國際旅遊和遊學經驗如何改變自我概念: 一位台灣成人英語學習者的個案研究 - 政大學術集成

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(1)國立政治大學英國語文學系碩士在職專班碩士論文. 指導教授: 招靜琪博士 Advisor: Dr. Chin-chi Chao. 國際旅遊和遊學經驗如何改變自我概念:. 政治大 How do International Travel and Study Abroad Experiences Shift 立一位台灣成人英語學習者的個案研究. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. Identities: A Case Study on a Taiwanese Adult English Learner. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. 研究生:黃美瑩 Name: Mei-Ying Huang 中華民國 106 年 1 月 January, 2017.

(2) 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v.

(3) How do International Travel and Study Abroad Experiences Shift Identities: A Case Study on a Taiwanese Adult English Learner. A Master Thesis Presented to Department of English,. 政治大. 立National Chengchi University. y. ‧. ‧ 國. 學 sit. io. n. er. Nat. In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts a v. i l C n hengchi U. By Mei-Ying Huang January, 2017.

(4) 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v.

(5) iii. Acknowledgements. I am very grateful to many people who have contributed in direct or indirect ways to this thesis. If there were not their encouragement and guidance, this thesis would not have been possible.. 政治大 experiences, who patiently 立 guided, inspired and encouraged me to finish this thesis. First of all, I would like to thank my advisor, Prof. Chin-chi Chao, with her rich. ‧ 國. 學. step by step. I appreciate she would spare time discussing with me about my thesis and provided her insightful comment and helpful suggestions, even if she is very busy. ‧. with teaching and doing research. Without Prof. Chao’s guidance and encouragement,. sit. y. Nat. I would not be able to finish my thesis. She is also my role model of a good teacher in. n. al. er. io. my future teaching career because of her patience and kindness to every student. I. i n U. v. really thank her great inspiration and assistance to me in the process of writing this. Ch. engchi. thesis and taking courses in National ChengChi University.. Second, I would like to thank my research participant, Wayne, who spent much time telling me his English learning experiences and international trip. He also encouraged me a lot and offered me much advice when I faced some difficulties and challenges in the process of writing this thesis. Without his patience and support, I would not finish this big master thesis. Wayne is also really the significant person for me. I felt lucky to have him being with me these days..

(6) iv. Also, I want to appreciate my classmates, Yu Tai-Chun, Peng Yuh-Shan, Hsiung Ming-Yao, Kuo Shu-Hua, and my boyfriend Kuan-wei Wang. We built bonded friendships during the three years. Without their inspiring and warm words, I would not finish my thesis in time.. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to my parents for supporting my. 政治大. decision to continue my study in the master program and being there for me all the. 立. time.. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v.

(7) v. TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................... v LIST OF FIGURES/TABLES ................................................................................... viii Chinese Abstract ........................................................................................................... ix Abstract ......................................................................................................................... xi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................. 1 Background and Motivation .................................................................................. 1 Purpose and Research Questions of the Study ....................................................... 2 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................. 5 Definitions of Study Abroad .................................................................................. 5 Benefits of Study Abroad Experiences .................................................................. 5 Poststructuralist Perspectives of Identity ............................................................... 7. 立. 政治大. ‧ 國. 學. Factors Affecting the Development of Second Language Identity ........................ 9. ‧. CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY .......................................................................... 11 The Participant ..................................................................................................... 11 The Context –From Taiwan to Overseas Study Trip............................................ 12 Data Collection .................................................................................................... 15. Nat. y. sit. n. al. er. io. Semi-structured interviews .......................................................................... 15 Journals ........................................................................................................ 16 Observation .................................................................................................. 16 Documentation ............................................................................................. 16 Procedures ............................................................................................................ 17 Data Analysis ....................................................................................................... 19 The researcher’s role and trustworthiness .................................................... 19. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. CHAPRER 4 RESULTS ......................................................................................... 21 Wayne’s Family Background and English Learning Experience......................... 21 The Shift of Language Learner Identity............................................................... 26 Before the trip: Wayne’s language learner identity ...................................... 27 During the trip: critical events ..................................................................... 32 After the trip: identity shift .......................................................................... 35 The Shift of English Learning Strategies ............................................................. 37 Before the trip: Wayne’s non-interactive English learning strategies in Taiwan .......................................................................................................... 37 During the trip: Wayne’s observations learning and using English naturally.

(8) vi. with friends and host families ...................................................................... 38 During the trip: The interactive and student-center learning experiences in the ABC University ...................................................................................... 40 During the trip: The interesting extracurricular classes and school day trips ...................................................................................................................... 42 After the trip: shift into active and practical English learning methods ...... 43 The Shift of the Attitude towards English Learning ............................................ 44 Before the trip: passive and reluctant attitude towards English learning at school ........................................................................................................... 44 During the trip: Some significant events which influenced Wayne’s English learning attitude ........................................................................................... 45 After the trip: Pursuit of English fluency..................................................... 48 The Shift of Understanding and Attitudes towards the Western world ................ 49 Before the trip: Negative attitude towards the Western world ..................... 49 During the trip: Open-minded attitude towards the Western world and culture .......................................................................................................... 49. 立. 政治大. ‧ 國. 學. ‧. After the trip: Open-mind and passionate attitude towards the Western world ............................................................................................................ 57 The Shift of National Identity .............................................................................. 59 Morocco: I was stopped at the national gate of Morocco. ........................... 59 Iceland: ‘Father, why do so many international people visit our snowy. y. Nat. sit. country?’ ...................................................................................................... 61. n. al. er. io. CHAPTER 5 DISCUSSION................................................................................... 65 Two Themes that are Related to Identity Shifts ................................................... 65 Reality check: New challenges, new realizations and new learning ........... 65 Power issues ................................................................................................. 68 Identities Shifts .................................................................................................... 70 The shift of language learner identity .......................................................... 70 The shift of national identity ........................................................................ 71. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. CHAPTER 6 CONCLUSION ................................................................................ 73 Summary of the Findings ..................................................................................... 73 Pedagogical Implications ..................................................................................... 74 Limitations of the Study....................................................................................... 77 Suggestions for Future Research ......................................................................... 78 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 78 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................... 81 Appendixes.................................................................................................................. 86 Appendix A: Questions for the Pre- visit Interview............................................. 86.

(9) vii. Appendix B: Questions for During-the-trip Interviews ....................................... 87 Everyday Questions ..................................................................................... 87 Weekly Questions ........................................................................................ 87 Questions at the point when the participant moves across countries ........... 87 Appendix C: Questions for After-the-trip (on the way back) Interview .............. 88 Appendix D: Curriculum Description of General English Language Courses in ABC University ................................................................................................... 89 Appendix E: The Map Developed by Wayne for the Trip ................................... 93. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v.

(10) viii. LIST OF FIGURES/TABLES. Table 1. Itinerary……………………………………………………………………. 14 Table 2. An overall picture of the procedures for data collection…………………... 18. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v.

