A Twist in the Tale : Narrative Analysis of Learners' Recounts of L2 Turning Point Episodes

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This study focuses on the nature and role of turning points in the language learning experience. With the recent application of narrative identity theory to L2 learning motivation, new avenues of exploration have presented themselves. Specifically, the language learner can be perceived as forging their own self narrative, following a trajectory, and heading towards some kind of final destination characterised in terms of their L2 proficiency and L2 use. In the life-course literature, the point at which a trajectory changes in a lasting way is generally referred to as a turning point. Applying dramaturgical coding within an overall narrative analysis approach, the current study examines the L2 turning point episode recounts of a sample of three Japanese undergraduate learners of English. The recounts were found to consist of a three-stage sequence: stepping into the unknown; facing a challenge; revelation and self-discovery. Aligning with the dramatic ethos of the analysis, each of these stages is described in the form of a Director's Note, supported with references to the 'protagonists" original recounts. The paper concludes with theoretical and pedagogical implications, recognising the motivational benefits to be gained from positive L2 turning point episodes and their integration into the learner's L2 narrative identity.

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