Me and those English-speaking elites: Uncovering the identity of one minority ELL in Singapore

The language learning challenges of the non-English-dominant bilingual in Singapore may be easily overlooked in the light of the increasing use of English as the dominant language in Singaporean households. Non-English-dominant polytechnic students have been observed to display a lack of confidence and interest in classroom activities and assignments that require an extensive use of the English language. This retrospective narrative inquiry examines how the identity of a non-English-dominant bilingual is shaped by the micro-level issues of inequitable social relationships in the school community, as well the tensions between the learner’s primary and secondary Discourses. Through email and face-to-face interviews, questions were asked about the student’s English language experiences from primary school, secondary school and post-secondary educational institutions. Responses from email correspondence and interviews were then examined for positive and negative experiences of language learning and usage, particularly within school-based interactions. Subsequently, the student was invited to read, verify and comment on the initial analysis. It can be seen that while a lack of legitimate participation in secondary Discourses negatively affects the student’s identity, ‘mushfaking’, that is, making do with limited resources, within safe houses or extrapedagogical sites of activity, as well as future-oriented identity positions, can increase the student’s investment in language learning. Although the case study highlights particularly language learning experiences of one student, teachers of non-English-dominant students can learn what has contributed to both negative and positive aspects of such learners and apply such knowledge in their classrooms through greater sensitivity to their students’ language learning histories and being more intentional in facilitating mushfaking among students.