A case study of a Turkish English learner in an EFL setting: investment, imagined community, and identity

Abstract

The present study investigates the learner identity construction of one particular learner. More specifically, the study aims to examine the relationship between a learner‟s English language learning and her learner identity. The key participant was a 19-year-old learner, Gamze (pseudonym), enrolled in a one-year intensive English language program at a state university in Istanbul, Turkey. Qualitative data sources for this single case study were interviews with the key participant, interviews with the key participant‟s instructors, the key participant‟s language journal, video recordings of the key participant‟s classes, stimulated recall protocols with the key participant and researcher journal. Thematic analysis was applied to the data in order to categorize emerging themes. The analysis revealed that initially the key participant seemed to invest in English language practice in and outside the classroom to become a member of her imagined community. However, her investment appeared to decrease gradually, throughout the semester. Thus, her decreased investment seemed to be reflected in her shifting learner identity construction. In conclusion, Gamze seemed to improve less and slower in the class because there were multiple reasons that kept her from investing enough, which influenced her learner identity along her language learning journey.