ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on how do English language learners across global sites navigate their identities in changing times? and What impact can identity research have on theory and practice in English language education? It discusses the key influences on the theories of identity, and the ways in which these ideas are being enriched in more recent research. The chapter addresses the theory of investment that was developed as a sociological complement to the psychological construct of motivation. It illustrates the ways in which theories of identity and investment have helped to inform the research with a range of English language learners in Canada, Pakistan, Uganda, and Iran. The chapter considers the implications of identity research for English language teaching across global sites by drawing on the research of scholars in Hong Kong, Chile, the USA, and Mexico.
