| In graduate school, learning is a process of socialization into an academic life-world. Graduate students' success depends crucially on learning to think, act, interact, and value, as well as speak, read, and write, within a variety of disciplinary specific practices. This study adopts a sociocultural and language socialization perspective on second language learning to examine the experiences and language practices of non-native English speaking students in an MBA program in the U.S. Midwest. The purpose of the study is to theorize about what is involved in learning English within a specific academic disciplinary Discourse (Gee, 1996, 2001). Using detailed transcripts of audio and video taped interaction, field notes of classroom observations, focus groups, and interviews with students, professors, administrators and staff, the study investigates the cultural, pragmatic, and lexico-grammatical knowledge graduate students need to be able to participate in an array of socializing practices within the MBA program. Functional linguistic and sociocultural discourse analysis is employed to demonstrate how language is intricately interwoven within specific social practices of this academic program. Analyses of the grammar of oral classroom discussions and written executive summaries of business case studies reveal how students must make linguistic choices that correspond to and are coordinated with largely tacit values and beliefs that underpin social practices in the MBA program. Other analyses examine language learning and disciplinary socialization as processes of identity formation, affiliation and membership that take place through participation in such everyday situations as classroom discussions, negotiation with faculty over a letter of recommendation, and collaboration with other students in a group project assignment. The concluding chapter proposes a model of second language learning at the graduate level that draws on the theoretical framework and analyses of previous chapters and serves as an alternative to traditional models of SLA. In the proposed model, situated language use, participation in disciplinary practices and negotiation of the learner's identity and disciplinary membership are key constructs that counter traditional views of language as an abstract system of rules and language acquisition as changes in the learner's performance, competence or proficiency. |