(11) ix. 國立政治大學英國語文學系碩士在職專班碩士論文題要論文名稱: 國際旅遊和遊學經驗如何改變自我概念: 一位台灣成人英語學習者的個案研究指導教授: 招靜琪博士研究生: 黃美瑩論文題要內容: 出國遊學或留學一直被視為培養外語能力的好方法。本研究旨在透過記錄一. 政治大. 位名為 Wayne 的成年英語學習者到愛爾蘭短期遊學與至歐亞非三大洲 26 個國家. 立. 進行 139 天國際旅遊，以背包客方式入住各國當地人家中進行文化交流的經驗，. ‧ 國. 學. 以探究短期遊學與長期國際旅遊如何改變外語學習者。. ‧. 本研究方法採用質性研究，研究資料為日記、文件、觀察、及半結構式訪談，透過 Wayne 的短期遊學與國際旅遊經驗前、中、後的事件，透過分析這些資料，. y. Nat. io. sit. 發現他的改變最重要有五大項: 語言自我概念的改變、英語學習方法的改變、英. n. al. er. 語學習態度的改變、對於世界與文化交流的認知與態度的改變、及國家認同自我. Ch. i n U. v. 概念的改變。本研究討論了以下幾點：Wayne 在外國環境遇到的新挑戰、新領悟. engchi. 而最後有了新的學習、以及他的應對態度、自我概念的改變，與人互動所產生的權力關係的議題，社群網站所提供的語言學習與文化交流機會，以及台灣正式英語教育的限制，最後，短期遊學與國際旅遊對 Wayne 對英語學習和文化交流的看法與影響。這過程中，Wayne 的自我概念、語言學習態度、及想像世界受到挑戰，也不斷有新的領悟與學習，引發他對自己的自我概念與認同，以及自己身為語言學習者與使用者有更深層的了解。此外，國際旅遊後，Wayne 對自己的國家與自己本身在世界上可進行的文化交流努力也產生了新的想法與責任感。.

(12) x. 最後，依據本研究結果，對於出國學習與國際旅遊計畫執行者、設計者、教育學者、父母、英語教師與文化交流熱愛者提供相關建議與方向，以期能使出國遊學者與國際旅遊者的旅程更加豐富且有助益。. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v.

(13) xi. Abstract. Study abroad (SA) has been thought of as a great way to help learners develop foreign language proficiency. The main purpose of this study is to explore how a Taiwanese adult English learner called Wayne experienced short-term SA and international trip to 26 countries and how these experiences shifted his identity, personal growth, the methods and attitudes towards English learning. Qualitative methods were adopted in this case study through interviewing and. 政治大 collected through semi-structured 立 interviews, journals, observation and. recording the experiences before, during and after the international trip. Data were. ‧ 國. 學. documentation. Wayne's English learning experiences were explored by categorizing them into three main phases: the experiences before, during and three months after the. ‧. trip. By analyzing the data collected, the shifts Wayne had were as following: the shift. sit. y. Nat. of language learner identity, the shift of his methods towards English learning, the. n. al. er. io. shift of his attitude towards English learning, the shift of his recognition and attitudes. i n U. v. towards the Western world and cultural exchange, and the shift of national identity. In. Ch. engchi. addition, five themes were discussed, including new challenges and new realizations, identity shifts, power issues, e-opportunities for learning English and doing cultural exchanges, as well as the limitations of formal English education in Taiwan. Furthermore, just as Norton’s (2011) definition of identity, Wayne's identity and his identification with imagined Western communities were also constantly changed during the trip, which led to his realization of his identity and himself as both a language learner and user. In addition, Wayne's responsibility for his own country was also aroused after the trip because he faced the embarrassing situation that his country was not recognized by some countries. He developed a new national identity as a.

(14) xii. confident Taiwanese with the duty of engaging in cultural exchanges with international people. Finally, pedagogical implications and suggestions derived from the study were proposed for planners of international trips, SA program designers, language educators, parents and English teachers in the hope of making international and SA trips more beneficial and helpful for language learners.. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v.

(15) 1. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Background and Motivation Language learning environment has crucial influence on a person’s learning and personal growth. With globalization becoming a universal phenomenon (Yu, 2009), many people seek to engage themselves in international language learning environments, believing that being immersed in a target language setting through. 政治大. either a long-term or short-term SA program is the best way to learn an international. 立. language. Thus, recent years have seen increased attention to issues related to study. ‧ 國. 學. abroad (SA) in the literature of second language acquisition.. Research on how studying abroad promotes language proficiency often. ‧. emphasizes favorable learning outcomes (Mendelson, 2004). Indeed, the number of. y. Nat. io. sit. international students in the U.S. increased by 72% from 2000 to 2014 (Institute of. n. al. er. International Education, 2015). This shows that studying abroad is significant for the. i n U. v. international students allowing them to make great progress on language development.. Ch. engchi. Many studies have found that SA may bring language learners the benefits of linguistic gains (e.g., Matsumura, 2001; Yager, 1998). Language learners could also have significant cultural and pragmatic development during the SA experience (Siegal, 1995) However, relevantly less research has examined identities shifts experienced by adult learners through their participation in study-abroad programs and international travel as more attention has been paid to the target language development. Norton defined identity as “how a person understands his or her relationship to the world, how that relationship is constructed across time and space, and how the person.

(16) 2. understands possibilities for the future” (Norton, 2012, p.45). Therefore, focusing on target language development may be restricted because experiences of study abroad and international travel may shift identities and make people rethink of their relationship to the world and future-self. Purpose and Research Questions of the Study The purpose of this study is to explore and understand one adult language learner, Wayne, who has the determination to put aside a period of time from his career to engage in study abroad and international travel as a backpacker and how. 政治大. such experiences shift his identities from a language learner to a language user. By. 立. documenting his experiences and analyzing the data collected from semi-structured. ‧ 國. 學. interviews, journals, and personal discussions between the researcher and participant, the study aims to develop a deep understanding of his experience. It is expected that. ‧. the complete documentation and analysis of the participant’s learning and traveling. y. Nat. n. al. er. io. The research questions are stated as follows:. sit. will contribute to a deep understanding of the impact of SA experiences.. i n U. v. How do Wayne’s experiences before, during, and after his international travel and. Ch. engchi. study abroad in Ireland shift his identities?. 1. Before the trip, what was the participant’s past experience with English and English learning? To what extent does he perceive himself as an English learner and user? What kind of growth experience does the participant expect to gain from the trip? 2. In the process of the trip, how did his identity as an English learner or user shift? What critical experiences made him feel having personal growth in addition to language development? 3. Based on the participant’s experiences, to what extent does such a traveling and.

(17) 3. study abroad experience help develop an identity as an English user?. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v.

(18) 4. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v.

