Abstract Summary
A theorised framework for participative multilingual identity education is introduced, where the languages classroom is construed as a key site for identity development and the teacher as a change agent. Findings from empirical study in English secondary schools are presented, considering the effects on students’ identifications and perceptions of language learning.
Abstract :
It is natural to assume the languages classroom to be a site for the construction of learners’ linguistic and multilingual identities. An underlying assumption exists, however, that this will occur regardless of whether teachers explicitly raise learners’ awareness about the nature of language, the semiotic practices and interactions learners are engaged in, and how language is implicated in their lived experience, now, in the past, and in the future. We argue, however, that a new languages classroom pedagogy is necessary in order for learners to understand their own and others’ linguistic repertoires (whether learned in school, at home or in the community) and so to recognize their agency in being able to claim a multilingual identity. Our wide conception of multilingualism (dialect, semiotics, programming) means this identity is open to all.
In this talk, therefore, we make a case for a conceptual framework that defines multilingual identity formation in terms of learners’ active involvement, and we propose the classroom as the hitherto underused site for participative identity negotiation. We present a rationale for and trace the development of an innovative programme of participative multilingual identity education, which was implemented by teachers in language learning classrooms across four secondary schools in England. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected longitudinally in order to trace the formation of students’ multilingual identity through the lenses of their experiences, evaluations and emotions, and to explore the effects of the intervention on their achievement, attitudes towards and engagement with language learning. Findings suggest that students who develop a stronger multilingual identity have more positive views about the value of languages, report higher enjoyment of language learning, have greater self-efficacy and are more likely to decide to continue studying languages in the future.
