The Effect of English Language Instruction on Mental Disorder Patients’ Social-Identity

This mixed-methods experimental study investigated the effect of English language instruction on English language proficiency and social identity among patients suffering from mental disorders. Two days a week for 90 minutes (48 sessions), the experimental group received English language instruction. The study participants were 52 adults with mental illness diagnoses from a center for patients suffering from mental disorders in Isfahan, Iran, and were randomly classified into control and experimental groups. Quantitative data were collected and presented using the English language proficiency test and the social identity questionnaire (Bruner & Benson, 2018). Moreover, semi-structured interviews were used to show the participants’ reflections regarding English language instruction. To analyze the data, One-Way ANCOVA was used to answer the research questions. The statistical results indicated that the experimental group contributed significant improvements in being empowered with higher levels of English language proficiency and social identity (p< 0.01). Besides, the qualitative analysis showed that English language instruction increased the levels of engagement, motivation, willingness to take risks, emotion regulation, and self-growth among the participants. The results of this study provide evidence of the feasibility of successful English language instruction among mental illness patients, which has not received adequate attention in academic studies.