SLA in the Digital Wilds: Fandom in a Second Language

Abstract

As technology has become more and more advanced, people’s lives and interactions have become increasingly digital, with increasing opportunities for L2 learning and use on the Internet. A particularly active and creative digital space is fandom (i.e., communities based around intense interest in celebrities or various media). Despite this, and despite the relatively greater amount of fandom research in other disciplines, there have been few studies on fandom and L2 learning. The studies that exist have found that fandom offers unique affordances for L2 learning, including high engagement and motivation, an environment of empowerment and support, and high levels of peer interaction and feedback (e.g., Black, 2005, 2009; Leppänen, 2008; Sauro, 2017), as well as L2 identity work (e.g., Lam, 2000, 2006; Biri, 2023; Black, 2009; Jingke & Jiayi, 2021). However, these studies have focused primarily on fanfiction writing and have not addressed many of the other activities in which members of fandom engage. This dissertation research will attempt to address some of the gaps in the research regarding fandom and L2 learning, by investigating the different ways second language learners participate in fandom and the unique affordances to both learning and identity work that this participation offers. The study employed a questionnaire for an overall view of the type and frequency of L2 learners’ fan practices. It also looked at three L2 fans in depth, through interviews and analysis of their fandom artifacts. Within this dissertation, I address the following four research questions: 1. What online fan practices do second language learners engage in? 2. What affordances do second language learners perceive that fan practices offer for language learning and use? 3. How do second language learners negotiate self-positioning and positioning by others in fandom communities? 4. How do second language learners use fan practices to construct and affirm their identities in fandom communities? The first article of this dissertation is a literature review, focusing on establishing a general knowledge of transformational fandoms, reviewing the existing literature on fandom and SLA, establishing the gaps in said literature, and highlighting the oft-overlooked “dark side” of fandom. The second article provides an analysis of the questionnaire data to determine the types of activities and frequencies in which L2 fans engage as well as identifying large-scale themes regarding how fandom has impacted their language learning. The third article analyzes the data of three participants for a detailed examination of how they have developed and negotiated their social identities through their participation in fandom as well as establishing the particular affordances of fandom for identity work. The dissertation ends with overall implications for how these three articles can inform our understanding of language learning and fandom.