What Motivates L3 Learners’ Investment and/or Divestment in Arabic? Understanding Learning Motivation in terms of “Identity”

The study extends our understanding of the relationship between identity and Arabic learning in the Chinese context from a sociolinguistic perspective. Drawing on Darvin and Norton’s (2015) model of investment, the study explores the interplay between identity and investment in the context of Chine...

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Main Authors: Jing Liao, Ning An, Yongyan Zheng
Format: Article
Language:deu
Published: Ediciones Complutense 2020-10-01
Series:Círculo de Lingüística Aplicada a la Comunicación
Subjects:
Online Access:https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/CLAC/article/view/71993
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author Jing Liao
Ning An
Yongyan Zheng
author_facet Jing Liao
Ning An
Yongyan Zheng
author_sort Jing Liao
collection DOAJ
description The study extends our understanding of the relationship between identity and Arabic learning in the Chinese context from a sociolinguistic perspective. Drawing on Darvin and Norton’s (2015) model of investment, the study explores the interplay between identity and investment in the context of Chinese learners’ motivation to learn Arabic. The sample population comprises 25 adult Arabic learners with Chinese as their first language, English as their second language, and Arabic as their third language. Qualitative data from learners’ retrospective narrative accounts and complementary semi-structured interviews were analyzed in terms of identity and investment. The findings show that these Chinese Arabic learners’ constitutive orientation towards language learning is highly related to their multifaceted and fluid identities (inherited identities, competitive identities, and imagined identities), which are complex and dynamic and can be negotiated and constructed over time, involving learners’ perceptions of affordances in capital resources and their goals of acquiring symbolic and material resources. Therefore, investment/divestment is influenced by the interconnections between identities and perceptions. The study concludes with some methodological and theoretical implications for future research on learning LOTEs (languages other than English) and investment.
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spelling doaj.art-821de637809c4e3dba893aa85e786f342022-12-22T02:25:31ZdeuEdiciones ComplutenseCírculo de Lingüística Aplicada a la Comunicación1576-47372020-10-018410.5209/clac.71993What Motivates L3 Learners’ Investment and/or Divestment in Arabic? Understanding Learning Motivation in terms of “Identity”Jing LiaoNing AnYongyan Zheng The study extends our understanding of the relationship between identity and Arabic learning in the Chinese context from a sociolinguistic perspective. Drawing on Darvin and Norton’s (2015) model of investment, the study explores the interplay between identity and investment in the context of Chinese learners’ motivation to learn Arabic. The sample population comprises 25 adult Arabic learners with Chinese as their first language, English as their second language, and Arabic as their third language. Qualitative data from learners’ retrospective narrative accounts and complementary semi-structured interviews were analyzed in terms of identity and investment. The findings show that these Chinese Arabic learners’ constitutive orientation towards language learning is highly related to their multifaceted and fluid identities (inherited identities, competitive identities, and imagined identities), which are complex and dynamic and can be negotiated and constructed over time, involving learners’ perceptions of affordances in capital resources and their goals of acquiring symbolic and material resources. Therefore, investment/divestment is influenced by the interconnections between identities and perceptions. The study concludes with some methodological and theoretical implications for future research on learning LOTEs (languages other than English) and investment. https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/CLAC/article/view/71993identityinvestmentChinese learnersArabic learning motivation
spellingShingle Jing Liao
Ning An
Yongyan Zheng
What Motivates L3 Learners’ Investment and/or Divestment in Arabic? Understanding Learning Motivation in terms of “Identity”
Círculo de Lingüística Aplicada a la Comunicación
identity
investment
Chinese learners
Arabic learning motivation
title What Motivates L3 Learners’ Investment and/or Divestment in Arabic? Understanding Learning Motivation in terms of “Identity”
title_full What Motivates L3 Learners’ Investment and/or Divestment in Arabic? Understanding Learning Motivation in terms of “Identity”
title_fullStr What Motivates L3 Learners’ Investment and/or Divestment in Arabic? Understanding Learning Motivation in terms of “Identity”
title_full_unstemmed What Motivates L3 Learners’ Investment and/or Divestment in Arabic? Understanding Learning Motivation in terms of “Identity”
title_short What Motivates L3 Learners’ Investment and/or Divestment in Arabic? Understanding Learning Motivation in terms of “Identity”
title_sort what motivates l3 learners investment and or divestment in arabic understanding learning motivation in terms of identity
topic identity
investment
Chinese learners
Arabic learning motivation
url https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/CLAC/article/view/71993
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AT ningan whatmotivatesl3learnersinvestmentandordivestmentinarabicunderstandinglearningmotivationintermsofidentity
AT yongyanzheng whatmotivatesl3learnersinvestmentandordivestmentinarabicunderstandinglearningmotivationintermsofidentity