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Identity and Second Language Acquisition: A Study on Adult Puerto Rican Migrants living in the United States

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Date Issued:
2019
Abstract/Description:
Drawing on the poststructuralist construct of identity and on Norton's (1995) concept of investment, as well as on Bourdieu's (1977) notion of capital, this qualitative research study relies on data gathered through interviews conducted with two adult female participants from Puerto Rico, who migrated to Central Florida approximately ten years ago. It aims at answering the following questions: (i) what identity-related factors facilitate or hinder the acquisition of the target language by Puerto Rican migrants? (ii) what social forces or barriers impact learning ESL in the context of Puerto Rican migration to the United States? The findings indicate that investment in social and academic practices can benefit students who want to learn the target language, but power inequities in interactions between native speakers and migrants can prevent the latter from interacting in the English-speaking community, making it difficult to acquire the language. The findings may serve to encourage further studies in second language and identity.
Title: Identity and Second Language Acquisition: A Study on Adult Puerto Rican Migrants living in the United States.
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Name(s): Soares Gomes, Marcio Rubens, Author
Vitanova-Haralampiev, Gergana, Committee Chair
Mihai, Florin, Committee Member
Garcia, Martha, Committee Member
University of Central Florida, Degree Grantor
Type of Resource: text
Date Issued: 2019
Publisher: University of Central Florida
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: Drawing on the poststructuralist construct of identity and on Norton's (1995) concept of investment, as well as on Bourdieu's (1977) notion of capital, this qualitative research study relies on data gathered through interviews conducted with two adult female participants from Puerto Rico, who migrated to Central Florida approximately ten years ago. It aims at answering the following questions: (i) what identity-related factors facilitate or hinder the acquisition of the target language by Puerto Rican migrants? (ii) what social forces or barriers impact learning ESL in the context of Puerto Rican migration to the United States? The findings indicate that investment in social and academic practices can benefit students who want to learn the target language, but power inequities in interactions between native speakers and migrants can prevent the latter from interacting in the English-speaking community, making it difficult to acquire the language. The findings may serve to encourage further studies in second language and identity.
Identifier: CFE0007531 (IID), ucf:52585 (fedora)
Note(s): 2019-05-01
M.A.
Arts and Humanities, Modern Languages
Masters
This record was generated from author submitted information.
Subject(s): Second-language acquisition -- identity -- investment -- migrants
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007531
Restrictions on Access: public 2019-05-15
Host Institution: UCF

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