(19) 5. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW This section aims to present the literature relevant to the present study in two parts. The first part focuses on the definition and benefits of study abroad. The second part discusses literature on identity shifts and language development from study abroad and travel experiences. Definitions of Study Abroad. 政治大. Recent research provides some definition of study abroad to distinguish it from. 立. migration and tourism. Kinginger (2009) defines “study abroad as ‘a temporary. ‧ 國. 學. sojourn of pre-defined duration, undertaken for educational purposes” (p. 11). Barkhuizen, Benson, Bodycott and Brown (2013) provide three features of study. ‧. abroad important to its contribution to second language identity development. They. Nat. sit. y. maintain that “(1) study abroad is usually part of a longer term educational process; (2). n. al. er. io. it is temporary in the sense that the student intends, or is expected to, return home. i n U. v. when it is over; (3) formal study is one, but often not the only, purpose” (p. 34). In. Ch. engchi. addition, when speaking of study abroad, Barkhuizen, Benson, Bodycott and Brown (2013, p.35) mention “five important dimensions of variation: duration, educational level, organization, the opportunities for integration and interaction that the program provides, and its purpose.” It is thus clear that SA is a complicated activity. Its benefits may not be clear and certain, although people tend to hold a lot of expectations. Benefits of Study Abroad Experiences Much research discusses the benefits of study abroad, but language.

(20) 6. development is the main focus. Some researchers pay attention to the development of the four skills, while others focus only on communication skills such as oral proficiency. Freed (1993, 1995, 1998) and Coleman (1997) focused on language learning in a study-abroad setting and found the growth of language proficiency among students who have spent time abroad and include a descriptive linguistic profile of students who have studied abroad. They found that “gains in overall oral proficiency scores were stronger than gains in test scores on grammar, listening, and reading and an increase in natural exposure to the L2 through a study-abroad. 政治大 accuracy and complexity of speech” (p.123). Indeed, Lafford (2006) states that “study 立 experience seems to contribute more to fluency and naturalness of speech than to. abroad contexts would not only broaden students’ cultural horizons, but would also. ‧ 國. 學. help the participants to become fluent speakers of the language, with more. ‧. improvement in their target language pronunciation, grammar (morph syntactic) usage,. y. Nat. vocabulary knowledge and discursive abilities than those learners who stayed at home. er. io. sit. and acquired the target language in the classroom”. Barkhuizen, Benson, Bodycott and Brown’s study (2013, pp.148-150) identified three types of benefit: educational or. al. n. v i n Cand academic benefits, personal benefits, benefits. h efuture-oriented ngchi U. There are other purposes and benefits of study abroad including enhanced. personal independence, intercultural competence, and academic knowledge and skills. One of the benefits that the participant will experience during study abroad is from staying with a host family. Schmidt-Rinehart and Knight (2004, p.255) believe that “staying with a host family provides many chances for language learners to use English more often and immerges them to the real international cultural environment.” Other than that, Wu (2013) concluded her study by stating that study abroad not only provides a chance of language and cultural understanding, but also a chance for.

(21) 7. reflecting on one’s identity. It is often the case that a learner reinforces his or her commitment to their countries after study abroad. The personal benefits do not seem to be discussed enough in literature and are the ones that I am interested in focusing on in this proposed study. Poststructuralist Perspectives of Identity For this reason, Norton as one of the most influential scholars in second language learner identity uses the term ‘identity’ to mean “how a person understands his or her relationship to the world, how that relationship is constructed across time. 政治大. and space, and how the person understands possibilities for the future” (Norton, 2012,. 立. p.45). She particularly addressed identity shifts of the immigrant participants in her. ‧ 國. 學. study. Another important researcher, Barkhuizen and colleagues’ (2013, p.18) view is that identities are “socially conditioned and constrained.” They also emphasize that. ‧. “identities develop over time in a variety of contexts and are, consequently, dynamic,. y. Nat. io. sit. multiple and complex.” These poststructuralist perspectives of identity suggest that. n. al. er. experiences such as study abroad and international travel may lead to identity development and changes.. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. There are many kinds of identities in a language learner, including national identity, migrant identity, gender identity, social class identity, language identity, ethnicity identity and race identity (Block, 2007). Particularly of interest for this study is language identity. According to Block (2007), a language identity is generally about three types of relationship: language expertise, language affiliation and language inheritance: “Expertise is about how proficient a person is in a language, dialect or sociolect. Affiliation is about the individual’s attitudes towards and affective connection to a language, dialect or sociolect. Inheritance is a matter of being born into a family or community setting that is associated with a particular language or.

(22) 8. dialect” (p.47). Second language learning may be different in terms of these important characteristics for language identities, but Barkhuizen, Benson, Bodycott and Brown argue that it also plays a significant role in the construction of identities (2013, pp.25-26). Based on the previous studies, study abroad programs may provide holistic experiences as well as linguistic and non-linguistic (identity-related) outcomes that can be useful for the learners’ construction of new identities. Many recent studies have revealed a variety of language learner identity shifts and reconstruction after study abroad and immigration. For example, Atkinson and. 政治大 one ethnical-Korean Japanese participant’s (i.e., the second author of this study) 立. Sohn (2013) using qualitative study methods and life story interviews investigating. 10-month experiences studying abroad as a graduate student in a foreign language. ‧ 國. 學. program and a student in a dance school. The study reveals the participant’s evolving. ‧. multiple cultural identities and the way she problematized the concept of culture as. sit. y. Nat. she experiences various study abroad environments. Kinginger (2009) using. io. er. interviews, journals, and emails investigated an American undergraduate, named Alice, and her four-year study abroad experiences as a language learner in France.. al. n. v i n C hexperiences requireUthe participant to negotiate Alice’s story reveals that study abroad engchi multiple facets of identity, including social and linguistic, as well as gender and class identity and that all of these aspects of identity would be constantly challenged and shifted over the process. Wu (2013) using interviews, diaries and documentation to investigate one Taiwanese junior high school student as she attended a 12-day study trip in the U.S.. The results show that the participant encountered many challenges which led to a deep review of the U.S. as her imagined community. In the end, she also developed her commitment toward her own country and developed a stronger sense of national identity. All of the studies reported here emphasized the fact that.

(23) 9. identity is not a fixed category, but one that is with multiple facets and is constantly changing. Factors Affecting the Development of Second Language Identity One of the important issues to consider when it comes to study abroad is the factors that make study abroad bring changes. Barkhuizen, Benson, Bodycott and Brown derived critical factors from their three-year individual case studies on ten Hong Kong students’ study abroad experiences through theoretical exploration, student narrative studies, and possible influences. Three important factors that can. 政治大. contribute to successful study abroad experience, in their words, are “prior experience. 立. of second language learning and use and travel, purpose and goals, program design. ‧ 國. 學. and preparation” (2013, pp.151-160). They found that students who could express clear study abroad goals often have positive prior experiences of travel and successful. ‧. international language learning. Such prior experiences help build a positive linguistic. y. Nat. io. sit. self-concept, self-confidence and a sense of independence. The other notion that may. n. al. er. be important for study abroad is that of intercultural competence, which learners need. i n U. v. to develop in the process and could affect the development of their second language. Ch. engchi. identity. Jensen, Jaeger and Lorentsen (1995, p. 41) pointed out that “intercultural competence is what intercultural speakers are said to have the ability to behave appropriately in intercultural situations, the affective and cognitive capacity to establish and maintain intercultural relationships and the ability to stabilise one’s self identity while mediating between cultures.” Therefore, in addition to understanding the students’ purposes and motivation for their engagement in study abroad, there are many other issues to be explored in the experience and thus more study may be needed. What is more, based on previous studies on study abroad, the issue of power.

