Rubrecht & ishikawa cue 2011 conference

Identity and LanguageLearning Motivation:

Examining a Bilingual Double’s Short-Term Return to the U.S.

Brian G. RubrechtKayoko Ishikawa

Meiji University, Tokyo, Japan

CUE 2011 Conference July 2-3, 2011 Toyo Gakuen University Tokyo, Japan112011年7月6日水曜日

Introduction• Linguistic environments, language development

• Societal immersion good (Caldas, 2006)

• Ishikawa (2011): Japanese mothers’ views and values

• Costs prohibitive (Okita, 2002)

Talking about Children...

• 2 children

• Older child

• Opportunity: identity and motivation

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Background• Returnee and double children (Japan case)• Both: different from “normal” children

• Something atypical

• Kanno (2000): bicultural individuals “gaze at each culture from the viewpoint of an outsider, refusing to come down to the same eye level as everyone else” (p. 378)

• Our daughter?

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• Identity: complex topic• Individual features? (Greer, Kamada, Ascough, & Jie,

2005)

• Group membership? (Ward, 2006)

• Norton (2000): relationships; related to resultant future possibilities

• Language and identity• Intertwined with other aspects (class, nationality,

culture, ethnicity) (Fishman, 1985)

• Language is vehicle (Peirce, 1995)

• Motivation• As a Japanese double regarding English . . . .

• If yes, suspected motivation intertwined with identity

• Identity and motivation: what we explored

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The Research• Impetus• 9-day trip to Hawaii (English environment)

• American (non-Japanese-speaking) relatives visiting

• Identity and motivation at forefront

• The Participant• 0 to 1;2 = Japan -- 1;2 to 5;6 = U.S. -- 5;6 to 12;6 = Japan

• Double, simultaneous bilingual acquisition (Montrul, 2008)

• Return to Japan reduced English opportunities

• Definite English attrition

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Procedure

• Qualitative approach• Multiple semi-structured interviews

• Specific context/specific purpose (Bartholomew, Henderson, & Marcia, 2000)

• Perspectives and understanding (Patton, 1980)

• Questionnaire = inappropriate

• Parents’ roles

• Reiterate research focus

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Results

• Brief background• Good memories/impressions of U.S.

• Desire to return

• Not thrilled with English classes at school

• Lucky to be a double, or at least bilingual

• English is “cool”, natural for her

• Interest to improve at English

• Why?

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10.639: Mother: “If you didn’t study English, would it be a problem?”

10.640: Lisa: “It would. It would. It [English] is for my future. For Dreamworks. If I just know Japanese and if I only know English at the elementary school level, they [the Dreamworks staff] would say, ‘We can’t hire this person.’”

• Her real voice

• Related to identity

• Talks to herself . . . . . in English

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5.234: L: “When I talk to myself in English, I like that voice better. But when I speak [English] normally [to others], it’s strange.”5.235: M: “Why is it better when you talk to yourself?”5.236: L: “It’s what I am thinking. When speaking normally [to others], there are many words I don’t know. I mix words when I speak, so that is difficult. It’s strange.”

10.081: M: “Why did you start talking to yourself? It just came out naturally?”10.082: L: “The lines in the movies. They say [the lines in English]. So from that, it turned into me talking to myself.”

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6.173: M: “Now, in Hawaii, do you think you are closer to being American? No? What happened?”

6.174: L: “Because the voice I use to speak with and the one for talking to myself are different. So, I don’t like it [voice used to speak with others] more now.”

6.175: M: “You like it less?”

6.176: L: “Yes. Talking to myself is ok. But when I speak [English to others], well, I can’t speak as well as I thought I could.”

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• The environment• Prior, during, after trip: 70% American / 30% Japanese

• During trip: felt more Japanese

• Why? Linguistic environment influenced identity

6.181: M: “So has coming to Hawaii made you realize the Japaneseness you have?”6.182: L: “It’s a shock.”6.183: M: “A shock? Because even though you are American you thought that you could speak English better but you can’t?”6.184: L: “That’s right.”

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• Explainable by “tension”• American tension = high

• Japanese tension = low

• L = low tension person, but higher than typical Japanese people (b/c 70% American)

• Met family in Hawaii (aunt) = high tension

• L: “being all energetic like Americans is impossible for me”

• Made her Japaneseness apparent

• Motivation?• In her case . . .

9.203: M: “So going this time to Hawaii, do you have more motivation [to acquire more English ability]?”9.204: L: “Yes. An incredible amount.”

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Conclusions• Identity and motivation from re-exposure

• Less proficient• Identity came into perspective• Tension realization

• Increased motivation• Moriyoshi (1990)• “arrive at a new conception of self” p. 90• This is what happened

• Ishikawa’s (2011) suggestion . . . .

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• Limited study

• Identity• Recall: Norton (2000): identity = relationships;

related to resultant future possibilities

• Motivation• Wants to be American (wants to speak English)

• Wants to work in U.S. for Dreamworks

• Integrative motivation? Instrumental motivation?

• Dörnyei’s L2 Motivational Self System• Applicable?

• Explanatory power

• Direction to take15

Future Directions

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Thank You for Listening

• Questions?

• Comments?

• Feedback?

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Brian G. Rubrechtrubrecht@kisc.meiji.ac.jp

Kayoko Ishikawakayokoiusa@hotmail.com

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