The Role of the Self in Language Learning


Book Description

The role played by concepts of the “Self” in the learning of languages has recently received increasing attention in academic studies. In the same way that fingerprints represent each person’s uniqueness, the self here is related to the uniqueness of learners, the way they receive and transmit their identity in the teaching and learning process. It is this uniqueness that brings dynamism, challenge and inspiration to learning and teaching. By focusing on language learners’ self-concept, this book foregrounds the role of the learner in the process of language learning. It presents a number of empirical studies that bring into focus various aspects of the self, and will, as such, be of interest to EFL teachers, researchers and the general reader interested in the self and its effects on learners’ approaches, motivation and interest in foreign language learning.




“Self” in Language, Culture, and Cognition


Book Description

This book explores socio-cultural meanings of ‘self’ in the Chinese language through analysing a range of conversations among Chinese immigrants to Australia qualitatively on the topics of individuality, social relationships and collective identity. If language, culture and cognition are major roads, this book is the junction that unites them by arguing that selfhood occurs at their interface. It provides an interdisciplinary approach to unpack manifestations and perceptions of ‘self’ in the contemporary Chinese diaspora discourse from the perspectives of Sociolinguistics, Cognitive Linguistics and the newly developed Cultural Linguistics. This book not only discusses empirical and theoretical issues on the conceptualisation and communication of social identity in a cross-cultural context, it also reveals how traditional and modern ideas in Chinese culture are interacting with those of other world cultures. Considering the power of language, enduring and emerging beliefs and stances that permeate these speakers’ views on their social being and outlooks on life impart their significance in cross-cultural communication and pragmatics. As of January 2023, this e-book is freely available, thanks to the support of libraries working with Knowledge Unlatched.




Self and Identity in Adolescent Foreign Language Learning


Book Description

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.




Interrogating the Language of “Self” and “Other” in the History of Modern Christian Mission


Book Description

This book offers a critical analysis of the use of language in mission studies. Language and Christian missionary activity intersect in complicated ways to objectify the other in cross-cultural situations. Rethinking missiological language is both urgent and necessary to subvert narratives that continue to fetishize the other as cultural stereotypes. The project takes a step forward to reconceptualize otherness as gift, and such an affirmation should create a pathway for human flourishing and furthermore, open new avenues for missiological exploration to address issues arising from a world dominated by bigoted discourses, lies, and hate speech.




Multiple Perspectives on the Self in SLA


Book Description

This collection of papers brings together a diverse range of conceptualisations of the self in the domain of second language acquisition and foreign language learning. The volume attempts to unite a fragmented field and provides a thorough overview of the ways in which the self can be conceptualised in SLA contexts.




The Language of the Self


Book Description

Lacan's commentaries on Freud had revolutionary implications for philosophy and literary criticism. He held that if the unconscious exists, it functions linguistically rather than symbolically. Includes a study that explains his work and relates it to the context of contemporary thought.




Towards an Understanding of Language Learner Self-Concept


Book Description

This book contributes to our growing understanding of the nature and development of language learner self-concept. It assesses the relevant literature in the disciplines of psychology and applied linguistics and describes in-depth, qualitative research examining the self-concepts of tertiary-level EFL learners. Although researchers in applied linguistics and SLA have recognized the importance of self-constructs, there remains little empirical work in the context of foreign language learning that focuses exclusively and at length on this central psychological construct. The content of this monograph draws on interdisciplinary sources, with input from psychology and applied linguistics. It will appeal to students and researchers interested in language-learner psychology as well as self-related constructs in general. The text provides insights into how learners view themselves, and how these self-beliefs can develop and affect the progress of an individual’s language learning.




The Role of Self-Esteem in Foreign Language Learning and Teaching


Book Description

This book demonstrates how foreign language self-esteem (FLSE) affects foreign language (L2) learning and teaching, and how it fluctuates with growing proficiency. Further, it explains the interaction between FLSE and a range of factors of recognized importance in second language acquisition (SLA). The theoretical part of the book presents the main pillars of self-esteem as well as its notable influence on psychological functioning and learning, with special emphasis being placed on L2 learning. In turn, the empirical part presents the findings of a study that explored the trajectory and behavioural outcomes of FLSE across three stages of education. The book closes by outlining future research directions, as well as some pedagogical implications. In particular, the findings of the study can be employed in teaching English as a foreign or second language by helping instructors understand the significance of learners’ individual differences.




The Role of Context in Language Teachers’ Self Development and Motivation


Book Description

This book unpacks data from conversations with bi-/multilingual EFL teachers whose L1s are languages other than English and who are from understudied contexts – Argentina, Egypt, Estonia, Senegal, Turkey, Ukraine, and Vietnam – to provide insights into the formation of ideal teacher selves. The author discusses the complexities surrounding the development of the teachers’ selves and motivation, as well as their intertwinement with the sociopolitical realities of their individual contexts. The work reveals how these realities, and the specific social interactions that occur therein, influence the language learning and teaching processes; it also challenges the notions of and the need for a native/non-native speaker dichotomy in the field. Expanding on Ushioda’s (2009) person-in-context approach and reflecting on the multilingual settings of the teachers, the integration of the context-specific politics of language learning and teaching is a fresh approach to work in motivation.




Self and Identity in Adolescent Foreign Language Learning


Book Description

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.