Identity Trajectories of Adult Second Language Learners

Learning Italian in Australia

Cristiana Palmieri

• Publisher: Multilingual Matters
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN:
  9781788922197
• eBook ISBN:
  9781788922210
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Psycolinguistics
• Index: Psychology

This book explores the motivations of adult second language (L2) learners to learn Italian in continuing education settings in Australia. It focuses on their motivational drives, learning trajectories and related dynamics of identity development triggered by the learning process. Central to the study are adult L2 learners, who are still a largely under-researched and growing group of learners, and readers will gain a better understanding of the learning process of this specific group of learners and ideas for sustaining L2 adult learning motivation in continuing education settings. Furthermore, the book discusses the role played by the Italian migrant community in Australia in making Italian a sought-after language to learn. It explores how a migrant community may influence motivation, and highlights and expands on the notion of L2 learning contexts, showing the existence of sociocultural environments where second language learning trajectories are affected by the presence of migrant groups.

1 Introduction: Learning a Language as an Identity-Shaping Journey

One who speaks only one language is one person, but one who speaks two languages is two people.

Turkish proverb

The inquiry presented in this book investigates the motivation to learn Italian as a second language (L2),1 with a particular focus on adult learners in Australian continuing education settings. Research on the motivations of this specific segment of L2 learners is scarce; only recently have mature language learners become an increasing area of scholarly research (Hubenthal, 2004; La Grassa & Villarini, 2008; Warhol, 2004). Moreover, the number of adult L2 learners is a growing phenomenon globally and adult L2 learning is expanding (La Grassa & Villarini, 2008; Linhart-Wegschaider, 2010; Vedovelli, 2002a), mainly as a result of longer life expectancy.

A further element that adds interest to the present study is its focus on continuing education settings, the learning contexts where adults usually enrol to learn languages in Australia. The organisations operating in this sector are the main providers of adult education, offering participants opportunities for both learning and socialising with people sharing their interest in a particular subject. Despite a consistent increase in the number of enrolments in continuing education programmes, research on these learning contexts (as opposed to secondary or tertiary education institutions) is still scarce. What makes these settings particularly interesting for research on L2 motivation is that – unlike in other educational contexts – learners’ decision to participate is not affected by other external variables. In school and university settings, for instance, the decision to enrol in a course can be influenced by factors such as the necessity to acquire credits, timetabling opportunities or even peer pressure. Therefore, this inquiry sheds light on the motivational drives of L2 learners enrolled in continuing education, which is expected to become an even more significant sector of L2 learning worldwide.

In spite of the geographical distance between Italy and Australia, Italian is one of the most widely studied languages at all educational levels (Lo Bianco & Aliani, 2013). What makes this finding particularly remarkable is the fact that Italian is spoken by less than 1% of the world population; there are about 64 million speakers in Italy and in other countries in Europe and Africa (Ethnologue, 2015).2 Furthermore, Italian is not considered a language of business, and its command is not essential for Anglophone travellers visiting Italy. As a consequence, the motivations driving such a large number of Australians to study Italian as an L2 are not obvious.

Despite the relevance of this knowledge gap, research on the motivational drives to learn Italian as an L2 in Australia is quite scarce; there is more research on Australians of Italian origin learning Italian for heritage reasons (to mention a few influential studies, see Bettoni, 1985; Kinder, 1994; Rubino, 1987). The study presented in this volume aims to offer a significant contribution to understanding the motivations of L2 learners of Italian. Although the study is focused on Australians, its conclusions could apply to other countries, considering that interest in learning Italian is a worldwide phenomenon (as described in Chapter 3). While the motivations of people from different ethnic and linguistic backgrounds living in different countries might differ, there might also be similarities connected to, for instance, the global influence of the ‘Made in Italy’ phenomenon (see Chapter 3).

In sum, this book reports the results of an investigation on L2 motivation that is particularly original because it does not examine a ‘mainstream’ world language nor a traditional education setting, and as such sheds light on motivational aspects that are not immediately instrumental (i.e. finding a job, travelling internationally, obtaining a degree or being accepted by the ‘dominant’ linguistic community), but rather those that are connected with subtler forms of identity (re)construction. The next section provides an outline of the theoretical framework and the methodology that have been employed to conduct the study and to explore the dynamics of transformation of the self that are connected with language learning.

Theoretical Framework and Methodology

To investigate these aspects of L2 motivation, my inquiry draws upon scholarly research that has focused on the social-psychological aspects of L2 learning, mainly in bilingual contexts, such as Canada (Gardner & Lambert, 1972); on L2 self and identity development theories, mostly in relation to English language learners (Dörnyei & Ushioda, 2009); and on L2 motivation and dynamics of identity negotiation predominantly in relation to migrant language learners (Block, 2007; Norton Peirce, 1995; Pavlenko & Blackledge, 2004). These approaches have contributed to major insights into L2 motivation. However, what is still missing is an exhaustive model bringing together these theoretical frameworks to provide a more comprehensive understanding of L2 learning motivation, also taking into account context-related factors, processes of ideal self-development and dynamics of identity (re)construction. Moreover, very few studies apply these paradigms to languages other than English in multicultural – and multilingual – contexts (Berardi-Wiltshire, 2009; Johnson, 2015; Lyons, 2009; Mu, 2016; Northwood, 2013; Schmidt, 2014; Stracke, 2013). Therefore, one of the principal purposes of this inquiry is to adopt a research framework that incorporates these different paradigms, building on a wealth of research contributions from a variety of perspectives.

