, 2017). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the relationship between gender and second language (L2) learning through a narrative case study. Drawing on the construct of investment in understanding language learning, the present study investigates the role of gender ideologies and gendered identities in a female L2 learner's English learning experiences in an English-medium university in Hong Kong. Findings reveal that multiple gender ideologies mediated the learner's access to L2 use opportunities and her participation in in-class and out-of-class contexts in complex yet contradictory ways. In particular, gendered expectations influenced the learner's agency in investing in L2 practices in specific contexts and accumulating particular forms of (gendered) capital. Her L2 investments were also shaped by her negotiation of gendered identities and her pursuit of imagined identities related to her professional aspirations. Based on the findings, a gendered model of L2 investment is proposed. It illustrates the complex interplay between gendered capital, gender ideologies and gendered identities in shaping L2 investments and foregrounds the role of gendered agency in mediating the impact of gender ideologies and gendered identities on L2 investments. The study also suggests the need for contextualized and personalized approaches in understanding the gendered nature of L2 learning in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]