Identity and Investment in English Language Learning: Immigrant ESOL Learners' Experiences with English Language Learning in a Norwegian School Context

The terms identity and motivation, both previously thought to be fairly static traits of an individual, have gone through re-conceptualizations where the ever-changing social context and factors such as past experiences, expectations, ambitions and power relations have gained significant appreciation. Both terms are presently understood as dynamic concepts whose manifestations are socially and contextually dependent. Identity and language are widely accepted as being closely related; identities can be explicitly communicated through language, both orally and in writing, and specific language choices can be implicitly indexical of identity traits such as socio-economic and ethnic origin, gen…