Imagined Identities and Communities in the Learning Context of Finnish as a Second Language

Abstract

This case study on two migrant pupils of Finnish as L2 was carried out in Finland, which lies outside the most common context of such research, i.e. ESL or EFL in an English-speaking country. The study thus attempts to address the need to expand the research contexts of L2 identity issues. Using ethnographic data collected inside and outside a preparatory language classroom, this study aims to examine how the pupils make sense of their new learning environment and how, through language learning, they construct identities. The results show that they extend their repertoire of identities and connect to a wider world of possibilities as they strive to gain greater resources in their imagined communities through their investment in the target language. This study has led to implications for the L2 classroom, where pupils’ current learning is shown to be positively affected by the development of their subjective identities in their imagined communities.