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Description
Research has shown that diverse factors contribute to the shaping of learner identity, encompassing from macro and micro contexts to temporal context change and personal factors. Emotions, in particular, emerge as a pivotal informational source in the cultivation of an individual's perception of oneself. Our study is contextualized in the emotion-packed transition from rural high schools to a major urban university of language learners. This can be even more intense as participants engaged in English as Medium Instruction (EMI) settings. This study, therefore, seeks understanding of processes of L2-related identity construction and how emotions are mediated in that formation process. Five students participated in interviews designed to understand their past, present and future dimensions of English learning experiences and how these dimensions are intertwined through the process of narrative construction in participants' retrospective reflection of their learning experiences and emotions. We demonstrate that it is not their proficiency in English that plays the pivotal role in shaping EFL personal orientations to English and their identity as English learners, but their emotions, social and environmental affordances, and individuals’ agency. On the other hand, language users and successful multilingual learners construct and negotiate between achievement emotions, micro-social practices, and future goals. The study also provides insights to the understanding of the interplay between learner’s identity and emotion and calls for social-emotional teaching and learning across educational levels.
