TY - JOUR T1 - Changes in Japanese ESL Speakers’ Identities and in Their Attitudes Toward Speaking English AU - Motobayashi, Saori AU - Takahashi, Tomoko PY - 2019 DA - January JF - The Journal of Language Learning and Teaching JO - jltl PB - Gazi Yabancı Diller Derneği WT - DergiPark SN - 2146-1732 SP - 30 EP - 52 VL - 9 IS - 1 LA - en AB - This study examined changes in English as a second language (ESL) speakers’ identities and in their attitudes toward speaking English, based on the responses provided by 75 Japanese students attending college in the United States (U.S.). Analyses of their responses revealed that the more time those ESL speakers spent in the U.S., the more they became in favor of speaking English in their own way, experienced a positive transition between different identity types, and felt either prouder or less proud of their identity as Japanese. The study results also suggested that two to three years in an English-speaking country or environment might mark a turning point for many ESL speakers’ attitude and identity changes. Furthermore, those who had only a short-term ESL learning experience before being mainstreamed into college were more likely to experience a transition earlier during the four years of college than those with a long-term ESL learning experience. KW - Japanese Students in U.S. College KW - ESL Speaker/Learner KW - Attitude and Identity Change CR - Capobianco, P. (2017). Intercultural identity transformations among Japanese learners of English. International Journal of Research Studies in Language Learning, 6(4), 13. doi:10.5861/ijrsll.2016.1544 CR - Gao, Y. (2001). Foreign language learning: 1 + 1 > 2. Beijing, China: Beijing University Press. UR - https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/jltl/issue//520242 L1 - https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/638280 ER -