(24) 10. may also be one of the factors to influence the identity shift. In Rockhill (1987a, 1987b) studies, the participants’ identities as assuming the traditional role of women made them put their own needs as secondary to the needs of their family. In other words, power issues in the family play a role in the participants’ language learning experiences. Norton (2000) also made the similar point as all the women in her study were relatively well educated in their own countries before moving to the new country. As their identities in the new context were immigrant women and language learners, the participants’ previous education and experience had little social value and. 政治大 social relations of power thus led to the lack of opportunity to practice English. In 立. provided them with little access to the material resources they desperately sought. The. other words, power issues are significant factors in the process of study abroad. The. ‧ 國. 學. previous studies most often reveal challenges experienced by women; relatively fewer. sit. y. Nat. male students.. ‧. studies were on other types of power issues that, for example, may be encountered by. io. er. This review of literature reveals that although recent years saw a large number of studies on second language learner identities, there are still many factors to be. al. n. v i n C hinvestigating how U discovered. There is also little research identities are shifted from engchi. other types of engagement in international experiences, for example a combination of long term multiple-destination travel plan and school-based study abroad experiences. This is the gap that this study attempts to fill..

(25) 11. CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY. The method for this study is a qualitative case study approach. According to Borg and Gall (2006), qualitative research is defined as “(a) the in-depth study of (b) one or more instances of a phenomenon (c) in its real-life context that (d) reflects the perspective of the participants involved in the phenomenon.” (p.447) These characteristics are exactly what this study aims to present; that is, developing an. 政治大. in-depth understanding of an English learner’s identity shift in SA.. 立. The Participant. ‧ 國. 學. The study is designed to explore a Taiwanese adult language learner’s. ‧. experiences before, during, and after his international travel and overseas study trip. sit. y. Nat. and how the experiences led to his identities shift. The participant, Wayne, was chosen. n. al. er. io. for the following reasons. First, Wayne wished to be an active language learner; he. i n U. v. would create opportunities to interact with international friends, such as hosting. Ch. engchi. friends whom he met on the Couchsurfing website. He also bravely and happily took the challenge of writing his master’s thesis in English, although his department only required a Chinese thesis. This shows that he was intrinsically motivated and always yearning for more opportunities to learn English. This also means that there was a high possibility for him to accomplish his trip and study as planned and for the researcher to document the process as proposed. Second, Wayne already had a strong rapport with the researcher before the study; he was willing to discuss his ideas and critical English-learning experiences in depth and extensively with the researcher. Furthermore, being in a relationship with.

(26) 12. him and planning to engage in the same trip with him, the researcher had no doubt that there would be sufficient opportunities to collect, document, and analyze his experiences during and after the trip. For the above reasons, Wayne was set as the participant for this study. Wayne was born in the year of 1989 as the youngest son of an entrepreneur in Taipei. At the time of data collection, Wayne was twenty-seven years old who was doing the military service at the Taipei City Government. I met Wayne on the Internet, and we had been friends for 4 years.. 政治大 very low budget; holding a dream of studying abroad, he immediately felt interested 立 At the time, he was informed of a book on traveling around the world with a. way from August 2015 to May 2016.. 學. ‧ 國. in the topic. Thus, he first mentioned the idea of exploring the world in a backpacker. ‧. After that, in order to prove that his English would greatly improve, he kept. sit. y. Nat. preparing for the TOEIC test as a pre-test before the travel. This trip was his first. io. er. overseas study and long-term trip. He was excited about the upcoming international travel to 26 countries and overseas study trip in Ireland. He took pleasure in planning. al. n. v i n C h and hostels, searching the itineraries, booking the flights, trains for the hosts of some engchi U countries on Couchsurfing website.. The Context –From Taiwan to Overseas Study Trip The trip includes sightseeing in 26 countries, taking courses from the ABC University (pseudonym) and staying in a host family in Ireland for five weeks, and staying and interacting with Couchsurfing hosts. The 26 countries for sightseeing included Singapore, Thailand, Ireland, Norway, Iceland, United Kingdom, Turkey, Sweden, Poland, Netherlands, France, Morocco, Spain, Italy, Vatican, Sovereign Military Order of Malta, San Marino, Switzerland, Hungary, Romania, Germany,.

(27) 13. Czech Republic, Republic of Austria, United Arab Emirates and Malaysia. The courses taken at the ABC University, on the other hand, focused on improving English skills such as listening, speaking, reading and writing. The courses also placed a strong emphasis on developing the knowledge of grammar and vocabulary as well as communicative skills. In addition, there were some additional classes which offered students chances to learn how to prepare curriculum vitae (CV) and improve the interview skills. Students could also attend the Day Trips every Saturday or conversation classes every Wednesday afternoon to increase speaking chances and. 政治大 and local guide teachers. According to the course introduction, there would be 立. develop cultural knowledge interacting with students from many parts of the world. challenging classes, regular tests and assignments and much feedback from the. ‧ 國. 學. teachers. In the General English Course that Wayne enrolled to, there was an average. ‧. of 10 students per class (max of 15). This course also immersed students to the. sit. y. Nat. home-stay experience from an Irish host family and culture interchange (See. io. er. Appendix D for Curriculum Description of the General English Language Courses provided by the ABC University). Furthermore, Wayne planned to stay and interact. al. n. v i n with the hosts from differentC countries in Europe and h e n g c h i U Africa using the service. provided by Couchsurfing.com websites. Table 1 below is the itinerary for Wayne’s trip. The numbers next to the countries refer to the order of the visit. Appendix E is the map developed by Wayne for the trip..

(28) 14. Table 1 Itinerary Dates. Countries. Planned Activities & English learning opportunities. 2015/09/01~09/07. (1)Singapore, (2)Thailand. Sightseeing. 2015/09/07~10/24. (3)Sweden, (4)Poland, (5)Netherlands, (6)France,. (1) Sightseeing 政治大 (7)Morocco, (8)Spain, (9)Italy, (10)Vatican, (2) Staying with the local hosts found on Couchsurfing.com 立 (11)Sovereign Military Order of Malta, (12)San. ‧ 國. 學. Marino, (13)Switzerland, (14)Hungary, (15) Slovakia, (16)Romania, (17)Germany, (18)Czech. ‧. Republic, (19)Republic of Austria. (1) Taking General English courses in ABC University – (See Appendix. io. y. sit. D for ABC Curriculum) (2) Staying with a host family and other international students. n. al. er. (20)Ireland. Nat. 2015/10/24~11/30. iv n i U skills, resume writing, sports, and guided city tours e n g c hinterview (4) Attending School Day Trips in Ireland every Saturday. (3) Taking afternoon extracurricular classes such as conversation classes,. Ch. 2015/11/30. (21)Norway, (22)Iceland, (23)United Kingdom. (1) Sightseeing. ~2016/1/12. (the countdown to the new year), (24)Turkey. (2) Staying with the local hosts found on Couchsurfing.com. 2016/1/12~1/17. (25)United Arab Emirates, (26)Malaysia, Taiwan. Sightseeing. Note: The numbers next to the countries refer to the order of the visit..

