Culture, Identity and Attitudes of Adult Immigrant Learners of German in the Context of the German Integration Course
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Culture, Identity and Attitudes of Adult Immigrant Learners of German in the Context of the German Integration Course by Stefana Gargova A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Germanic Languages & Literatures University of Toronto © Copyright by Stefana Gargova 2017 Culture, Identity and Attitudes of Adult Immigrant Learners of German in the Context of the German Integration Course Stefana Gargova Doctor of Philosophy Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures University of Toronto 2017 Abstract Inspired by pioneering studies in the field of adult immigrants and second language acquisition, my dissertation research seeks to bridge the classroom as an inside space and the outside as lived social reality and to draw conclusions on how the interplay of these experiences affects and is affected by aspects of culture, attitudes and identity formation. Set in the specific context of the German Integration Course, this qualitative study is based on a series of guided conversations with and the written accounts of five adult immigrants enrolled in the Integration Course in Frankfurt, Germany in 2012. I am predominantly interested in socio- psychological factors affecting the learning process, including learners’ perspectives on learning a second language in a compulsory setting in Germany, and the influence as well as the dependence of such perspectives on their identities and as result on their learning behavior. In my work, I don’t draw a straight line between attitudes and language achievements. Much like water refracts light and produces images, I assert that our attitudes form interpretive stances through which we explain and make sense of our experiences. This process, in turn, affects our identity work and consequently our learning behaviour in and outside the classroom. As of today, research on the linguistic development in adult immigrant learners enrolled in the German Integrationskurs and the sociocultural factors that shape it is scarce. Consequently, the present study will contribute to the small but constantly growing body of research trying to shed light on the Integration course’s potential and capacity to meet its own goals. My work also has the intention to contribute to modern SLA pedagogy by shedding more light on the process- oriented, socio-psychological realm of language acquisition in migration contexts. ii Acknowledgments I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor Prof. Michael Hager. Thank you for your patience and ongoing support! I’d also like to thank Helena Jünger for helping me at the finish line. Finally, I’d like to thank all my informants for sharing their stories with me and making this project possible. iii Table of Contents 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................1 1.1 Germany’s Migration History and Policies ............................................................................1 1.2 SLA and the Migrant Experience ...........................................................................................4 1.3 Research Objectives ............................................................................................................12 1.4 Thesis Outline .....................................................................................................................18 2 The German Integration Course .............................................................................................20 2.1 Design of the IK ...................................................................................................................21 2.1.1 The German Language Class (Deutschkurs) .................................................................25 2.1.2 The Orientation Course ................................................................................................32 2.2 Culture and Interculturalism ................................................................................................36 2.3 Research on the IK ...............................................................................................................42 2.4 Conclusions ......................................................................................................................... 45 3 Identity and L2 Acquisition ................................................................................................... 47 3.1 Structuralist Theories of Identity ......................................................................................... 47 3.2 Post-structuralist Theories of Identity ..................................................................................50 3.2.1 Identity as a Social Construct ....................................................................................... 51 3.2.2 Positioning Theory ........................................................................................................ 53 3.2.3 Identity and Symbolic Power ........................................................................................ 56 3.2.4 Identity and Communities of Practice ........................................................................... 60 3.3 Research on Identity and Adult Migrant L2 Acquisition .................................................... 62 3.4 Conclusions ......................................................................................................................... 67 4 Attitudes in Second Language Acquisition ........................................................................... 69 4.1 Learner Attitudes in SLA Theory ....................................................................................... 69 4.1.1 Definition of Attitudes .................................................................................................. 70 4.1.2 Attitudes, Beliefs and Identity ...................................................................................... 72 iv 4.1.3 Gardner’s Socio-Educational Model ............................................................................. 74 4.1.4 Investment ..................................................................................................................... 79 4.1.5 ELV and Clément’s Social Context Model .................................................................. 82 4.2 Learner Attitudes in SLA Research .................................................................................... 84 4.2.1 Orientation of Research on Attitudes ............................................................................ 85 4.2.2 Studies on Attitudes and Migrant L2 Learning ............................................................. 86 4.2.2.1 Attitudes and Positive L2 Learning Outcomes ....................................................... 87 4.2.2.2 No Correlation between Attitudes and L2 Learning Outcomes .............................. 89 4.2.3 Methodological Shortcomings of the Studies ............................................................... 90 4.3 Conclusions ......................................................................................................................... 91 5 Methodology ............................................................................................................................ 95 5.1 Narrative Inquiry ................................................................................................................. 95 5.2 Definition and Types of Narratives and Narrative Inquiry ................................................. 98 5.2.1 Narratives ...................................................................................................................... 98 5.2.2 Narrative Inquiry ......................................................................................................... 101 5.2.2.1 Categories ................................................................................................................ 101 5.2.2.2 Themes ..................................................................................................................... 103 5.2.2.3 Limitations ............................................................................................................... 105 5.3 The Data Collection Process ............................................................................................. 107 5.3.1 The School .................................................................................................................. 108 5.3.2 The Instructors and Textbooks .................................................................................... 109 5.3.3 Participants .................................................................................................................. 112 5.3.4 The Interviews ............................................................................................................ 115 5.3.5 Journal Entries ............................................................................................................ 119 5.3.6 Classroom Observations ............................................................................................. 120 5.4 Data Analysis and Interpretation ..................................................................................... 121 6 Case Study Analysis .............................................................................................................. 124 6.1 Classroom Observations ..................................................................................................