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The study also examined participants' ambivalent investment in Kazakh through the prism of the macro-level (socialization practices) and micro-level (classroom practices) drivers identified in the conceptual framework. Overall, taking into account the findings, ideas for further research and pedagogical implications were formulated for teachers and policy makers.
Introduction
In a similar way, the development of the Kazakh language was emphasized in The National Program for Development and Functioning of Languages in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2011-2020. Nevertheless, for the Kazakh language to take the position of the language of interethnic communication in Kazakhstan, a decline in the use of Russian will have to take place in that regard. Meanwhile, schools with Kazakh medium education (KMI) were hardly present in urban areas (Smagulova, 2008).
Thus, the problem of teaching and learning Kazakh in a Russian-dominant context is still an area that needs further scholarly attention. In the process of revitalizing the Kazakh language, the government implemented a policy of status planning, prestige enhancement, corpus planning, and languages in education to increase the number of Kazakh speakers (Smagulova, 2021).
Literature Review
Such a transition led to the emergence of the following theories of language learning: sociocultural theory proposed by Vygotsky, conversation analysis, language socialization and identity theory (Wu, 2017). In general, the construct of investment seeks to break through established binaries of the language learner by bringing power relations into the equation. Another consideration in the study of investment is Bourdieu's (1991) claim that language learners seek to be seen as legitimate speakers by a certain group of people, an imagined community, with whom learners eventually want to communicate or connect (Anderson, 1991). .
Therefore, the next section discusses an amalgam of these constructs in the context of L2 learning. On the one hand, language learners' investment can be influenced by a desired sense of self that learners build in their imagination and hope to acquire in the future.
Methodology
In addition, the adoption of semi-structured interviews also enabled the researcher to ask the student participants supplementary questions based on their written narratives. The researcher also made sure that the participants understood that their participation was voluntary and that they could withdraw from the study at any time. By reading collected narrative writing and the interview transcripts, the researcher took notes of the patterns that emerged across the data set.
After familiarizing himself with the data, the researcher continued with a systematic study of the information using inductive coding. Thus, the researcher re-read the themes generated in the previous phase to check that they cover the most important and relevant information related to the research questions of this study.
Findings
Notably, the majority of the student participants were introduced to the Kazakh language in kindergarten, except for Tanya, who began learning Kazakh in elementary school (see Table 1). Therefore, the second theme in relation to the first research question deals with the imagined community of the Kazakh language and its speakers. While five participants did not list Kazakh as the language they envision using in the coming time, Victoria shared imagining Kazakh as one of the.
The next section discusses the Kazakh language community and its speakers as imagined by the research participants. In the previous section, the imagined identities of the six schoolchildren who participated in this study were presented. While the vast majority of research participants imagined that they would not speak Kazakh in the future, one participant revealed the imaginary identity of a future Kazakh speaker.
Thus, in line with the imagined identities presented in the previous section, this part of the chapter describes what the participants imagine about the Kazakh language, especially regarding what they consider conceivable or unimaginable in relation to the language and community of its speakers. Imagination of the Kazakh language as an entity exclusively bound to the discussion of the Kazakh culture, the. In general, one of the most important points of contact shared by the respondents during the middle learning stage is the influence of the Kazakh language teachers as well as their actions in the classrooms on the decisions that the students make regarding investment or non-investment.
Regarding the current imagined identities of the school children the participants discussed in the results of the first research question, it was revealed that the majority did not imagine themselves to be potential Kazakh speakers. The results revealed that the students' plans and desired affiliations in the future do not require knowledge of Kazakh, and therefore their investment in the language is currently limited to the completion of the school program. Kazakhstan or for additional employment purposes, no differences were revealed in the investment in the Kazakh language compared to the students who do not envision using the language in the future.
Discussion
Next, the findings are discussed in light of the influence of micro- and macro-level forces that play a role in students' identity construction and investment in the Kazakh language. In particular, participants cited their plans to move to foreign countries for study as one of the reasons for their current investment in Kazakhstan being limited to inactivity. In this regard, it could be argued that by abandoning participation in educational practices related to the Kazakh language, students invested in the construction of their identities.
The results of this study also illustrate that a desire for membership in an imagined community associated with a certain lifestyle that students imagine leading in the future has been one of the key influences on students' disinvestment in Kazakh. Additionally, examining participants' identity construction and subsequent investment in terms of their early, middle, and current learning stages allowed for the recognition of key variables that either encourage or inhibit participants' imaginations regarding their L2 identity formation and investment. in the Kazakh language. Seen in this light, it can be argued that language instructors, although they were the main gatekeepers to the L2 community of language learners, became the very source of the participants' resistant actions, reducing their opportunities to develop effective investments in learning the Kazakh language.
As reaffirmed in the findings of this study, a teacher's contribution is a central force toward effective education. Starting from the influences of the micro level, the next part of the chapter discusses the socialization variables that play a role in the participants' learning of the Kazakh language. According to Fierman (2005), Kazakh acquisition was a prevalent problem in urban areas during the Soviet period.
In this regard, the findings of this study raise an issue of such a value of the Kazakh language that needs to be addressed further. The findings revealed an important role that parents play in their children's investment in the Kazakh language. It was discussed that alongside the identities that the participants imagine for themselves in the future, their limited investment is also explained through the prism of inherent socialization factors and classroom practices.
Conclusion
In addition, the study may be limited by the lack of empirical research on imagined identities and investments made within the framework of the Kazakh language. How would you define the role of the Kazakh language in your life then and now? How would you define the role of the Kazakh language in the lives of your students?
Your personal information, including your name and the school's name, will be kept confidential at all stages of data reporting. Risks: To minimize any risks associated with participating in this study, your personal information, including your name and the name of the school, will not be disclosed. Benefits: Expected benefits of this study are to share personal experiences about learning Kazakh at school in a research that may expand the understanding of the impact of imagined identities on language learning investment in the unique Kazakhstani context.
The researcher clearly explained to me the information and objectives of the study and what my participation in this study entails. Your child's personal information, including their name and school name, will be kept confidential at all stages of data reporting. Risks: To minimize any risks associated with participating in this study, your child's personal details, including their name and school name, will not be disclosed.
The researcher clearly explained to me the information and objectives of the study and what my child's participation in this study involves. To minimize any risks associated with participating in this study, your personal information, including your name and school name, will not be disclosed. The anticipated benefits of this study are being able to share your personal experiences about learning Kazakh at school in research that can potentially expand understanding of the impact of imagined identities on language learning investment in the unique context of Kazakhstan.
Researcher: Let's talk about the value or influence of the Kazakh language in your life. Researcher: In this case, has the role of the Kazakh language changed for you, say, last year and this year?
