4 Examining Agency in (Second) Language Socialization Research

Duff, Patricia A.; Doherty, Liam

doi:10.21832/9781783092901-006

Cited by 23 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Thus, opting to take (or not take) a particular language course, to drop a course, switch instructors, resist speaking a language, use an unexpected register or form of speech or writing, or engage in particular kinds of playful, translingual language practices may be manifestations of socially mediated agency that work across levels from macro to micro, and vice versa. Duff and Doherty (2015) illustrate some of these agentic processes and systems in relation to the learning of L2 Mandarin and English. Figure 1 is a two-dimensional representation, or heuristic, of the dynamic interplay among numerous factors as individuals engage with others in multilingual contexts and in the process learn and use languages.…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Social Dimensions and Processes in Second Language Acquisition: Multilingual Socialization in Transnational Contexts

Duff

2019

The Modern Language Journal

Self Cite

127

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Social aspects of second language acquisition (SLA) and the contexts in which people attempt to learn and use languages and seek to become integrated within new and changing cultures have been examined for decades from various theoretical perspectives. In this article, I present some of the ways in which ‘social’ experience is being theorized in SLA and in broader fields that intersect with SLA, such as linguistic anthropology. I then discuss how the Douglas Fir Group (DFG, 2016) originally portrayed the many interlinking factors affecting SLA in our multilingual world on several analytic levels and suggest ways of perhaps reconceptualizing the model while retaining its powerful heuristic value. Next, I describe language socialization research as 1 productive social approach and provide examples of research in 2 transnational domains—study abroad and heritage language learning—that demonstrate a multiscalar approach to examining social dimensions of language development and use. The article ends with a discussion of transdisciplinarity in SLA research. I suggest possibilities for team‐based research projects that aim to understand cases from multiple, integrated perspectives on different scales of analysis, and then provide a brief reflection on some of the troubling political ideologies that SLA researchers who embrace multilingualism must now confront on a daily basis.

show abstract

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Social Dimensions and Processes in Second Language Acquisition: Multilingual Socialization in Transnational Contexts

Duff

2019

The Modern Language Journal

Self Cite

127

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…One of my purposes for writing this article, then, is to expand on this DFG theme. In so doing, I adopt Evan Thompson's definition (online interview by Heuman, ): “agency is the capacity to act in the world.” More specifically, following the DFG's lead, I use it here to refer to optimizing conditions for one's own learning (or not—Duff & Doherty, ) and choosing to deploy one's semiotic resources to position oneself as one would wish in a multilingual world (Byrnes, ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

On Language Learner Agency: A Complex Dynamic Systems Theory Perspective

Larsen‐Freeman

2019

The Modern Language Journal

187

113

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Agency has attracted considerable attention, especially of late. Nevertheless, perceptions of language learners as nonagentive persist. In this article the Douglas Fir Group's call for a transdisciplinary perspective is heeded in a Complex Dynamic Systems Theory's (CDST) conceptualization of agency. It is suggested that CDST maintains the structure–agency complementarity while bringing to the fore the relational and emergent nature of agency. Coordination dynamics is identified as a possible mechanism for the phylogenetic and ontogenetic emergence of agency. CDST further characterizes agency as spatially–temporally situated. It can be achieved and changed through iteration and co‐adaptation. It is also multidimensional and heterarchical. In this era of posthumanism, an issue that is also taken up is whether it is only humans who have agency. The article then discusses educational practices that could support learner agency. Finally, the article closes with a discussion of agency and ethical action.

show abstract

“…The importance of agency for theories on language learning is highlighted by Duff and Doherty (2015), who claim that processes and outcomes of language learning may be better understood through the theorizing of agency and of language learners as agents, experiencers and beneficiaries. Relationships between agency and literacy may be perceived as directed both ways; people use written language resources in relation to agency, while their agency simultaneously influences how they develop their understanding of literacy.…”

Section: Agency and Literacymentioning

confidence: 99%

Literacy and Agency: The Case of Young Adults who Came to Sweden as Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Minors

Wedin

2019

Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this article, relations between agency and literacy are analysed focussing on unaccompanied asylum-seeking children's literacies. A dialogic perspective on agency is used, with agency defined as dynamic, and with attention paid to the parameters time, culture, semiotic resources, and physical space and position. The material used for the analysis are interviews with five young adults. Interviews revealed the conflicting positions of the young persons in focus here, as agents acting to position themselves while simultaneously being in a vulnerable position. The social uses of written language resources outside school in this case turned out to be especially important for interaction with peers, relatives and acquaintances. The analysis also showed the importance of support for the development of multilingual literacies, and it identified restrictions at the social level that may be the result of monolingual literacy for the individual.

show abstract

4 Examining Agency in (Second) Language Socialization Research

Cited by 23 publications

References 0 publications

Social Dimensions and Processes in Second Language Acquisition: Multilingual Socialization in Transnational Contexts

Social Dimensions and Processes in Second Language Acquisition: Multilingual Socialization in Transnational Contexts

On Language Learner Agency: A Complex Dynamic Systems Theory Perspective

Literacy and Agency: The Case of Young Adults who Came to Sweden as Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Minors

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About