Multilingual identity shifts among language learners with experience of studying abroad in Germany

Bibliographic Data

ID8936070
AuthorsYu Chen (0000-0002-0557-4316, School of Foreign Studies Tongji University Shanghai China), C-W Yan (0009-0009-2252-1185, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München), Chengle Yan (Faculty for the Study of Culture Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich Munich Germany), Jiao Li (0000-0001-6391-8343, School of Foreign Studies Tongji University Shanghai China, corresponding author), Xuesong Gao (0000-0002-3426-8721, School of Education University of New South Wales Sydney Australia)
Year2025
Volume59
Issue2
Pages383-408
Publication date2025-09-08
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueForeign Language Annals (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0015-718X • E-ISSN: 1944-9720
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/flan.70014
OpenAlexW4414217656
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited48

Study abroad (SA) experiences significantly influence language learners' multilingual development. Current research primarily examines the linguistic and cultural development of language learners in SA contexts. However, there is a need for further research to investigate the multilingual identity shifts that occur at the intersection of linguistic and personal growth, which are discursively and ideologically constructed. This study uses language portraits and semi‐structured interviews to explore nine Chinese university students' multilingual identity shifts by examining their SA experiences in Germany. Thematic analysis identified three dimensions of multilingual identity: cognitive, emotional, and behavioral. Changes in these three dimensions of multilingual identity interacted differently with language ideologies at different levels: macro (e.g., China's focus on German‐language examinations, Germany's use of English as a lingua franca), institutional (e.g., communicative German instruction in Germany), and micro (e.g., a student community's prioritizing English or German). Practical recommendations are offered for fostering multilingual identity development through SA experiences, and future research directions are suggested to explore this dynamic process

English as a lingua franca · Focus (optics · German · Identity (music · Ideology · Intercultural communication · Language ideology · Multilingualism · Study abroad · Turkish · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · Multilingual Education and Policy · Second Language Learning and Teaching

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