Investigating the Intersection of English Language Acquisition and Sociocultural Identity Formation in Young EFL Learners: A Qualitative Study of Discursive Practices and Identity Negotiation
Subject Areas : Journal of Teaching English Language Studies
1 -
Keywords: Sociocultural Identity, Discursive Practices, Classroom Interaction, Translanguaging, Globalization,
Abstract :
This qualitative case study explores how English language learning shapes the sociocultural identities of young EFL learners in Iran. Drawing on Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, the study investigates how children aged 8–12 negotiate their emerging identities through discursive practices, classroom interactions, and exposure to English as a global language. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, classroom observations, and learner diaries over a four-week period. Thematic analysis revealed that learners perceived English as a gateway to modernity and global belonging, while simultaneously experiencing moments of cultural tension within family and community contexts. Classroom interactions played a central role in identity construction, with teacher reinforcement and peer dynamics influencing learners’ self-perceptions as competent or insecure English users. Findings also showed that children navigated sociocultural expectations by selectively using English across different contexts, engaging in hybrid language practices, and, at times, avoiding English to maintain cultural harmony. Both verbal expressions and non-verbal behaviors such as posture, gestures, and gaze, contributed to the negotiation of identity during classroom activities. Overall, the study highlights the complex, dynamic, and context-dependent nature of identity formation in young EFL learners and underscores the importance of culturally responsive pedagogies that support positive identity development.
Block, D. (2007). Second Language Identities. Continuum.
Copland, F., & Garton, S. (2014). Key themes and future directions in teaching English to young learners. ELT Journal, 68(3), 223–230. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccu030
Cummins, J. (2001). Bilingual children’s mother tongue: Why is it important for education? Sprogforum, 7(19), 15-20.
De Fina, A. (2003). Identity in narrative: A study of immigrant discourse. John Benjamins Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1075/sin.3
Duff, P. A. (2002). The discursive co-construction of knowledge, identity, and difference: Ethnography of communication in the high school mainstream. Applied Linguistics, 23(3), 289–322. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/23.3.289
Duff, P. A. (2012). Identity, agency, and second language acquisition. In S. Gass & A. Mackey (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of second language acquisition. Routledge.
García, O., & Wei, L. (2014). Translanguaging: Language, bilingualism and education. Palgrave Macmillan.
Holland, D., Lachicotte, W., Jr., Skinner, D., & Cain, C. (1998). Identity and agency in cultural worlds. Harvard University Press.
Holliday, A. (2005). The struggle to teach English as an international language. Oxford University Press.
Kramsch, C. (2009). The multilingual subject: What foreign language learners say about their experience and why it matters. Oxford University Press.
Lantolf, J. P., & Pavlenko, A. (1995). Sociocultural Theory and Second Language Acquisition. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 15, 108–124. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190500002646
Li Wei. (2018). Translanguaging as a practical theory of language. Applied Linguistics, 39(1), 9–30. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amx039
Mercer, S., & Dörnyei, Z. (2020). Engaging Language Learners in Contemporary Classrooms. Cambridge University Press.
Norton, B. (2000). Identity and language learning: Gender, ethnicity and educational change. Longman.
Norton, B. (2013). Identity and language learning: Extending the conversation (2nd ed.). Multilingual Matters.
Norton, B., & Toohey, K. (2011). Identity, language learning, and social change. Language Teaching, 44(4).
Pavlenko, A., & Lantolf, J. P. (2000). Second language learning as participation and the (re)construction of selves. In J. P. Lantolf (Ed.), Sociocultural theory and second language learning (pp. 155–177). Oxford University Press.
Piller, I. (2011). Intercultural communication: A critical introduction. Edinburgh University Press.
Preece, S. (2016). The Routledge Handbook of Language and Identity. Routledge.
Sercu, L. (2006). The foreign language and intercultural competence teacher: The acquisition of a new professional identity. Intercultural Education, 17(1), 55-72. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675980500502321
Toohey, K. (2018). Learning English at school: Identity, social relations and classroom practice (2nd ed.). Multilingual Matters.
Van Lier, L. (2010). The ecology of language learning: Practice to theory, theory to practice. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 3, 2-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.07.005
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge University Press.
Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.
