Understanding Learner Motivation From the Perspective of Imagined Communities: The Case of Korean Language Learners

• In Event: 58.082 - Roundtable Session 25
  In Roundtable Session: 58.082-2 - Examining Motivation and Investment in L2 Research

Abstract

The current study seeks to understand the motivations of language learners through the theoretical lens of imagined communities (Norton, 2001). By looking into the cases of eleven Korean language learners at a university in the U.S., we argue that second language learner motivation may not be sufficiently explained through such clear-cut categories as instrumental and integrative motivation or heritage language learners and non-heritage language learners, and that the framework of imagined communities allows both practitioners and researchers to better understand the changing aspirations of individual language learners, in relation to their past and current learning experiences.

Authors

• Siwon Lee, University of Pennsylvania

• Haewon Cho, University of Pennsylvania