The Electronic Journal for English as a Second Language December 2010 — Volume 14, Number 3 Reluctant and Aspiring Global Citizens: Ideal Second Language Selves among Korean Graduate Students

This interview study of seven highly proficient Korean users of English examines the role of the ‘ideal second language self’ as a motivator in the learning of English as a global language. It explores their perspectives on the cultural associations that English holds, the degree to which a ‘global identity’ is a part of their own self-understandings, and whether or not they visualize elements of an ‘ideal self’ in order to sustain their own language learning motivation. The findings reveal a clear sense among participants of their individual language learning goals and aspirations, but little evidence in most cases of a strongly visualized second language self. While some participants identified readily with the notion of global citizenship, others categorically rejected the global citizen label, suggesting that researchers and language teachers need to take care to avoid ‘ascribing’ particular identities to English language learners without regard for their individual perspectives.