Finding home in Nepantla: A collective portraiture of negotiated identities of female adult language learner

The increasing numbers in adult immigrant population in the United States urge educators and scholars to explore and analyze the programs that are available for this population in their efforts to acquire English. Historically, the main objective of these programs was the acquisition of basic English skills deemed necessary to survive in the social and political realities of the United States. This research study shifts the focus of inquiry from acquiring English for survival to exploring the lived realities of adult immigrant language learners at the intersection of gender living in-between multiple words, languages, and cultures. The present study incorporates Chicana Feminist frameworks with portraiture to create a comprehensive collective portrait of five female adult language learners at the crossroads of identities, cultures, languages, and geographies. This study posits that female adult language learners find themselves living in nepantla, in-between multiple worlds, upon immigration to the United States. The findings of this study reveal numerous psychological and emotional ruptures these female adult language learners experience as they navigate the realities of the United States with its immigration policies and the English language dominance. The findings, likewise, show that while being ruptured in-between worlds, languages, and cultures; these female adult language learners build numerous bridges and continuously negotiate their linguistic and cultural identities to survive and thrive in the United States. The present research poses significant implications in the field of second language acquisition, research methodologies as well as informs curricular and pedagogical practices in adult ESL education.