Exploring Imagined Identities and EFL Investment Among Muslim Adolescents: An Arts-Based Research in Indonesian Islamic Boarding Schools

What possibilities does English as a foreign language learning offer to learners outside the Anglophone world? The majority of research has featured studies on language learners’ identities and investment in predominantly sociocultural contexts in the Global North. Nghia (2020) and Wu (2017) have pushed for a more in-depth analysis of diverse learners outside the Inner Circle. Responding to their calls, my doctoral research used an Arts-Based Research design to explore what it means for Muslim adolescents in Indonesian Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) to learn English. Specifically, it explores the dynamics of how their imagined identities and investmenta are constructed and negotiated in their respective context. This research consisted of two phases. The initial qualitative phase was held in three senior high school pesantrens in Depok, West Java. Drawing on Norton Pierce’s ‘investment’ theory (1995, 2013) as well as Darvin and Norton’s (2015) identity-ideology-capital investment model, it explored the types of pesantren students' imagined identities, the investments they made in learning English, and the relationship between them. Data were collected through; (1) student focus groups, (2) classroom observations, (3) informal interviews with English language teachers and curriculum coordinators in the pesantren schools, and (4) the researcher’s diary and field notes. Findings from thematic and critical discourse analysis show that most students aspired to become successful EFL learners, and some strived to become proficient EFL users. Other students did not clearly define their imagined identities although they remained interested in the symbolic value associated with the language. A new form of investment emerged namely a virtuous investment, wherein the students believed that mastering English would count as a filial piety endorsed by Islamic teachings. The second phase involved an arts-based intervention using Forum Theatre (FT). It examined how FT could assist Muslim adolescents in navigating potential tensions between their multi-layered identity positions and ideological discourses about their EFL learning, as well as how their imagined identities and EFL investment might change as result of negotiating these tensions. Multiple data collection methods were deployed; (1) class-related artifacts, (2) the researcher’s diary and field notes, (3) semi-structured video-stimulated recall interviews with four focal students, and (4) informal interviews with the English class teacher. Focusing on four focal students, findings demonstrate how FT could generate a ‘third space’ (Bhabha, 1994) where the students enacted their agency from their ‘locus of enunciation’ to navigate competing discourses and their multi-layered identity positions within the unequal power dynamic in their milieu. By centering on embodiment, emotional engagement, and shared participation, the theatre-based activities helped the students manage these tensions while sustaining their commitment to learning English. As a result, a ‘hybrid’ kind of imagined identity emerged: one that is productive and global, yet remained devoted to their Islamic ideals and cultural roots. Overall, the findings encourage an extension of Norton Pierce’s (1995, 2013) investment framework as well as Darvin and Norton’s (2015) identity-ideology-capital investment model to consider learners’ religious identities and spiritual capital as additional factors that shape their imagined identities and language investment. This can be particularly pertinent in educational contexts where religion is fundamental to learners’ lives. By acknowledging these factors, educators can create more inclusive teaching methods that value learners as complex social beings and meet the demands of diverse English language learning environments.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Cambridge

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Destari, Herlin Putri Indah

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Morrison-Helme, Morag

• EFL Muslim students
• Forum Theatre
• imagined identity
• investment
• third space

Licence

• https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/61e4b036-e3d0-4016-8eb2-7f05e10f5eea/download
• http://purl.org/NET/rdflicense/allrightsreserved

DOI dc:identifier.doi

https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.120460

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/387829