Constructing and Validating an Identity Reconstruction Strategy Questionnaire: Interactive Acculturation Model in a Non-immigrant Iranian EFL Context

Subject Areas : All areas of language and translation

Hajar Moghaddasi-Hajiabad ¹ , Sholeh Kolahi ² , Behdokht Mall-Amiri ³

1 - دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، واحد تهران مرکزی
2 - Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch
3 - Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Received: 2023-02-02 Accepted : 2023-06-05 Published : 2024-04-25

Keywords: Identity transformation, separation, assimilation, integration, marginalization, individualism,

Abstract :

The present paper was an attempt to delve into the issue of adolescents’ identity reconstruction in a non-immigrant EFL context. Interactive Acculturation Model was used to derive sociocultural identity reconstruction strategies adopted by Iranian adolescent EFL learners in their homeland. To this end, a questionnaire with 75 items in 17 main domains was constructed and validated through the participation of 349 EFL learners aged 13 to 21 years as the identity confusion stage of adolescence. Factor analyses were performed to validate the questionnaire and the result led to a final 24-items instrument with 4 main domains of lifestyle, eligibility of English language and performers, social customs and traditions, and perceptions of freedom, on which, Iranian adolescent EFL learners’ identity reconstruction strategies can be derived. The questionnaire can be used in interdisciplinary fields of research related to TEFL, Sociology, and sociocultural and identity-related studies to come up with the effect of sociocultural elements in identity (re)construction of EFL learners.  

References:

References
ArendsToth, J., & Van de Vijver, F. J. R. (2004). Domains and dimensions in acculturation: implicit theories of TurkishDutch. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 28(1), 19–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2003.09.001
Barghouthi, R. M. (2008). Global English hegemony and the question of culture in the Palestinian educational context [Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, Birzeit University, West Bank]. https://fada.birzeit.edu/bitstream/20.500.11889/1788/1/thesis_57.pdf

