Investment in Intersecting Identities: Negotiating Social Class and Gendered Identities in English Language Learning

Abstract

This study presents an ethnographic case study of two Chinese EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners’ language learning experiences at an elite liberal arts college in Shanghai. Drawing on data collected from a 13-month longitudinal inquiry, the study utilizes the model of investment (Darvin & Norton, 2015) and the notion of intersectionality (Block & Corona, 2016) to examine the interplay between language learners’ investment in English language learning and their social class and gendered identities, with a particular focus on the intersectionality of these two identity dimensions. The findings explicate how the intersecting dynamics of social class and gendered identities mediate learners’ access to and engagement with EFL practices. Specifically, social class functions as both a driver and constraint on learners’ investment, while learners’ gendered perceptions of language learning significantly affect their commitment to the target language. The findings also highlight the intersectional nature of identities in EFL practices, suggesting that language learning investment serves as a site of power dynamics among intersecting social forces. The study calls for more exploration of language learners’ social worlds to uncover the underlying discourses that give rise to structural inequalities, and advocates for a critical pedagogical approach that promotes feminist consciousness, as well as acknowledges and addresses the structural constraints in language learning. This is not only for harnessing the transformative potential of language learning for identity development, but also for advancing a more equitable and inclusive language educational environment.

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