Writer identity while learning discipline-specific academic literacy in an additional language

Abstract

Constructing an effective identity in academic writing is considered crucial in establishing a favourable reader-writer relationship; in eliciting a positive reader response to the text and even in developing a convincing argument (Hyland, 2004). But different expectations of authorial presence in academic writing between disciplines, and even changing notions within disciplines, present student learners of academic literacy with difficulties. These difficulties are increased for students writing in English as an additional language (EAL), especially when they are exposed simultaneously to more than one discipline-specific literacy. This paper looks at the writing of an EAL learner of academic literacy in a foundation course in literature in the English Department at the University of the Witwatersrand. Clark and Ivanic's (1997) model of the aspects of writer identity (autobiographical self, self as author and discoursal self) is used to analyse the student's writing and to understand her sense of her writer identity. I argue that, despite this student's lack of awareness of the effects of her linguistic choices on writer identity, her heightened sense of self as flexible and changing while she straddles more than one culture and language, could provide ways for helping students to understand better the construction of identity in academic writing.

A longitudinal study of students’ negotiation of language, literacy and identity

“…There is by now a considerable body of literature which analyses the linguistic challenges and writing development processes of first-year university students from second-language/ marginalised/ disadvantaged educational backgrounds (see for example Clark & Ivanič, 1997;Herrington & Curtis, 2000; Thesen & Van Pletzen, 2006;Granville & Dison, 2009;Stacey, 2009). These studies have shown that becoming proficient in academic literacy is intimately connected to identity.…”

“…The participants in our study are all from disadvantaged educational backgrounds and/ or are speakers of English as a second language.2 They were (with the exception of one student) the first in their families, sometimes the first in their communities, to attend university. The project tracked their shifts in language and literacy attitudes and practices and in constructions of self over the course of their undergraduate years.There is by now a considerable body of literature which analyses the linguistic challenges and writing development processes of first-year university students from second-language/ marginalised/ disadvantaged educational backgrounds (see for example Clark & Ivanič, 1997;Herrington & Curtis, 2000; Thesen & Van Pletzen, 2006;Granville & Dison, 2009;Stacey, 2009). These studies have shown that becoming proficient in academic literacy is intimately connected to identity.…”

A New Theoretical Approach to Enacting Transformative Leadership with International Students

“…Often, absences or silences reveal a lot about bias. For instance, research on academic literacy, the knowledge of discipline-specific language and genres, focuses on participants for whom, just like for the second author of this chapter, English is an additional language [16][17][18] and ignores the needs of domestic or native-speaking students. The gap may indicate that students are expected to require more training in academic literacy even though, as mentioned above, academic literacy has more to do with discipline-specific skills than language proficiency.…”

Factors influencing Malaysian ESL learners’ engagement in academic writing (in L2)

“…The notion of multiple writer identities, particularly for ESL learners has also been reported to influence students' engagement with academic writing (Li, 2007;Stacey, 2010). In fact, in order to perform successfully in the academic community, learners need to adopt the appropriate writer identity (Ivanic, 2006;Wenger, 1998) in order to gain acceptance as a full member of the community of practice (Huhtala & Lehti-Eklund, 2010, p. 273).…”