Toward a Model of Foreign Language Identity Development

This article includes an attempt at developing a model of foreign language leamer s identity formation, First, the paradoxical situation of the foreign language learner is expounded in relation to their concern and influence. Given the poverty of exposure in foreign settings, language programs are suggested to be reasonably designed in the direction of leamer s independence. This need is linked to an existentialist-humanist argument to the effect that considering basic issues of the leamer s identity is a precondition for viable foreign language learning. The elements of a model of language instruction which has foreign language learner identity formation at its heart are then presented. Pedagogical mechanisms for enhancing learner identity are hinted at, the most important being SelfBased Syllabus, which engages the learner in a process of self-exploration using an array of leamer-related materials. The paper ends by subsuming the idea of identity development under the larger construct of sustainable education.