Moving from a segregated to a coeducational context: Exploring Iranian female medical students' ownership and investment in language learning

Abstract

The present study examined Iranian female medical students' transition from a segregated school system to a coeducational university context to uncover how they invested in their learning in the new context. The participants of this qualitative study were 23 female medical students, taking a general English language course in a mixed class of 54 students. This was their first experience of being in a coeducational environment. During the term the researchers/instructors observed the class, and also the students were interviewed to examine their understanding and feelings about this experience and its influence on their learning. The data were analyzed through thematic analysis. Taking Norton's (2015) investment model as a point of departure, the findings showed that female students invested in language learning by focusing on the capital, identity, and ideology that they were dealing with in the coeducational class. The findings showed that despite the common belief in the Iranian society that female learners are shy in coeducational settings, the participants invested in learning and owned their identity as medical students. They considered the class as a miniature setting to learn how to cooperate effectively with the male students to be ready for the mixed environment of their future profession.