Imagined Identities and Investment in English-as-a-Foreign-Language Learning by Saudi Students in Technical Training Contexts

Language learners possess multiple and evolving identities shaped by unequal power relations. In addition to learners' immediate identity, language learning includes the formation of imagined identities within communities that may not be directly accessible or tangible. These imagined identities motivate learners' investment in meaningful learning practices. This quantitative study fills a research gap by exploring Saudi students' imagined identities and investment in English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learning within a technical training context. Data was gathered from an imagined-identity questionnaire completed by 98 participants, then analysed through arithmetic averages and standard deviations to assess how learners' imagined identities support their language-learning investment. The results indicate that learners' imagined identities throughout EFL learning during technical training were positive and contributed to their language-learning investment. Learners expressed a desire to expand their identities, affirm their right to speak, and exercise agency as learners, all of which significantly impacted their commitment to EFL learning. Additional qualitative research is needed to explore the interconnected nature of EFL learners' imagined identities and language-learning investment.