Autonomy and Self-Identity: The Ideology of World Englishes in the EFL Education

The purpose of study is to explore Taiwanese EFL students’ motivations and beliefs, specifically how their learning autonomy and self-identity transform in the wake of trending ideology of World Englishes. To learn a target language successfully requires motivating learners’ devotion, a combined product of autonomy and self-identity. Self-identity is the mechanism of subject construction that drives one’s autonomy in the English learning process. World Englishes decentralize any specific varieties of English and challenges the privilege of Standard English. As a result, the self-identity of language learners transforms following a weakened role of target language. Therefore, whether the characteristics of World Englishes have evoked Taiwanese learners to negotiate new self-identities and learning autonomy is an issue worth exploring.

This study adopted a qualitative case study of three EFL students selected through a purposive sampling from a private university in Taiwan. The main research data was collected from two semi-structured interviews and a follow-up survey during a three-month period. The interviews were recorded and translated. Data classifications were developed based on grounded and a priori theories. The researcher identified and categorize the frequently occurring themes of data. To achieve the trustworthiness of the data, the researcher used member checking and prolong engagement as checking criteria.

The study concludes that the multiple realities of World Englishes support that there cannot be any legitimate variety of English. Those participants want to have independent control over what they need to learn in English. They hope to connect EFL learning more with their local language and culture. Their self-identities are unnecessarily low at the start of EFL learning since they are too concerned about bringing negative impressions to the native speakers of English they meet. It is suggested that English educators help EFL learners to empower their self-esteem and take charge of their English learning.