| This research investigates the cross-cultural and cross-linguistic experiences of women entrepreneurs operating businesses in the English language education sector. The study is a multi-narrative case study with qualitative data collected through self-assessment tools, narrative interviewing, critical incident responses, cultural artefact stories, and an asynchronous focus group in response to a mini-lecture on culture and its relationship to language. There are six participants, operating businesses in Algeria, China, Colombia, Egypt, and Canada. The methodology yielded rich, multi-layered data and revealed unexpected significant variation in the participants' cross-cultural and cross-linguistic experiences. It also yielded unexpected and equally varied data on their experiences as entrepreneurs, as women entrepreneurs, and as entrepreneurs in the English language education sector. The conceptual framework of multiple conceptualizations of culture and its relationship to language proved useful in interpreting the data on the participants' cross-cultural and cross-linguistic experiences; however, given the unexpected data on the participants' entrepreneurial experiences, it did not prove adequate for the interpretation of the entire data set. As an exploratory study, the research yielded multiple areas for possible future research. Prime among these is the use of the conceptualization of complex dynamic systems as a way to understand the variation seen in the participants' experiences as entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs, and entrepreneurs in the English language education sector as well as their cross-cultural and cross-linguistic experiences. |
