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This term describes the sociological construct introduced to explain why learners participate differently in language-learning situations.
Investment
This psychological construct traditionally examines internal factors that energize language learning behavior.
Motivation
This theoretical perspective sees the language learner as shaped by gender, race, class, and other social inscriptions.
Poststructuralist view of identity
Both investment and motivation acknowledge that learning unfolds across time and contexts, known as this
Complexity
This methodological tradition uses surveys to measure constructs like motivation.
Quantitative methodology
Explain why investment research often uses narrative or case-study methods.
Because it focuses on lived experiences, identity negotiation, and shifting power relations.
Explain how investment accounts for situations where a learner is motivated but still withdraws from participation.
Investment considers identity and power, showing that motivated learners may still withdraw if they feel marginalized or illegitimate in the context.
Explain why early motivation research could not fully account for issues like racism, sexism, or exclusion in classrooms.
It focused on internal psychological traits and did not address structural inequalities or identity-based marginalization.
Explain how the concept of 'history-in-person' influences learner identity.
It refers to dispositions shaped by past experiences and social structures that guide how learners perceive and engage in language learning.
Give an example of how power can restrict a learner’s ability to participate in an L2 context.
Gatekeepers like teachers or native speakers may position learners as inadequate or deny them opportunities.
This form of capital includes networks, relationships, and connections.
Social capital
This methodological approach explores learners’ personal histories and meaning-making processes.
Narrative inquiry
This concept refers to how learners must be recognized by others in order to meaningfully participate in an L2 community.
Legitimate speaker
This model introduced the 'ideal L2 self' and 'ought-to L2 self.'
L2 Motivational Self System
This term describes aspirational versions of oneself that influence participation and long-term learning goals.
Imagined identities
Explain how identity can be a site of struggle in language learning.
Learners negotiate multiple, sometimes conflicting identities in unequal power contexts, creating tensions in participation.
Explain symbolic capital in language learning.
It is the value assigned to certain linguistic or cultural resources by those in power, shaping perceived legitimacy.
Explain why investment cannot be reduced to a 'return on investment' metaphor.
Because its purpose is to highlight inequality and identity struggles, not economic gain.
Explain how investment connects learner identity to access to symbolic and material resources.
Learners invest to gain access to resources such as cultural capital, social networks, and opportunities; however, access depends on how their identities are positioned socially.
Explain how modern motivation research views motivation as a dynamic process.
It sees motivation as fluctuating across time and contexts rather than as a stable trait.
This method is commonly used in traditional motivation studies, emphasizing measurable variables.
Quantitative research
Investment researchers analyze how these social categories shape access to learning opportunities and legitimacy.
Identity inscriptions such as race, gender, class, sexuality
According to the article, investment highlights not only differences among learners but also this deeper issue.
Inequalities
This term describes how learners move between online and offline spaces shaped by sociotechnical structures.
Mobility
This component of the investment model highlights how dominant ways of thinking influence participation and exclusion.
Ideology