The Language Socialization and Identity Negotiations of Generation 1.5 Korean- Canadian University Students

Abstract

This article, based on a larger longitudinal multiple-case study of Generation 1.5 Korean-Canadians, explores two female students’ experiences in high school and then university. Foregrounding aspects of language socialization (Duff & Hornberger, 2008) and identity (Norton, 2000) in language-learning and use, the study examines the contextual factors involved in the students' language socialization in and through Korean and English. The findings reveal that through the complex interplay of their past, present, and future “imagined” experiences, the students were socialized into various beliefs and ideologies about language-learning and use, often necessitating the negotiation of investments in their identities in relation to Korean and English. Given the personal backgrounds of these students, coupled with the phenomena of globalization and transnationalism, we suggest that Canadian universities and Generation 1.5 students and their families pay more attention to the students’ linguistic, educational, and social backgrounds, affiliations, and trajectories by underscoring the advantages of bilingualism and biculturalism along with the importance of English for integration into Canadian society and international networks.