(29) 15. Data Collection To probe into Wayne’s experiences before, during, and after his overseas study trip, four main data collection methods were adopted, including semi-structured interviews, journals, observation, and documentation. It was expected that through adopting these instruments, an image of the participant’s evolving identities in the various international contexts could be documented. The following are the procedure and methods of data collection:. 政治大 Semi-structured interviews 立 are one of the most important data collection. Semi-structured interviews. ‧ 國. 學. methods adopted for this study. It is a kind of interview method that gives the interviewee a degree of power and control while the interviewer has a great deal of. ‧. flexibility and a “privileged access to other people’s lives” (Nunan, 1992, p.150). It is. sit. y. Nat. often carried out with a pre-designed but highly flexible set of questions to probe into. al. er. io. the research topic in depth. Many semi-structured interviews were carried out in this. v. n. study in order to have a deep understanding of the participant’s experiences. Each. Ch. engchi. i n U. interview (pre- trip, during-the-trip, and after-the-trip) lasted for around 30 to 90 minutes. Before the trip, the researcher designed semi-structured interviews with a highly flexible set of questions to trace the changes of learner identities from an English learner to an English user and to probe into the research topic in depth. The interview questions are presented in the Appendixes. There were other additional follow-up questions in order for the participant to clarify or develop some details..

(30) 16. Journals There are two kinds of journals to be kept during the visit, including the participant’s and the researcher’s. First, Wayne kept the journals on the critical experiences every day during his study abroad, recording his perspectives on the events that happened during the visit and study. Wayne chose Chinese to write his journals in order to express himself fully. Through the journals the researcher could understand Wayne's experiences from the insider’s point of view. On the other hand, the researcher’s journals and notes were mainly about observations toward the. 政治大 development, language growth,立 and cultural exchanges.. participant during the trip, including the participant’s changes of identities, personal. ‧ 國. 學. Observation. ‧. I, as the researcher, was with Wayne all the time during the trip; I thus had the. sit. y. Nat. opportunity to see clearly all the events Wayne experienced. I took notes on Wayne’s. io. er. critical experiences as well as his identities shift and his reactions toward the events. When Wayne talked about some critical events and conversations at that moment, I. al. n. v i n C h My presence inUthe trip also allowed would immediately have the clear pictures. engchi. Wayne to share his feeling towards some events which interested, excited, surprised or confused him. In addition, I could also understand how he discussed the similarity and differences between two cultures with the researcher or his friends abroad. Documentation Besides his journals, Wayne’s photos, Facebook posts and a collection of his works such as homework assignments or reports during the 5-week study tour were also collected. Photos taken during the trip were used to help Wayne and the researcher recall every interesting or important event that happened on the days and.

(31) 17. his interaction with host family members, flat mates, classmates, passers-by, local people, and school staffs. Some of the documents, such as the program objectives, class schedule, and curriculum content in ABC University, are attached in the Appendix D. Procedures The data collection for this study lasted for ten months, from August 2015 to May 2016. Before September 2015, when the participant scheduled to start his 139-day international travel and study trip to Europe, Africa and Asia, a pre-the-visit. 政治大. interview was conducted. During the trip and study abroad, the researcher conducting. 立. sets of interviews, and kept journals documenting Wayne’s critical experiences,. ‧ 國. 學. thoughts, and reactions to events. Other documentation like Wayne’s photos, travel itineraries, his assignments or reports and all the documents related to this study trip. ‧. were also collected. In May 2016, four months after the trip, an after-the-visit. y. Nat. io. sit. interview was conducted. His experiences in the Europe, especially the challenges or. n. al. er. identity shifts from an English learner to an English user were the focus of the. i n U. v. interviews. In these interviews, questions regarding changes of his attitude or views. Ch. engchi. toward English learning, his identities, and his impression of Western cultures were asked. Finally, all the data from the journals, all the interviews, and documentation were gathered for further analysis. There is an overall picture of the procedures for data collection in Table 2:.

(32) 18. Table 2 An overall picture of the procedures for data collection Time. Activity. August, 2015. Pre-visit interview. Sep.,2015-Jan.,2016. 1. During-the-visit interviews. Focus 1. Previous English learning experiences. 立. 1. Study in ABC University in Ireland. 學. 2. Stay with a host family and local people around the world. ‧ 國. 2. Participant Journals. experience 政治2. Couchsurfing 大. 3. Researcher’s Observation Notes. 3. Couchsufing Experience. 4. Wayne’s Diaries on Facebook. ‧. After-the-visit interview. 1. identity change and different attitude toward Western world. y. Nat. io. sit. and cultural exchange 2. the influence of the study trip experience on the prospect on. n. al. er. Feb., 2016. 4. Sightseeing. Feb.,2016~May,. Data analysis. 2016. Interview Recording Transcribing Member checking. iv n i U shifts toward the study trip experience particularly e n g c hIdentity from an English learner to an English user future life and English learning attitude. Ch.

(33) 19. Data Analysis First, data collected by semi-structured interviews were transcribed and analyzed. During the analysis, the researcher tried to reconstruct the participant’s experiences using his journals, the interview data, and the documentation collected. Then the researcher categorized his experiences and critical events related to the research questions. The participant was invited to clarify the interview transcripts in order to ensure trustworthiness of the study. First, the researcher coded the data from the interviews and participant journals separately. After that, when all the agreements. 政治大. on the transcripts with the participant were reached, all the themes derived from the. 立. pre-visit, during-the-visit, after-the visit interviews, journals, and documentation were. ‧ 國. 學. examined and cross-referenced again. During the process of data-analyzing and writing-up of this thesis, the participant was also invited to participate in a continuous. ‧. conversation with the researcher. Moreover, all the data from journals and interviews. y. Nat. sit. were coded according to the three defining characteristics of identity in Norton (2012,. n. al. er. io. p.45): “(1) how a person understands his or her relationship to the world; (2) how a. i n U. v. person’s relationship is structured across time and space; and (3) how a person. Ch. engchi. understands possibilities for the future.”. The researcher’s role and trustworthiness I, the researcher, also engaged in this trip with my participant, Wayne. Although Wayne and I were in a relationship, this relationship would not influence the quality of the data collection because I guarded the trustworthiness and assure the validity of the data through various methods such as member checking and triangulation. The researcher used more than one method such as interviews, documents, observations, photographs and journals to collect data on the same event as well as understand and.

