This paper examines how entrepreneurial visions of the future contribute to neoliberalism's appropriation of language learning as a strategy for capital accumulation. Taking as an example South Korea's heavy investment in children's English language learning -- commonly known as early English education ("yeongeo jogi gyoyuk") -- it…

This paper investigates L2 motivation and demotivation of college English majors in a Korean junior college. The participants' L2 (de)motivation was explored by the ought-to L2 self, an element of the L2 motivational self system. Data were collected from two rounds of interviews with 59 and 31 students in all four years and analyzed qualitatively.…

In this study, using the concept of "perezhivanie" as an analytical tool, we were trying out new ways to investigate L2 identity taking the peripheral educational context into account. We examined how two graduates from non-academic high schools perceived their peripheral school situation through their "perezhivanie," and…

This narrative study focuses on how Gina, a Korean learner with a Korean immigrant mother and a European-descent New Zealander father, constructed her identities and engaged with Korean as a heritage language (HL) before, during, and after studying abroad in Korea. Gina's transformative experiences illustrate the links between HL learning and…

This study examined how Google Jamboard-based autonomous knowledge-sharing advanced language proficiency and motivation in an online intermediate--high EFL communication course. For one semester, 30 Korean first-year college students shared their learning experiences beyond the classroom, enhancing their English communication competence via a…

Purpose: This study (1) used a person-centered approach to identify specific subgroups of 1,265 EFL learners who participated in Informal Digital Learning of English (IDLE) activities, and (2) looked at how different IDLE profiles are related to important affective variables. Design/Methodology: To identify IDLE profiles, we used cluster analysis.…

The main goals of this paper are to identify race in Korean language classrooms; articulate the connection between Korean language learners' racial identities and Korean language learning; and discuss implications for Korean language educators. In order to do this, I first examine literature on English language education to glean themes related to…

Integrating computer-mediated intercultural communication (CMIC) activities into language curricula has been discussed as an innovative approach. Despite the increasing number of successful examples reporting positive outcomes of adopting CMIC activities in language-learning environments, it has also been noted that there are significant…

This paper explores possibilities of using language learning autobiographies as a form of identity texts in order to produce suggestions for critical teacher education. Specifically, we examined what insights we might gain by reframing Korean pre-service teachers' autobiographies as a form of identity texts to develop reflective teachers, who…

This study considered the social emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic. It utilized quantitative methods to investigate the L2 self-images (i.e., ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 self, and feared L2 self) held by EFL college students in formal online English classes, based on Dörnyei's (2005) L2 Motivational Self System. Meanwhile, this research proved the…

This article reports on an ethnographic case study that explored how Chinese learners' national identities were displayed and reconstructed through their English language-learning journeys in Britain. Drawing on a variety of sources (ethnographic observations, informal conversations, diaries, and narrative interviews), the analysis focuses on the…

Concerns have long been raised regarding the constraints of CLT. The study aims to discern the exact as opposed to the supposed problems that are taken for granted as obstacles. A total of 95 in-service Korean, North American, Chinese, Uzbek English teachers participated in the study. The results reveal that none of the non-teacher-related…

In this study, we examine the fundamental difference hypothesis in language motivation, which suggests that language learning--at the motivational level--is qualitatively different from learning other school subjects. Despite being a long-standing assumption, few investigations have directly examined it. Using a comparative cross-sectional…

Drawing on the data collected through classroom observations, participants' written journals, and in-depth interviews, this study examines the hyphenated identity constructions of 1.5- ("ilcem osey") and 2nd-generation heritage language learners. The study observes that ethnic and racial exclusion in a White dominant society was more…

As Korea has recently become a multicultural society, English teachers acknowledge the need to address anti-racism in the classroom. However, how to raise students' racial awareness and ways to incorporate racial issues into English language instruction have not been sufficiently studied in the Korean teacher education context. The aims of this…