Cover not available
Part of
Methods in Study Abroad Research: Past, present, and future
Edited by Carmen Pérez-Vidal and Cristina Sanz
[Research Methods in Applied Linguistics 4] 2023
► pp. 135–156

Chapter 6
Narratives and identity in study abroad research

| University of Perpignan-Via Domitia

Study abroad can be seen as a journey through time and space, affording narratives. This chapter focuses on the study of narratives and questions of identity for study abroad research. Looking first at narrative inquiry in general, it then considers the use of narratives in second language acquisition studies, before going on to address issues arising in study abroad research in particular. Identity is discussed in relation to narratives and narrative inquiry. Limitations and issues arising in existing studies are discussed, and suggestions are given for working with narratives in future study abroad research.

Keywords: narratives, identity, autobiography / autobiographical, plurilingual identity, transnational / transnationalism, plurilingualism, interviews, lived experiences, migrants
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Narratives and identity in SA
    • Approaching narratives
    • Approaching identity
  • Issues, limitations and critical discussion
    • Issues for narrative inquiry in SA research
    • Identity, plurilingualism and transnationalism
  • Guiding principles for working with narratives
  • Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 3 February 2023
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/rmal.4.06tyn
References
Anya, U.
(2021) When the foreign is familiar: An Afro-Dominican-American woman’s experience translanguaging race, ethnicity and cultural heritage learning Portuguese in Brazil. In W. Diao & E. Trentman (Eds.), Language learning in study abroad: The multilingual turn (pp. 43–71). Multilingual Matters. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Barkhuizen, G., & Consoli, S.
(2021) Pushing the edge in narrative inquiry. System, 102, 102656. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Beaven, A., & Conacher, J.
(2021) Conceptualising plurilingual identities in study abroad settings. In R. Mitchell & H. Tyne (Eds.), Language, mobility and study abroad in the contemporary European context (pp. 34–44). Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Benson, M.
(2011) The British in rural France: Lifestyle migration and the ongoing quest for a better way of life. Manchester University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Benson, P., Barkhuizen, G., Bodycott, P., & Brown, J.
(2012) Study abroad and the development of second language identities. Applied Linguistics Review, 3(1), 173–193. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2013) Second language identity in narratives of study abroad. Palgrave Macmillan. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Block, D.
(2003) The social turn in second language acquisition. Edinburgh University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2013a) The structure and agency dilemma in identity and intercultural communication research. Language and Intercultural Communication, 13(2), 126–147. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2013b) Issues in language and identity research in applied linguistics. Estudios de Lingüística Inglesa Aplicada, 13, 11–46. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Boone, G.
(2021) How social interaction affects students’ formulaic development in L2 German in a multilingual SA context: Four case studies. In R. Mitchell & H. Tyne (Eds.), Language, mobility and study abroad in the contemporary European context (pp. 154–170). Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bruner, J.
(1991) The narrative construction of reality. Critical Inquiry, 18(1), 1–21. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Coleman, J.
(2013) Researching whole people and whole lives. In C. Kinginger (Ed.), Social and cultural aspects of language learning in study abroad. (pp. 17–44). John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cots, J. M., Mitchell, R., & Beaven, A.
(2021) Structure and agency in the development of plurilingual identities in study abroad. In M. Howard (Ed.), Study abroad and the second language learner: Expectations, experiences and development (pp. 165–188). Bloomsbury Academic. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Darvin, R.
(2018) Identity. In A. Phakiti, P. De Costa, L. Plonsky, & S. Starfield (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of applied linguistics research methodology (pp. 777–792). Springer. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Darvin, R., & Norton, B.
(2014) Transnational identity and migrant language learners: The promise of digital storytelling. Education Matters, 2(1), 55–66.Google Scholar
Dawson, S.
(2020) ‘Perfect French’ and explaining where your family is from: Negotiating a New Zealand identity on study abroad. I-LanD Journal 2020(1), 109–128. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
De Fina, A., & Tseng, A.
(2017) Narrative in the study of migrants. In S. Canagarajah (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of migration and language (pp. 381–396). Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Devlin, A. M., & Tyne, H.
(2021) Retelling immersion in France: Opportunities and affordances in language use. In R. Mitchell & H. Tyne (Eds.), Language, mobility and study abroad in the contemporary European context (pp. 64–78). Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Dewey, D. P., Belnap, R. K., & Hillstrom, R.
(2013) Social network development, language use, and language acquisition during study abroad: Arabic language learners’ perspectives. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 22(1), 84–110. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Dewey, D. P., Bown, J., & Eggert, D.
(2012) Japanese language proficiency, social networking, and language use during study abroad: Learners’ perspectives. The Canadian Modern Language Review / La Revue Canadienne des Langues Vivantes, 68, 111–137. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Dewey, D. P., Ring, S., Gardner, D., & Belnap, R. K.
