From Rural China to the Digital Wilds: Negotiating Digital Repertoires to Claim the Right to Speak

Abstract Based on data from a qualitative case study of two Chinese university EFL learners from rural backgrounds, Andy and Jimmy, this study traces their progress from being struggling English language learners to confident speakers of English. Drawing on Darvin and Norton's (2015) model of investment that recognizes the intersection of identity, capital, and ideology, this study dissects Andy and Jimmy's engagement with the digital wilds and their negotiation of resources in online and offline environments. Analysis of interviews, observations, and digital artifacts reveal that as students from rural and migrant worker families, Andy and Jimmy positioned themselves and were positioned by others as inadequate speakers of English, contributing to their initial non‐participation in the English classroom. Participation in the digital wilds however provided these learners with opportunities to acquire a wider range of resources and to reframe their identities as legitimate speakers. Such expanded repertoires empowered them to claim the right to speak and to be heard across online and offline spaces. These findings reiterate the pedagogical potential of the digital wilds in creating conditions that enable rural EFL learners to invest in their learning of English.