A Case Study of EFL Learners’ Identity and Investment in a Private Educational Company in China
Abstract
In response to the scant literature on Chinese English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ identity and investment in language learning within private settings, this study employed exploratory case study to report findings regarding Chinese EFL learners’ identity and investment at a private educational company in mainland China. This study used the model of investment as the theoretical underpinning. Data presented in this paper were collected through three adult students’ learning materials in three different English learning programs and interviews with both students and three teachers who taught the students respectively. Findings reveal how students constructed identities as related to English learning and investment in English learning, as well as factors that would have influenced their investment such as class size and instructional purposes of programs. This study offers recommendations for teachers and program developers regarding English curriculum, pedagogy, and learning in informal, private learning contexts.