(34) 20. capture different dimensions of the same event. The reason why I participated in this trip is that I hoped I could have more first-hand data; furthermore, I hoped I could do immediate member-checking on each event with my participant when he still had clear memory at that moment as well as he could confirm the accuracy of the transcripts and observation notes. The researcher’s role on this study during the trip was an observator and a data collector. I had tried all I could not to let the relationship affect data collection and ensure quality and trustworthiness of the data. Nevertheless, I do understand the concern of the relationship and am setting it as one of the limitations of this study. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v.

(35) 21. CHAPTER 4 RESULTS. This chapter presents the results of this study and addresses the three research questions. The five significant identity shifts experienced by Wayne after the trip.. Q1: Before taking the trip, what was the participant’s past experience with English and English learning? To what extent did he perceive himself as an English learner. 政治大. and user? What kind of growth experience did the participant expect to gain from the trip?. 立. ‧ 國. 學. Wayne’s Family Background and English Learning Experience According to Wayne before the trip, his past experience with English learning. ‧. was not ideal and he did not perceive himself as an English user. As a 27-year-old. y. Nat. io. sit. male from Taipei City, Wayne is the youngest son of an entrepreneur’s family. His. n. al. er. parents work in their self-run company. He was raised with the deviant ideology. i n U. v. “Money is very important. Without money, you can not do anything.” Wayne said:. Ch. engchi. My father just paid lots of money to hire an English tutor to teach me at home, and sent me to an expensive private elementary school and to an after-school language institute. He believed that money could solve all problems. He did not accompany me as other parents when I learned English. (Pre-visit interview, August, 2015) According to Wayne, his parents did not devote much time to support his English learning as other parents because their work kept them very busy. They themselves did not have higher education backgrounds. They also did not think they could be of much help in terms of helping him with academic work. They just sent.

(36) 22. him to an expensive private elementary school which offered bilingual education and to an after-school language institute which was famous for its strictness. The bilingual elementary school Wayne went to did not provide an all-English learning environment as other expensive private schools, and Wayne did not think the school helped him much in mastering English. He told the researcher that he did not have any impression of how English was taught in the school. On the other hand, the after-school language institute provided him with teachers that whipped him up after almost every test depending on how many points he missed. Because of the continual corporal. 政治大 English learning experience as: “not for interest, but for avoiding punishment” 立. punishment, Wayne developed hatred toward English learning. He described his. (Pre-visit interview, August, 2015). After elementary school, Wayne did not continue. ‧ 國. 學. attending the junior high school section of the same school because his parents. ‧. encountered some financial difficulties at that time and could not afford the school. sit. y. Nat. any more. Instead, he entered a public junior high school. He thought the content of. io. er. English lessons in the public school was very easy in the first two years. At first, he thought his English pronunciation was good, and he loved reading the dialogues from. al. n. v i n the textbooks. However, in the thirdC year, he started to meet h e n g c h i U some difficulties because the level of textbooks and teaching became more advanced, and his grades became lower and lower. He knew that the high school entrance exam was coming and he hoped he could receive high grades, so he took leave from school and studied in a study center whole day long to prepare for it. Eventually, he received high grades in English in the entrance exam. However, for him, English was still an academic subject and learning it was only for the tests. Wayne entered a famous and expensive private senior high school. He liked his first English teacher and felt that she taught very well. He understood perfectly what.

(37) 23. the teacher taught him and felt English lessons were interesting. However, due to various reasons, he was given new teachers almost every year afterwards, and he did not like his new English teachers at all. When he had some questions about writing compositions, he would ask other English teachers in the school for help. He said: Other English teachers taught me how to use transitional words and phrases when writing the compositions and it made my essays look more colorful and full of interesting details. (Pre-visit interview, August, 2015) After senior high school, Wayne entered Fu-Jen Catholic University and. 政治大 years because the textbooks came with Chinese translation and that he only had to 立. majored in Information Engineer. He rarely used any English for the following four. understand programming languages. Besides, there were not international students in. ‧ 國. 學. his class, so the professors taught the lessons in Chinese. Thus, Wayne said that there. ‧. was no need for him to study English in university. After university, he entered. sit. y. Nat. graduate school and met a significant person, Professor Chang, in the second year.. io. er. Prof. Chang encouraged all his students to write the thesis in English and to apply for the exchange student program. He told the students they should see the world by. al. n. v i n C h worldview. BeforeUthat, they should enhance their themselves and develop a proper engchi English ability so that they would be successful applying for the exchange student. program. Although Wayne only had one year left before graduation and did not have enough time to apply for the exchange student program, he started to plan a worldwide adventurous trip in a backpacker’s money-saving way with the aim to strengthen his four skills of English. After graduate school, Wayne did the military service in Taipei City Government. His supervisor, Mr. Hua, encouraged him and allowed him to study as long as he finished his work. Wayne told himself that he had to make good use of the.

(38) 24. time during military service to study English hard every day for the next TOEIC test. His wish was to pass the exam before he began his career. During the military service, he accumulated 309 pages of notes in English for preparing the TOEIC test. He was gradually aware of the significance of English for the success of his job seeking. He made good use of every minute to master his English abilities. Wayne said: For me, learning English used to be just a matter of dealing with many kinds of tests. In fact, if not for the tests or a future job, I would not be willing to endure such a boring learning process. (Pre-visit interview, August, 2015). 政治大 time in graduate school. Particularly under his professor’s encouragement, he took the 立 One of the critical moments for Wayne’s English development is obviously the. challenge to write his master’s thesis in English. He tried his best to study many. ‧ 國. 學. international journals; although he also encountered many difficulties, he felt that he. ‧. had strong perseverance and determination to complete them in one year or as soon as. sit. y. Nat. possible. Wayne said English was a requirement which allowed him to graduate from. io. er. school and also indirectly affected his salary in his future job. He was finally willing to learn English without the pressure from any tests or teachers. He said,. al. n. v i n CEnglish, Although I am not in love with I believe I can feel the charm and U heng i h c. practicality of English one day. After all, English is a widely used language in the world, and I know English will play a significant role in my future job, if I long for better working opportunities and faster promotion. (Pre-visit interview, August, 2015) The next important stage for him in terms of development in English ability was work; Wayne hoped to be well-prepared for his dream job opportunity before it approached him. He said that this thought was influenced by his advisor, Prof. Chang, who would hold a regular reunion for all of his former and current graduate students,.