As a result, I applied the notion of integrativeness (Gardner, 1985) to the specific sociocultural context of this inquiry, to provide an explanation for the attitudes of Anglophone Australians towards Italians, and I integrated it with the L2 Motivational Self System (Dörnyei, 2009), to examine the processes through which learners develop an ideal L2 self. I combined the integration of these two paradigms with the notion of L2 learning investment (Norton Peirce, 1995) and the concept of negotiation of identities (Pavlenko & Blackledge, 2004) to make sense of learners’ dynamics of identity development. I have applied these two poststructuralist perspectives to the L2 learning context of this study which is characterised by the presence of migrant languages that coexist alongside the dominant language. This coexistence shapes the linguistic environment in such a way that it contributes to explaining the dynamics of identity (re)construction. With this book, I wish to contribute to creating a framework that considers the broader environment of L2 motivation, focusing on the sociocultural context in which learners operate and its impact on learners’ learning trajectories.

Inevitably, different theoretical frameworks have different methodological approaches. Consequently, I resolved that the best way to investigate the interaction between L2 learning motivation and the sociocultural context in which the learning process occurs, while integrating theoretical frameworks coming from a variety of perspectives, was to blend together quantitative and qualitative methodologies. For this purpose, I employed a mixed method research design, combining a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The use of this methodological approach allowed me to integrate the quantitative tradition and its statistical rigour with the participants’ stories behind the numerical data.

This Study

The three research questions this study addresses are:

(1) Which are the factors that motivate adult Australians of non-Italian origin to learn Italian as an L2?

(2) To what extent does the presence of a well-established Italian community in Sydney play a role in shaping the interest of adult Australians to learn Italian as an L2?

(3) How are learners’ L2 motivations associated with the dynamics of identity (re)construction?

The main aim of this study is to enrich our understanding of adult L2 learning motivation. More specifically, the aim is to investigate the motivations of adult Australians of non-Italian origin to learn Italian as an L2 in Sydney. It focuses on learners enrolled at beginner, intermediate and advanced level in continuing education settings, exploring the interplay between L2 learning motivation and context-specific factors to make sense of their learning investment. I hypothesised that their motivation is influenced by the social environment in which their learning process occurs. One contextual aspect that is the object of a specific inquiry is the presence in Australia of a large community of people of Italian origin. Investigating this aspect is relevant not just because it is likely to play a role in shaping learners’ choices, but also because it can provide a counterpoint to previous studies. Extensive research on L2 learning has investigated how members of minority language groups have to negotiate their identity as it is challenged by the impact of the dominant majority language. My study instead sheds light on how the presence of a significant minority language group can sometimes impact on mainstream language speakers. Therefore, this book also aims at exploring how the history of Italian migration to Australia can assist in explaining the role played by the Italian migrant community in shaping attitudes and motivations of adult learners of Italian as an L2 in this country. The presence of a well-integrated community of Italian migrants, one that is perceived as an asset in contemporary multicultural Australian society, contributes to creating an appealing image of Italy and Italians, thus attracting Australians to learn Italian. This book also explores the dynamics of identity development linked to learners’ motivations. In particular, it investigates how the concept of Ideal L2 Self (Dörnyei, 2009) can assist in explaining participants’ motivations to learn Italian, and how participants’ aspiration to develop an Italian ideal self can become an effective motivator, triggering processes of identity (re)construction.

Above and beyond satisfying my curiosity about the motivations of my students, the ultimate aim of this book is to enrich our understanding of L2 motivation in relation to (1) adult learners, a growing segment of L2 learners; (2) languages, such as Italian, with a relatively low level of marketability as linguistic resources to be used to communicate worldwide; and (3) multicultural contexts in which migrant minority languages, which coexist alongside dominant majority languages, play a role in shaping specific L2 learning environments and the dynamics of identity development. In addition to contributing to theoretical knowledge, a corollary of this study is to provide some insights for L2 teaching and curriculum development in relation to adult learning and teaching.

Book Structure

The book is articulated in seven chapters. Following this intro...

Table of contents

• Cover-Page
• Half-Title
• series
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Tables and Figures
• Acknowledgments
• 1 Introduction: Learning a Language as an Identity-Shaping Journey
• 2 L2 Learning Motivation, Identity and Community: Reshaping Social Identity through L2 Learning
• 3 Learning Italian Outside Italy: Culture, Lifestyle and Italophilia
• 4 Learning Italian in Australia: Theoretical Framework and Research Method
• 5 The Ideal L2 Self and Italian Learning Motivation: A Quantitative Investigation
• 6 Community and Identity: A Qualitative Exploration of Drivers for Learning Italian
• 7 Italian Learning in Australia: Under the Spell of a Cultural Icon
• Appendix A: Questionnaire
• References
• Index