Learners’ perspectives on imagined community of practice in English as an international language

ABSTRACT

Imagined communities of practice create spaces for language learners to participate in local and global interactions as individuals and as members of global communities. However, scant research has examined imagined communities of practice in the context of English as an international language (EIL). The present study adopted a mixed-methods design to explore English language learners’ perspectives on using English in the context of EIL. A total of 592 participants completed an Imagined Community of Practice Questionnaire, and 64 participated in semi-structured interviews. The questionnaire data were subjected to exploratory factor analysis, which identified four underlying factors, including constructing language learning identity, learner agency, coordination and synergy, and EIL and global communication. Furthermore, themes emerging from the interview data indicated that imagined communities of practice could afford opportunities for English language users to negotiate their identity, communicate globally, preserve values uniting English language users, exercise learner agency, and practice coordination and synergy in their imagined communities. These findings suggest that English language teachers should place a high value on imagined communities of practice.

KEYWORDS:

• English as an international language
• English language users
• imagined communities of practice
• learner identity
• learner agency

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.