Dissertation: Identities and Agency of Young Migrant Language Learners of Finnish and Korean in Finland (Sun)
The research centers on two classroom contexts: a Finnish preparatory language class and a Korean heritage language class. Using an ethnographically informed methodology, Sun collected multimodal data—including interviews and visual materials—to examine how learners participate across different language learning environments.
“My work sits at the intersection of applied linguistics, sociocultural theory, and classroom ethnography. I am particularly interested in how language learners navigate multiple languages and identities across diverse educational and social contexts”, Sun explains.
The dissertation comprises three interrelated sub-studies and culminates in the development of a holistic model of migrant language learner identity. This model integrates individual and social dimensions and introduces a third, temporal-spatial layer to highlight the dynamic, distributed nature of identity formation across time and space. The findings show how young learners exercise agency through their language use, relationships, and decision-making—even within institutional settings that may not always fully recognize or support their linguistic repertoires. In this study, such agency was expressed through learners' deliberate language choices, future-oriented goals, and active positioning of self in both physical and symbolic spaces. Ultimately, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of migrant learners as active agents of their own language learning.
“Based on these findings, I suggest that language education policies and classroom practices in Finland be developed with greater attention to learners’ personal multilingual repertoires and lived experiences. Rather than applying top-down, standardized approaches, pedagogical frameworks should carefully support the diverse identity negotiations and language investments that migrant learners actively engage in.”
MA Dukkeum Sun defends their doctoral dissertation in applied linguistics "Identities and Agency of Young Migrant Language Learners of Finnish and Korean in Finland" on August 13, 2025 at 9AM in The old assembly hall in the Seminarium building (S212) at the Ģֱ. The opponent is Senior University Lecturer PhD, Docent Maria Ahlholm (University of Helsinki) and custos is Senior Lecturer Maria Ruohotie-Lyhty (Ģֱ). The event is held in English.
