Abstract
This is qualitative research on the development of learner identity (Norton, 2013) via “dialogic learner”—a newly-constructed teaching model. Research subjects were two groups of English majors in 2015 and 2016, each respectively in their first year at a university for liberal arts. Data collection includes learning reflections, interviews and questionnaires. Research findings demonstrate two trajectories of identity changes: The first, found in the first and second groups, was from being one-dimensional learners to becoming multi-dimensional ones; the second, emerging among the second group, was from being passive learners to becoming more active and adequately-prepared ones. This trajectory might further encourage the students in their exploration of multidimensional thinking—the early stage in the evolution of the symbolic competence (Kramsch, 2009), with the possibility of life-long self-education (Gao, 2001).
About the author
Yongwei Bian is a professor at the Department of English Language and Literature, School of Foreign Languages, University of International Relations, Beijing. Her research interests include language learner identity, foreign language learning, and discourse analysis.
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Acknowledgments
I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Dr. Bonny Norton, Professor & Distinguished University Scholar at the University of British Columbia, for her suggestions and detailed proofreading of this paper; and to the anonymous reviewers for their critical comments and suggestions for the revision of this paper; and to Dr. Xiangdong Liu, managing editor, for the prompt feedback and help for the publication of this paper.
© 2023 FLTRP, Walter de Gruyter, Cultural and Education Section British Embassy
