Innovation in Language Learning
From Learner to Global Citizen: An Autoethnography of Emotional Investment in EFL through International Student Mobility Programs in University Settings
Yulia Puspita Arum, Monash University (Australia)
Abstract
This study explores how participation in international student mobility (ISM) programs deepened the emotional investment in learning English as a foreign language (EFL) and transformed the learner identity in university settings. In line with language learning concepts which affective dimension has been turned into beyond the individual affective factors (Pavlenko, 2013), this research is grounded in the affective turn perspective. It focuses on the emotional dimensions of language learning, identity formation, and intercultural competence. Using autoethnographic methods, the author draws on personal narratives from three key ISM experiences: an undergraduate exchange program in Thailand, a global collaboration project with Miami Dade College (USA), and an English teaching internship in Malaysia. These experiences are analysed through reflective writing, personal memory, and critical engagement with theoretical literature. The findings reveal that international experiences significantly enhanced the author’s emotional engagement with English, shifting it from an academic subject to a meaningful tool for: social connection (Roy et al., 2019; Marciniak & Winnicki, 2019; Thong et al., 2023), identity formation (Kang, 2014; Norton, 2000), and personal growth (Diem et al., 2023; Ismeti, 2022). Encounters with cultural adaptation challenges, moments of belonging, and cross-cultural interactions reshaped the author’s learner identity and positioned her as a global citizen. The study concludes that ISM programs can play a transformative role in EFL learning by fostering emotional investment through global opportunities; encouraging learners’ identity formation; and enriching intercultural competencies through practical application. These insights highlight the implications of the importance of integrating international opportunities into language education policy and program design to cultivate motivation as well as support EFL learners to succeed in their language learning process in university settings. As a result, the author recommends that policymakers integrate the ISM programs into language curricula; institution leaders strengthen partnerships and funding for international opportunities; and language instructors recognise emotional investment as a pedagogical asset.
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Keywords |
affective turn, autoethnography, emotional investment, identity, university |
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REFERENCES |
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