• ISSN: 2382-6282 (Print); 2972-3108 (Online)
    • Abbreviated Title: Int. J. Lang. Lit. Linguist.
    • Frequency: Quarterly
    • DOI: 10.18178/IJLLL
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HOME > Archives > 2026 > Volume 12 Number 3 (2026) >
IJLLL 2026 Vol.12(3): 239-242
DOI: 10.18178/IJLLL.2026.12.3.666

Discursive Construction of Learner Identities and Language-learning Ideologies: A Study of IELTS Preparation Posts on Douban

Xiaohui Liang and Yi Zhang*
Northwestern Polytechnical University, China
Email: xiaohui_liang0013@mail.nwpu.edu.cn (X.L.); yizhang@nwpu.edu.cn (Y.Z.)
*Corresponding author

Manuscript received July 21, 2026; accepted August 18, 2026; published September 23, 2026

Abstract—In nowadays globalized context, high-stakes English proficiency tests such as IELTS function as gateways to educational and social mobility, and informal digital platforms have become important sites for meaning-making and identity construction. Focusing on 50 IELTS preparation posts on Douban, a major Chinese interest-based social networking platform, this study used both quantitative and qualitative methods to examine how learner identities are discursively constructed through recurring discursive topics and strategies. Findings suggest that these posts tend to construct learner identities such as the disciplined self-manager, the strategic test-taker, the authentic experience-sharer, and reflective self-improver, each supported by recurring discursive strategies of nomination, predication, argumentation, perspectivization, and intensification. At the same time, these identities simultaneously show language ideologies which privilege effort, self-responsibility, and instrumental views of language learning. By exploring the interplay among online discourse, learner identity, and language ideology, this research contributes to broader discussions on language use in digital social media in the context of contemporary English language learning.
 
Keywords—discourse-historical approach, discourse analysis, identity construction, IELTS, online discourse

Cite: Xiaohui Liang and Yi Zhang, "Discursive Construction of Learner Identities and Language-learning Ideologies: A Study of IELTS Preparation Posts on Douban," International Journal of Languages, Literature and Linguistics, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 239-242, 2026.

Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).

 
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