"I Always Had the Desire to Progress a Little": Gendered Narratives of Immigrant Language Learners

Based on a qualitative study of Latin American adults enrolled in a California Eng-lish as a second language (ESL) program, this article examines the ways in which gender as a social construct mediates learners ’ decisions and opportunities to learn English. In narratives audiotaped during life-history interviews, participants shared their varying responses to the gender ideologies and practices of their communities, and their understanding of how these responses affected their language learning. This article analyzes the narratives of two adult immigrant ESL students to better under-stand learners ’ perspectives on the connection between gender identities and second language learning. It concludes by discussing the implications of this research for adult immigrant ESL programs. Key words: narrative, gender, second language learning, immigrants This article explores narratives on gender and second language (L2) learning told by two Latina immigrants to the United States, both of whom were partici-pants in a larger qualitative research study conducted at an English as a second language (ESL) family literacy program in an urban California neighborhood. Although study participants saw themselves positioned in multiple ways by their communities and by the larger society, gender identities emerged as a key factor in many learners ’ decisions to pursue or not to pursue English language compe-tence at particular times in their lives. In interviews, different adults interpreted the cultural imperatives of gender in varied ways, depending on their histories and present circumstances.