Pop cosmopolitanism and online language learning: findings from a discrete choice experiment

ABSTRACT

This article considers the burgeoning online market for language learning as representative of an emerging form of Internet-enabled pop cosmopolitanism. The analysis is based upon a survey-experiment conducted on one of the world’s largest online language learning platforms. Drawing on theories of media globalization, cosmopolitanism and language ideologies, the study explores the factors that drive participation in online language learning and the attributes students favor in teacher selection. The results suggest that student preferences are closely related to learning motivations and media consumption. Specifically, ‘pop cosmopolitan’ students are far more likely to favor native speakers than students who are motivated by more mundane instrumental goals (such as career advancement). We attribute these findings to enduring perceptions about native speakers as more authentic representations of a particular language and culture. The implications of these findings for theories of pop cosmopolitanism and online language learning are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Language learning
• pop cosmopolitanism
• online learning
• media globalization
• discrete choice experiment

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to extend their sincere thanks to Dr. Sunghan Ryu and Dr. Lian Jian, as well as to the anonymous reviewers.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes on contributotrs

Nathaniel Ming Curran is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English and Communication at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, where he is affiliated with the Research Centre for Professional Communication in English (RCPCE).

Lichen Zhen is a PhD student in the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California.

Hernan Galperin is an Associate Professor in the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California.

Additional information

Funding

This publication was supported by the 2020 Korean Studies Grant Program of the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS-2020-R21) and a grant from the USC-SJTU Institute of Cultural and Creative Industry.