This is called free-falling theory not culture shock!: a narrative inquiry on second language socialization

Abstract

Grounded in the framework of second language socialization, this study explores the identity (re)construction of Erol, a Turkish doctoral student in the United States. Drawn from a larger corpus collected for a longitudinal, mixed-method research, the data for this study came from autobiographies, journal entries, and semistructured interviews. Based on a synthesis of inductive-thematic analysis (Boyatzis, 1998), as well as deductive approaches through the use of three sensitizing concepts-investment (Norton, 1995), cultural capital (Bourdieu, 1977), and audibility (Miller, 2003)-Erol's social identity (re)construction was marked with struggle: first, to gain social networks and, second, to be recognized within the target language community. Erol's story, while providing evidence for the role of affective and socially structured variables in enabling language learners' access to social interactions, also draws attention to the need for more research at the discourse level to explore how power relations within speech communities influence the nature of interaction between international students and the host culture.