Motivation and identity development through short-term study abroad : a positioning theory analysis

Abstract

This dissertation probes into the evolving nature of motivation. The study focuses on the shifting motivations of Japanese students learning English, during and after a brief study abroad (SA) programme. The research design is primarily qualitative, with a supplementary quantitative component involving survey data and corpus-based evaluation of interview data. The principal theoretical instrument utilised during the qualitative examination of interview content is Barkhuizen’s (2009) Positioning Theory. Qualitative data illustrate that the students’ motivation for learning English was largely shaped by their interpretations of events that happened during their SA. Their interpretations were in turn shaped through the lens of their personal values and identities, informed by their past experiences. Intriguingly, their history of interactions with their parents, together with their family values and discipline, played a crucial role in influencing their motivation for learning English and their positive or negative reflections on their SA. During the SA, when students experienced unpleasant feelings towards their non-Japanese peers, some were able to use this as motivation to be more active in English class, while others failed to do so. The key differentiator was in their interpretation of these experiences: their own language skills and previous experiences with English learning, etc. The impact of these perceptions was long-lasting, and was still evident even more than three years later. This study demonstrates the value of using Positioning Theory to analyse and track students’ emotional shifts and identity construction affecting their motivational trajectories. This is due to its alignment with the motivational frameworks of Dörnyei and Ottó’s (1998) process model and Dörnyei’s L2 Motivational Self System (2005, 2009). Additionally, by utilising Positioning Theory, the significant impact of the researcher’s positionality and reflexivity on the research process becomes especially evident. This groundbreaking application of Positioning Theory provides deeper insights into the complex and dynamic nature of identity and motivation