The 9th International Conference on English Language Teaching (ELT) In China (ELT2020)

The Third Space refers to the space which is capable of mutual dialogue, tolerance and exploration for culture. In the discourse of post-structuralism, the Third Space concept is a metaphor for the where the two cultures meet, a newly created hybrid space between the two. The Third Space also defines the individual's position in cross-cultural communication and admits that cultural differences and diversities will always be in the individual's cultural identity. Nowadays, along with the globalization, only acquiring communicative strategies is far from enough, because misunderstanding would happen between those who are not aware of the cultural, social, historical, and political diversity, thus the language education is not supposed to be just a simple comprehension of knowledge and skill. Therefore, we should put emphasis on the individuals’ cultural identity which greatly influence the effectiveness of intercultural communication. And this comprehension of the cultural identity’s complexity would be significant for us to learn how to become a qualified communicator. Baring this in mind, I will discuss two questions in this study:1. How the cultural identity of EFL learner constructed; 2. How to understand and harness the complexity of cultural identity in language education. Only when we acknowledge the multiplicity of identity can we make it productive in learning English,  and we think that the ecological perspective, which based on the Third Space, would throw light on the issue of cultural identities’ complexity and chaos. The research will explore micro-, meso- and macro-level elements that affect cultural identity construction and expect the result would give inspiration for knowing what a good language learner will be.

EFL Learners, the third space perspective ,cultural identity