Self-practices and ethical values in learning German

This paper explores the practices Hong Kong Chinese undergraduate students engage in to learn German and the values they attach to these practices for their ‘selves’. The findings discussed in this paper are part of an empirical study investigating the motivation to learn German amongst Hong Kong Chinese university students who studied German as a major programme. The study employs a Foucauldian ethical perspective which regards learning as contributing to the process of self-formation to broaden the view on language learners' motivation. The data were collected through interviews and diary entries over a period of two academic terms and analysed following a discourse-oriented approach based on the four axes of self-formation as defined by Foucault. This paper focuses on a selection of five research participants examining the deeper dimensions of their engagement with the language outside class. The findings indicate that the activities students engaged in to learn and apply German assisted them in living their lives differently and creating for themselves a world in which they could strive towards their ethical ideals.