(39) 25. with the purpose of encouraging social contact and sharing between his current and former graduate students. Professor Chang hoped that his former students who had worked for many years could share their work experiences and useful industrial information with those students who were about to graduate so that the latter could have sufficient information and directions to prepare for job-seeking. After chatting with some graduates in one of the reunions, Wayne became aware that one of the most significant qualifications for the position he wanted to apply for was having a remarkable English ability, especially the ability of speaking. Intending to find a job. 政治大 ability. He also inquired the senior students how they enhanced their English ability. 立 as an overseas sales agent, he began to take the initiative to improve his English. For this, Wayne appreciated his professor’s being the matchmaker for all of his. ‧ 國. 學. students and the graduates’ practical suggestions and information on the current. ‧. situation in the industry. At that moment, Wayne set a goal that he would also. sit. y. Nat. contribute to the school or his junior classmates in the future after he found an ideal. io. er. job, just like what his professor and senior classmates had done for him. In terms of expectations of the upcoming trip towards his personal growth,. al. n. v i n Chish worldview and have Wayne hoped he could widen the first hand understanding engchi U towards the Western world and culture. In addition, he thought this trip might help. him see things from a different view point in the future career when he interacted with international customers or colleagues. Wayne said: I hope I can interact with international people through this trip in person as this may facilitate my interest in cultural exchange and shape my worldview from interacting with various international communities. (Pre-visit interview, August, 2015) Wayne’s English learning experience before the international trip is mainly for.

(40) 26. the purpose of passing various tests in schools. However, he said that the test-oriented learning experience could not make him feel confident in communicating with others in English. He said that he wanted to broaden his worldview and improve his English abilities, especially the ability of speaking. Therefore, he planned the trip and hoped to have both personal growth and language developmemt after interacting with many international people.. Q2. In the process of the trip, how does his identity as an English learner or user shift?. 政治大. What critical experiences make him feel having personal growth in addition to language development?. 立. ‧ 國. 學. In the process of the trip, Wayne’s identity as an English learner and user. ‧. shifted based on some critical experiences, which made him feel having personal. sit. y. Nat. growth in addition to language development. There are five significant shifts in terms. io. er. of language learner identity, English learning strategies, attitude towards English learning, understanding towards the Western world, and national identity.. n. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. The Shift of Language Learner Identity Wayne’s shift of English learner identity is presented here by reviewing his learning experience as well as his past experience of “using” English in the family trip abroad and in Taiwan before the trip. Then, the experience of using and learning English during the trip is presented to reach a better understanding of the gradual shift from an English learner to a user. Finally, the identity shift “from being 70% an English learner to 70% an English user,” using Wayne’s own words, after the trip is also shown here..

(41) 27. Before the trip: Wayne’s language learner identity School experience Before the international trip, Wayne thought of himself as more like a learner of English than a user because he spent time learning English for the purpose of passing many kinds of tests and did not have international friends to speak English or have cultural exchange with. Wayne’s English teachers during high school tended to spend much time teaching reading, grammar, and vocabulary as separate skills. His English teachers did not encourage students to speak out loud, did not create a natural. 政治大. language environment, nor taught English in an interactive way. In Wayne’s mind,. 立. writing, speaking, and listening skills were not important. As Wayne put it,. ‧ 國. 學. “all of my English teachers emphasized how important English grammar, vocabulary and reading strategies were for getting high scores on the tests, and. ‧. they did not create any chances to help me develop the skills of writing,. y. Nat. sit. listening and speaking step by step. I remembered they always asked me to. n. al. er. io. recite the main points from the textbooks. They seldom introduced Western. i n U. v. cultures or festivals to us because they said they needed to spend more time in. Ch. engchi. teaching us the skills needed for answering test questions. For me, English was just an academic subject and a tool for passing all the exams.” (Pre-visit interview, August, 2015) Wayne told the researcher he was not aware of the importance of English speaking ability as well as understanding Western cultures during his high school in the following excerpt, Wayne:. Before the trip, I thought getting high scores from English tests meant my English speaking would not be a problem if I needed it. All I needed to do was follow my English teachers’ lessons and study.

(42) 28. English hard, and my parents also only cared about seeing high scores on the report card. Researcher: So you did not try to use English or speak English with your English teachers or classmates in class? Wayne:. No, it was very strange if I used English to communicate with anyone in class. My classmates would think that I loved to show off, so I never had the thought to speak English during high school because it was not necessary in Taiwan. I could speak Chinese to. 政治大 Researcher: How about learning Western cultures and festivals from your 立 communicate with anyone including my English teachers.. English teachers?. ‧ 國. 學. Wayne:. Oh, my English teachers would just omit the cultural parts and. sit. y. Nat. (Pre-visit interview, August, 2015). ‧. keep teaching the important parts of grammar and reading for tests.. io. er. Wayne began to have some understanding of Western cultures when studying in graduate school. Prof. Chang and his senior classmates as described before told him. al. n. v i n C hand basic requirement that English was an important language for job-seeking in the engchi U. future. Prof. Chang also encouraged Wayne to broaden his worldview through having a grand tour in Western countries. Wayne kept his professor’s words in mind and thought that the time after military service was the best opportunity to go on this international trip. Trips and reception experiences In addition to school experience discussed before, before the international trip, Wayne also had two experiences of using English as a means of communication. First, in 2012, Wayne and I took our seven family members to Sabah, Malaysia. It was the.

(43) 29. first time Wayne had to deal with many communication needs in English, such as booking the tickets, communicating with the locals, and being a tour guide in a country which had no English street signs. During the trip, he met a boatman, Jack, who learned English for his job, taking tourists from different countries to some small islands. Jack had to introduce the beautiful islands to the tourists and answer their questions or to provide needed information. Jack was only a junior high school graduate who never had the complete English education, but he knew if he had fluent English speaking ability, he could get high-paid job opportunities. Therefore, he. 政治大 and courage inspired Wayne. Wayne said: 立. learned English by himself through bravely talking with his customers. His attitude. I totally understood Jack’s English when I chatted with him on our way to the. ‧ 國. 學. island in his boat, and this was the first time I could feel relaxed and confident. ‧. in talking with an international person in English. Knowing Jack’s strong. sit. y. Nat. motivation and optimistic attitude towards learning English, I was so excited. io. er. and became motivated to use English as a means of communication. Although I did not know whether I could speak English as confidently and fluently as Jack. al. n. v i n C hJack’s courage to speak did, I hoped I could have out without hesitation and fear. engchi U At least, I knew my English was not bad. (Pre-visit interview, August, 2015) During this trip, Wayne also had to deal with different needs and problems of the family members. This means he had to speak English asking the clerks of the hotels and the locals for help. At first, Wayne had difficulties finding the exact words to describe what he wanted to express, and he would ask me for help immediately. At that time, he did not have too much confidence in speaking English. He said he had to be responsible for and take care of his family members, so he did his best to speak English and collect as much information related to Sabah as possible in order to leave.

