Being and becoming English learners in the imagined communities

The paper investigates the ‘imagined’ English language learner (ELL) identities of Korean undergraduates in comparison with the construction of their ‘past/current’ identities. In an environment of globalization and simultaneous development of technology, South Korea is no exception in viewing English a vital path to success although English is taught and used as a foreign language. In such an EFL context, the study examines how ELLs view their current selves and envision their imagined ELL identities through their visual drawings and written descriptions. Grounded on the notion of imagined communities and identity (Pavlenko & Norton, 2007), the study explores how 159 Korean undergraduates present their understandings of the transformation of identity and communities to take place through English learning. A multimodal analysis was employed to unravel the multiple, complex, and fluid attributes of ELL identity from the visual and narrative elements (Jewitt, 2009; Kress, 2010). The findings yield insights into the purposes, orientations, attitudes of Korean EFL learners toward English learning and their awareness of the broader global, intercultural context. Concentrating on the relational dimension of ELL identity, the study discusses the weight and affordances of English and its relation to the imagined ELL identity and the community.