(2013) Social network formation and development during study abroad in the Middle East, System, 41, 269–282. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Duff, P.
(2012) Identity, agency and second language acquisition. In S. Gass & A. Mackey (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 410–426). Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Eyckmans, J.
(2021) Learner engagement and study abroad: The influence of personal agency on sojourner–host interaction. In R. Mitchell & H. Tyne (Eds.), Language, mobility and study abroad in the contemporary European context (pp. 225–241). Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Frauenfelder, U., & Porquier, R.
(1980) Le problème des tâches dans l’étude de la langue de l’apprenant. Langages, 57, 61–71. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Gautier, R., & Chevrot, J. P.
(2015) Social networks and acquisition of sociolinguistic variation in a study abroad context: a preliminary study. In R. Mitchell, N. Tracy-Ventura, & K. McManus (Eds.), Social interaction, identity and language learning during residence abroad (Eurosla Monograph Series 4) (pp. 169–184). Eurosla.Google Scholar
Giménez, J.
(2010) Narrative analysis in linguistic research. In L. Litosseliti (Ed.), Research methods in linguistics (pp. 198–215). Continuum.Google Scholar
Goodson, I.
(2013) Developing narrative theory: Life histories and personal representation. Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Goodwin, J.
(Ed.) (2012) Sage biographical research. Sage. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Guido, M. G.
(2018) English as a lingua franca in migrants’ trauma narratives. Palgrave Macmillan. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hadley, G.
(2017) Grounded theory in applied linguistics research: A practical guide. Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Henry, A.
(2011) Examining the impact of L2 English on L3 selves: A case study. International Journal of Multilingualism, 8(3), 235–255. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2017) L2 motivation and multilingual identities. The Modern Language Journal, 101(3), 548–565. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Herrnstein Smith, B.
(1980) Narrative versions, narrative theories. Critical Inquiry, 7(1), 213–236. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Housen, A., Kemps, N., & Pierrard, M.
(2009) The use of verb morphology of advanced L2 learners and native speakers of French. In E. Labeau & F. Myles (Eds.), The advanced learner variety: The case of French (pp. 41–62). Peter Lang. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hyvärinen, M.
(2008) Analyzing narratives and story-telling. In P. Alasuutari, L. Bickman, & J. Brannen (Eds.), The Sage handbook of social research methods (pp. 447–460). Sage. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Iwasaki, N.
(2021) The linguistic repertoire and lived experience of a Slovak student: Contradictory dispositions revealed by language portraits. In R. Mitchell & H. Tyne (Eds.), Language, mobility and study abroad in the contemporary European context (pp. 207–224). Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kazmierska, K.
(2003) Migration experiences and changes of identity. The analysis of a narrative. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 4(3). DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kiernan, P.
(2019) Learner narratives of translingual identities: A multimodal approach to exploring language learning histories. Palgrave Macmillan. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kim, J., & Duff, P.
(2012) The language socialization and identity negotiations of Generation 1.5 Korean-Canadian university students. TESL Canada Journal / Revue TESL du Canada, 29(6), 81–102. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kinginger, C.
(2008) Language learning in study abroad: Case studies of Americans in France. The Modern Language Journal, 92, 1–24. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2009) Language learning and study abroad: A critical reading of research. Palgrave Macmillan. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2013) Identity and language learning in study abroad. Foreign Language Annals, 46(3), 339–358. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kyttä, M.
(2002) Affordances of children’s environments in the context of cities, small towns, suburbs and rural villages in Finland and Belarus. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 22(1–2), 109–123. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Labov, W., & Waletsky, J.
(1967) Narrative analysis: Oral versions of personal experience. In J. Helms (Ed.), Essays in the verbal and visual arts (pp. 12–44). University of Washington Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lawson, M.
(2015) Life in the ghetto: How the media represent British lifestyle migration to France. JOMEC Journal, 7. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2016) Identity, ideology and positioning in discourses of lifestyle migration. Palgrave Macmillan. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lieblich, A., Tuval-Mashiach, R. & Zilber, T.
(1998) Narrative research: Reading, analysis and interpretation. Sage. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Magliacane, A., Devlin, A. M., & Iwasaki, N.
(2020) Negotiation of L2 Identities in the age of transnational mobility: Enactment, perception, status, and language development. I-LanD Journal, 1, 3–15. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Marinov, S., Soulé, M. V., & Cots, J. M.
(2021) The role of context in shaping narratives of plurilingual identity: The case of non-language majors studying abroad. In R. Mitchell & H. Tyne (Eds.), Language, mobility and study abroad in the contemporary European context (pp. 189–206). Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mas-Alcolea, S.
