Visual imagery, international imagined communities, and global self- identity among Algerian EFL learners

In a globalised world, mastering English becomes a crucial investment. Where there are multiple ways for learning English outside of formal schooling, like using the media, there is a considerable number of people who still prefer to learn English in a structured way outside formal education. While there has been an interest in researching motivation for learning English as a foreign language within formal schooling, not much has been investigated about motivation to learn English beyond formal schooling. Therefore, this research aims to explore aspects of investment in learning English in informal contexts among Algerian EFL learners.

This study was exploratory and interpretative in nature. At two stages, the current study was carried out in three language centres (January to March 2019 and September 2019). Three English teachers from these language centres were interviewed individually. At these language centres, thirty-five EFL students participated in six focus groups. In addition, a participatory drawing research method was used with these learners to determine how they perceived themselves as English learners.

The analysis of the data revealed three main findings. First, many EFL learners' motivations to invest in learning English as a foreign language were shaped by their visual imagery of the self to realise future aspirations. Second, the linguistic identity of the learners shaped their investment for learning English. Accordingly, the learners were interested in being part of imagined international communities and achieving global self- identity. Third, this study revealed that this investment is indirectly influenced by socio- economic factors. My original contribution to the methodology is a qualitative study of learners' attitudes toward learning English as a foreign language in the Algerian context.

In addition to the applicability of the drawing method in this research, my original contribution to the theory is the representation of my participants’ perceptions in relation to the sociocultural and post-structural theories of learning and motivation. These findings help to broaden our understanding of three major topics: English language teaching (ELT) practices, language planning in Algeria, and research methodology