(44) 30. his family members with good memories from this trip. This marked Wayne’s first experience. The second experience happened to Wayne of using English for real-world proposed during the military service. Wayne learned English by himself every day while planning the trip. On the whole, he used English to book all the tickets, to collect the information for the trip, and to contact people all over the world to inquire them about whether or not they could offer their rooms or couches to us to stay overnight during the trip. During the process of all the preparation work, he used a lot. 政治大 Although I still did not like English at that time, at least I was not so afraid of 立. of English. He said to the researcher:. English after reading a great amount of English. I could read English websites. ‧ 國. 學. and write emails in English faster and more smoothly than before. In the. ‧. process of contacting people for the international trip, I gradually had the basic. io. y. sit. (Pre-visit interview, August, 2015). er. before.. Nat. understanding of Western cultures which I had not taken the initiative to know. Furthermore, before the trip, Wayne also offered a spare room to two. al. n. v i n international visitors that he becameCacquainted with through h e n g c h i U the website -. Couchsurfing.com during their visit in Taiwan. These were two ladies from the Czech Republic and Ireland, named Klara and Ruth. During their stay in his home, Wayne. talked with them in English and accompanied them to travel around Taipei. They had much experience doing cultural exchange, engaging in language practice as well as cooking exotic cuisine for one another. From then on, Wayne began to have some positive impression for Western cultures and have access to various English accents. He also learned active language learning attitude and authentic word usages from them. He said he could not understand Ruth, the Irish girl, because her accent was.

(45) 31. very different from American accent that he had learned before. Sometimes he even needed my translation to understand Ruth. He would ask Ruth to speak slowly so that he could gradually become familiar with her Irish accent and communicate with her in person without other’s help. One thing Wayne was happy about is that he developed a lot of new understanding about the unfamiliar Western world which was different from what he had learned from the history textbook. It was also the first time that he used English to help the international friends know his country; in turn, he also developed more understanding of their countries. He had never known that he would. 政治大 them to explore his home town, Taipei. As Wayne said, 立. have the chance to make friends with international visitors in Taiwan and accompany. During their stay, I made every effort to practice English speaking with them,. ‧ 國. 學. and I was grateful that they were very patient in listening to my imperfect. ‧. English and telling me the correct usage of words if I asked. From this. sit. y. Nat. experience, I found that Western people tended not to correct wrong usages. io. er. directly, but they would use euphemistical way to let you know the better word or just ignore minor errors if those did not influence their understanding. I was. al. n. v i n C h methods of word surprised at the very different correction and attitude between engchi U Orientals and Westerners. (Pre-visit interview, August, 2015). Wayne felt excited about this experience of receiving international friends and having native speakers around to use English with and learn authentic word usages from at the same time; moreover, he began to widen his worldview and open his mind to different cultures although he had some negative impression on many Western countries before the reception experience. For example, he had the historical knowledge that strong Western countries had divided up Taiwan into many parts, so he was not willing to take the initiative to explore different cultures before..

(46) 32. During the trip: critical events During the 139-day trip, Wayne used English any time and any place. My observation shows that English was the primary communication tool for him from morning to night. In the morning, he had breakfast with his hosts and chatted with them in English. After breakfast, he might go out with his hosts or visit the cities by himself. During the day, he needed to interact with local people or international tourists in order to ask directions, order meals, take the metro, make purchases, and visit some tourist attractions. Returned to the hosts’ home, Wayne would cook dinner. 政治大 would share their travel experiences 立 or different cultures with him. At night, Wayne with his hosts, talk about his day tour or his up-coming travel plans, or his hosts. ‧ 國. 學. had to contact other hosts for places to stay when traveling in their countries. During the five-week study abroad, he focused on his English learning at school; he took the. ‧. initiative to learn English from the teacher and the textbook and seized the chance to. sit. y. Nat. immerse himself in social interaction with international classmates and his hostess. n. al. er. io. whom he called “host mother” after class.. i n U. v. He said he was indeed a frequent English user during the trip. For example,. Ch. engchi. when Wayne went to the supermarket in many Western countries, he began to recognize the English names of food and ingredients. Going shopping in supermarkets was his favorite thing to do during this trip, because of the chances to communicate with local people and actively inquire them about how to use different ingredients into their traditional or festival cuisines such as those for Halloween and Christmas. Wayne’s host mother in Ireland, who did not prepare breakfast for him and seldom spent much time interacting with him, took Wayne to the biggest TESCO Supermarket in Dublin by car, and introduced him to her friends who worked there. She also told him how she used different parts of the meat or some vegetables into.

(47) 33. various Irish cuisines. On the way home, she even told him stories and put out decorations for the upcoming Halloween. At that moment, Wayne said he not only learned the language, but also used the language with native speakers a lot as he immersed himself in a natural English-speaking environment. Wayne used English completely to communicate with the local people and immersed himself in social interactions, including defending his rights if he was treated unreasonably. For example, when he took the train to Switzerland, a businessman who sat in front of the luggage rack told Wayne not to put the luggage. 政治大 Business man: Hey, you can’t put your luggage here. It makes me feel 立. on it. This is the conversation between Wayne and the man in this event:. luggage on the rack.. Hey, please see the words on the rack. It says ‘luggage rack,’ so. ‧. Wayne:. 學. ‧ 國. uncomfortable and I can’t lay my seat back if you put your. sit. y. Nat. why can’t I put my luggage here? If you feel uncomfortable. io. er. sitting in this seat, you can change your seat. Or do I need to ask the conductor for help to make sure if I can put my luggage on. n. al. Ch. the ‘luggage rack?’. engchi. i n U. v. Business man: O.K., fine, you can put it here. Wayne:. Thank you. (During-the-trip observation, October, 2015). After Wayne’s communication with the man in his imperfect English, the man had to yield. Wayne said: During the trip, I gradually found that I needed to communicate with Western people in a more straightforward way, even if my English ability was not good enough. I just spoke out without fear, even though I did not have time to think about what words I should use to tell the man. (During-the-trip interview,.

(48) 34. October, 2015) The only language he could use to communicate with people in the world was English. If he did not speak English to communicate or deal with everything abroad, he could not survive and would not have positive interaction or relationship building. Wayne said that he hope he could improve the fluency of his English speaking ability, just like his French flat mate, Helena, whom he met and stayed with for five weeks in his Irish host family. She spoke English fluently without fear or any worry about grammatical mistakes. Under Helena’s encouragement to speak English bravely. 政治大 immerse himself in the Western lifestyle by means of school and host family during 立. with her, Wayne had a great interlocutor to speak English with every day and he could. the five weeks of study abroad. In the natural English environment, Wayne said:. ‧ 國. 學. I did not have to worry about grammatical mistakes or any pressure from tests.. ‧. All I needed to do was bravely speak English in dealing with all the difficulties. y. sit. io. er. 2015). Nat. I encountered in the foreign countries. (During-the-trip interview, October,. For example, when Wayne was ready to check in at the Swedish airport,. al. n. v i n C hThe dialogue between something that upset Wayne happened. Wayne and a check-in engchi U clerk is reproduced here:. Check-in clerk: I need to make sure that you can place your luggage into the aircraft hold in a horizontal way and that your luggage is not oversized, so please do it again. Wayne:. Hey, Miss. Your airline company did not have this rule limiting the passengers’ methods of putting their luggages. As long as I could put my luggage inside the hold, you should not interfere with my way, or ask me to pay for the extra check-in luggage. If.