English Learning Investment and Imagined Communities: Three University Students in Jeju

Abstract

English learning is closely connected to learners’ identities, future aspirations, and perceived access to social and professional opportunities. This qualitative case study examined how imagined communities and imagined identities shaped the investment of three university students in English learning in Jeju, South Korea. Drawing on Anderson’s concept of imagined communities and Norton’s theory of investment, it analyzed the participants’ journal entries and interviews collected over one academic semester. The findings indicated that their investment in English was shaped by the future communities and identities they imagined. Hyun-Joo associated English with becoming a responsible tourism professional who could contribute to the development of Jeju. Yoo-Na viewed English as a means of overcoming a marginalized learner identity and gaining access to her imagined communities. In-Jung’s overseas language-training experience expanded her aspirations from local hotel employment to participation in international hospitality communities. For them, English functioned as both a communicative skill and a symbolic and practical resource for accessing their imagined communities. This study suggests that English education in tourism-oriented regions should connect classroom learning with learners’ local experiences, professional aspirations, and imagined participation in broader communities.