Barrett, M. S., Flynn, L. M., & Welch, G. F. (2018). Music value and participation: An Australian case study of music provision and support in Early Childhood Education. Research Studies in Music Education, 40(2), 226-243. https://doi.org/10.1177/1321103x18773098
Berry, J. (1995). Psychology of acculturation. The culture and psychology reader, 457.
Berry, J. W. (2001). A psychology of immigration. Journal of social issues, 57(3), 615-631. https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-4537.00231
Boer, D., & Abubakar, A. (2014). Music listening in families and peer groups: benefits for young people's social cohesion and emotional well-being across four cultures. Frontiers in psychology, 5, 392. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00392
Bourhis, R. Y., Moise, L. C., Perreault, S., & Senecal, S. (1997). Towards an Interactive Acculturation Model: A Social Psychological Approach. International journal of psychology, 32, 369–386. https://doi.org/10.1080/002075997400629
Bourhis, R. Y., Montaruli, E., El‐Geledi, S., Harvey, S. P., & Barrette, G. (2010). Acculturation in multiple host community settings. Journal of social issues, 66(4), 780-802. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.2010.01675.x
Bron, A. (2002). Construction and Reconstruction of Identity through Biographical Learning. The Role of Language and Culture. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED465083.pdf
Chen, S., Benet‐Martínez, V., & Harris-Bond, M. (2008). Bicultural Identity, bilingualism, and psychological adjustment in multicultural societies: immigration‐based and globalization‐based acculturation. Journal of personality, 76(4), 803-838. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2008.00505.x
Chirkov, V. (2009). Critical psychology of acculturation: What do we study and how do we study it, when we investigate acculturation? International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 33(2), 94-105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2008.12.004
Collett, J. M. (2014). Negotiating an identity to achieve in English: Investigating the linguistic identities of young language learners University of California]. http://escholarship.org/uc/item/4r04p0w5
Dörnyei, Z., & Csizér, K. (2012). How to design and analyze surveys in SLA research? En A. Mackey y S. Gass. Research methods in second language acquisition: A practical guide, 74-94.
Duncan, S. C., Strycker, L. A., & Chaumeton, N. R. (2015). Sports participation and positive correlates in African American, Latino, and White girls. Applied developmental science, 19(4), 206-216. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2015.1020156
Erikson, E. (1977). Childhood and Society. Paladin.
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39-50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
Gordon, M. M. (1964). Assimilation in American life. Oxford University Press.
Gu, M. M. (2010). The discursive construction of college English learners' identity in cross-cultural interactions. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, 7(4), 298-333. https://doi.org/10.1080/15427587.2010.521488
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2010). Multivariate data analysis. Prentice hall.
Harrison, K., & Boyd, T. (2003). Understanding political ideas and movements. Manchester University Press.
Hu, L. t., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural equation modeling: a multidisciplinary journal, 6(1), 1-55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118
Jain, A., Lata, P., Goyal, A. R., Khandelwal, S., & Jain, G. (2015). Socio-cultural impact of film celebrities on teenagers: an empirical study. International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management, 11(3), 308-322. https://doi.org/10.1504/ijicbm.2015.071589
Jensen, L., & Arnett, J. (2012). Going global: New pathways for adolescents and emerging adults in a changing world. Journal of social issues, 68(3), 473-492. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.2012.01759.x
Jensen, M. (2007). Defining lifestyle. Environmental sciences, 4(2), 63-73. https://doi.org/10.1080/15693430701472747
Lule, J. (2015). Understanding media and culture: An introduction to mass communication. https://open.lib.umn.edu/mediaandculture/
Mackey, A., & Gass, S. M. (2021). Second Language Research: Methodology and Design (3rd ed.). Routledge.
Matsudaira, T. (2006). Measures of psychological acculturation: A review. Transcultural psychiatry, 43(3), 462-487. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363461506066989
Miller, M. J. (2007). A bilinear multidimensional measurement model of Asian American acculturation and enculturation: Implications for counseling interventions. Journal of counseling psychology, 54(2), 118. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.54.2.118
Moghaddasi-Hajiabad, H., Kolahi, S., & Mall-Amiri, B. (2020). A Study of the Challenging Sociocultural Variables Affecting EFL Learners’ Identity in an Iranian Context. Journal of English Language Pedagogy and Practice, 13(27), 210-236. https://doi.org/10.30495/JAL.2021.681356
Peirce, B. N. (1995). Social identity, investment, and language learning. TESOL quarterly, 29(1), 9-31. https://doi.org/10.2307/3587803
Peirce, B. N. (2000). Identity & language learning: Gender, ethnicity & educational change. Pearson Education.
Phillipson, R. (2008). The linguistic imperialism of neoliberal empire. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, 5(1), 1-43. https://doi.org/10.1080/15427580701696886
Piontkowski, U., Florack, A., Hoelker, P., & Obdrzálek, P. (2000). Predicting acculturation attitudes of dominant and non-dominant groups. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 24(1), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0147-1767(99)00020-6
Pishghadam, R., Hashemi, M. R., & Bazri, E. (2013). Specifying the underlying constructs of home culture attachment scale. International Journal of Society, Culture & Language, 1(1), 37-51. http://www.ijscl.net/article_1823_df04752e341a287d95a7f230f94d0cf5.pdf
Pitts, M. J. (2017). Acculturation strategies. The international encyclopedia of intercultural communication, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118783665.ieicc0006
Rassokha, M. (2010). Language identity: Issues of theory and practice. Asian Englishes, 13(1), 20-33. https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2010.10801270
Rovira, L. C. (2008). The relationship between language and identity. The use of the home language as a human right of the immigrant. REMHU-Revista Interdisciplinar da Mobilidade Humana, 16(31), 63-81. https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=407042009004
Suinn, R. M., Ahuna, C., & Khoo, G. (1992). The Suinn-Lew Asian Self-Identity Acculturation Scale: Concurrent and Factorial Validation. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 52(4), 1041-1046. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164492052004028
Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using Multivariate Statistics. Pearson Education.
Tajik, E. S. (2012). National identity in the globalization era. Media Studies, 7(18), 1-8. https://www.sid.ir/en/journal/ViewPaper.aspx?id=394044
Teng-Feng, M. (2019). Teacher autonomy: A buzzword in teaching English as a foreign language. Springer.
Veal, A. J. (1993). The concept of lifestyle: a review. Leisure Studies, 12(4), 233-252. https://doi.org/10.1080/02614369300390231
Verhoeven, M., Poorthuis, A. M., & Volman, M. (2019). The role of school in adolescents’ identity development. A literature review. Educational Psychology Review, 31, 35-63. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-018-9457-3
Zareie, G., Babayi, A. A., & Seyyedi-Noughabi, R. (2014). Identity Construction & English Language Learning: A Case Study of EFL learners. Language and Translation Studies, 46(2). https://doi.org/10.22067/lts.v46i2.37319