Investigating language identities of international postgraduate students in Britain: a qualitative inquiry

ABSTRACT

This paper explores eight Kazakhstani postgraduate students’ reflections of their international educational experiences in the UK after their immediate re-entry into Kazakhstan. Special focus was on their language identity development after their one-year stay in the UK. It was informed by Benson et al.’s ([2013]. Second Language Identity in Narratives of Study Abroad. London: Palgrave Macmillan) three-dimensional model of L2 identity: (a) identity-related aspects of L2 proficiency, (b) linguistic self-concept, and (c) L2-mediated aspects of personal development. The qualitative data collected from a written narrative and three subsequent rounds of individual semi-structured interviews suggest that most participants had lofty goals in the first period of their study abroad. They gradually became aware that full immersion in the host country could take a long time, and accordingly, they set concrete goals. The analysis of the data also revealed that the participants exercised their agency in displaying their development of sociopragmatic competence and a global citizenship identity, by respecting different opinions and accepting cultural differences. Nevertheless, some of them experienced racism based on their usage of English and presumed ethnicity. This study underlines the significance of introducing pedagogical interventions in all phases of study abroad to avoid student sojourners’ unrealistic or impractical goals and empower their language identities.

KEYWORDS:

• Language identities
• study abroad
• pedagogical interventions
• Kazakhstani postgraduate students
• a qualitative inquiry

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This project is supported by the Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education [ 347/07122020 (Faculty Grant)].

Notes on contributors

Anas Hajar

Anas Hajar is a graduate of Warwick University holding a PhD in English Language Education. He worked as a Postdoctoral Research and Teaching Fellow at Warwick, Coventry and Christ Church Universities in the UK and at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong SAR. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Multilingual Education at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan. He is particularly interested in motivational issues in language learning and intercultural engagement. He also works in the areas of internationalisation and education abroad, language learning strategies and shadow education.

Ali Ait Si Mhamed

Ali Ait Si Mhamed is currently an Associate Professor at Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education in Kazakhstan. He received his PhD in Comparative and International Higher Education in the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, USA. His professional expertise includes program director, Research Chair, quality assurance Chair, and accreditation lead. He has a list of publications in high indexed journals. His research record includes studies of higher education in the USA, Morocco, Egypt, Baltic States, and Central Asia. His recent projects are related to cost benefit analysis of education and higher education programs in Baltic States and Kazakhstan.