Social Identity, Investment, and Language Learning by Bonny Norton Peirce

I am very interested in and empathize with each example which is taken up in this article. I have never thought much of the word of “social” or “society”. However, as I read some articles in Introduction to TESOL, I am getting known the importance and the depth of “social” or “society”. According to Bonny Norton, “SLA theorists have struggled to conceptualize the relationship between the language learner and the social world because they have not developed a comprehensive theory of social identity.”(p.9) At first, I am wondering what “social identity” is. I think identity means post history, in other words , who I am. On the other hand, social identity is related with our society, I wonder. It depends on society. For me, in IUP I am a just student, while I am an English teacher in Japan. In addition, social identity gets involved in investment deeply. It is necessary for us to have investment as well as motivation in order to develop a target language competence. It is true of the language learners like me. Therefore, I would like to talk about the example of Martina, who had given up a surveyor’s job to come to Canada “for the children.”

Martina has great investment as well as high motivation. Her investment in English is “largely structured by an identity as primary caregiver in the family.”(p.21) Also, Martina’s identity is formed by “immigrant, a mother, a language learner, a worker, a wife.”(p.21) Such identities bring her great investment in English and a high affective filter. Like Martina, I think I have high motivation and great investment, too. My investment is structured by an identity as an English teacher in Japan. I am a just a student in IUP, but when I go back to Japan, I have to teach English in senior high school. I have a strong desire to speak English fluently. However, unlikely Martina, I don’t force myself to the situation like her. I have to read and think in English every day, but either can do only by myself. I am not connected with society or native speakers very much. I hesitate to speak to a native speaker, because my English is not good. Then, I was impressed with her change on the phone and at work. It is also important to have the ability to claim the right to speak so as to develop the language competence.

My question is the following; what do you figure out in order to develop your English competence? And what will you do if there is a student who has a low affective filter in your classroom?