(2018) ‘I thought I was prepared.’ Erasmus students’ voices on their transition from L2 learners to L2 users. In J. L. Plews & K. Misfeldt (Eds.), Second language study abroad (pp. 223–255). Palgrave Macmillan. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mayer, M.
(1969) Frog, where are you? Dial Press.Google Scholar
McAlpine, L.
(2016) Why might you use narrative methodology? A story about narrative. Eesti Haridusteaduste Ajakiri, 4(1), 32–57. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
McManus, K.
(2019) Relationships between social networks and language development during study abroad. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 32(3), 270–284. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mitchell, R., Tracy-Ventura, N., & Huensch, A.
(2020) After study abroad: The maintenance of multilingual identity among Anglophone languages graduates. The Modern Language Journal, 104(2), 328–344. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mitchell, R., Tracy-Ventura, N., & McManus, K.
(2017) Anglophone students abroad: Identity, social relationships and language learning. Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mitchell, R., & Tyne, H.
(2021) Afterword. In R. Mitchell & H. Tyne (Eds.), Language, mobility and study abroad in the contemporary European context (pp. 277–279). Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Morgan, B., & Clarke, M.
(2011) Identity in second language teaching and learning. In E. Hinkel (Ed.), Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning (pp. 817–836). Routledge.Google Scholar
Murphy-Lejeune, E.
(2002) Student mobility and narrative in Europe: The new strangers. Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Nguyen, H. T., & Kellogg, G.
(2005) Emergent identities in on-line discussions for second language learning. The Canadian Modern Language Review / La Revue Canadienne des Langues Vivantes, 62(1), 111–136. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Nobes, A.
(2018) Brit abroad: How to survive a year abroad. Amazon.Google Scholar
Norton, B.
(2000) Identity and language learning: Gender, ethnicity and educational change. Pearson Education.Google Scholar
Norton, B., & De Costa, P. I.
(2018) Research tasks on identity in language learning and teaching. Language Teaching, 51(1), 90–112. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Norton, B., & Toohey, K.
(2011) Identity, language learning, and social change. Language Teaching, 44(4), 412–446. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ortega, L.
(2021) Research on language learning during study abroad: What next? In W. Diao & E. Trentman (Eds.), Language learning in study abroad: The multilingual turn (pp. 213–224). Multilingual Matters. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Perdue, C., & Deulofeu, J.
(1986) La structuration de l’énoncé : Étude longitudinale. Langages, 84, 43–63. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Polkinghorne, D. E.
(1995) Narrative configuration in qualitative analysis. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 8(1), 5–23. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Riemann, G.
(Ed.) (2003) Doing biographical research. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 4(3). Retrieved on 26 June 2022 from [URL]
Riessman, C. K.
(2005) Narrative analysis. In N. Kelly, C. Horrocks, K. Milnes, B. Roberts, & D. Robinson (Eds.), Narrative, memory and everyday life (pp. 1–7). University of Huddersfield.Google Scholar
(2008) Narrative methods for the human sciences. Sage.Google Scholar
Ruspini, P.
(2019) Migrants unbound. Transnational Press London.Google Scholar
Sandelowski, M.
(1991) Telling stories: Narrative approaches in qualitative research. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 23(3), 161–166. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Shenhav, S. R.
(2015) Analyzing social narratives. Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Smith, S., & Watson, J.
(2005) The trouble with autobiography: Cautionary notes for narrative theorists. In J. Phelan & P. J. Rabinowitz (Eds.), A companion to narrative theory (pp. 355–371). Blackwell. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Squire, C., Andrews, M., & Tamboukou, M.
(2013) Introduction: What is narrative research? In M. Andrews, C. Squire, & M. Tamboukou (Eds.), Doing narrative research (2nd ed., pp. 1–26). Sage. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Thomas, J. A.
(2021) Ghanaian multilinguals on study abroad in Tanzania: Learning Swahili through Akan/Twi and cultures of storytelling. In W. Diao & E. Trentman (Eds.), Language learning in study abroad: The multilingual turn (pp. 13–42). Multilingual Matters. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Tyne, H., & Ruspini, P.
(2021) International student mobility as transnationalism. In R. Mitchell & H. Tyne (Eds.), Language, mobility and study abroad in the contemporary European context (pp. 13–21). Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
van Lier, L.
(2000) From input to affordance: Social-interactive learning from an ecological perspective. In J. P. Lantolf (Ed.), Sociocultural theory and second language learning (pp. 245–259). Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Victorri, B.
(2002) Homo narrans: le rôle de la narration dans l’émergence du langage. Langages, 146, 112–125. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Watorek, M., Benazzo, S., & Hickmann, M.
(2012) Comparative perspectives on language acquisition: A tribute to Clive Perdue. Multilingual Matters. DOI logoGoogle Scholar