Everyone is welcome to the MA thesis defense of Elisabeth Williams on Friday April 4 at 10:00 am in PONE Boardroom.
“If you wait, nothing will come”: Returned Japanese Student Sojourners’ Shifting Identities and Perceptions of English
Abstract: In Japan, discourses of globalization and the necessity of English have led to the assertive promotion of participation in study abroad in English speaking countries. While research has examined Japanese sojourners’ lives abroad, few studies have explored their experiences since returning to Japan in depth. Focusing on three female and three male Japanese university students who participated in English-medium programs overseas, this study used qualitative interviews to explore how experiences abroad affected participants’ current identities and their views of the importance of English in their lives. Concepts of identity and investment (Norton, 2000) were used as a theoretical framework. This study found that while participants were ascribed undesirable identities abroad, their abilities to exercise agency during their sojourns impacted their identities both abroad and in Japan.Furthermore, although participants who planned to use English in the future viewed English acquisition as necessary to Japan as a nation, a general lack of ownership over Japanese varieties of English was also observed. These findings imply that sojourners’ shifting identities abroad have a lasting impact on how they view themselves once returning to Japan. It also illustrates how common discourses surrounding English education in Japan may contribute to delegitimizing Japanese varieties of English.