After a decade of suffering from a lack of attention in second language research, interest in motivational issues has recently shifted the focus of its analysis from the individual as learner to learning as participation in social activities and social worlds. If we accept the notion that language learning results from involvement in communicative events, then to what degree learners participate in an event, if at all, is crucial to that learning. In this thesis I add to the body of research that has begun to examine the complexities of the interface between individuals and learning contexts. I examine the historical, cultural and personal influences that a group of Ukrainian military officers bring to a NATO sponsored immersion program, as well as their perceptions of their place within the power structures that are inherent to this setting. / I argue that for the group of learners in this study, second language acquisition theories have not provided an adequate explanation for the reason why they did or did not participate in communicative events both inside and outside the classroom. Drawing on Vygotsky's (1962, 1978) language learning theories and Peirce's (1989, 1993, 1995, 1997) notions of social identity and investment to support my findings, I identify elements that served to marginalize these learners and disempower them, and which were responsible for their apparent lack of investment in language learning. I also suggest how, for some of these officers, changes in their social identities led to more opportunities to practice English and eventually to feel empowered both during the language course and once they returned home.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.31095 |
| Date | January 2000 |
| Creators | Charbonneau-Gowdy, Paula. |
| Contributors | Maguire, M. H. (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Arts (Department of Second Language Education.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001806902, proquestno: MQ70275, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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