Discoursal Negotiation of Identity in the Writing of Adult Students:

A Case Study

Authors

  • Michael J Michaud Rhode Island College Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/wap.v5i1.31

Keywords:

identity, workplace, literacy, academic writing, adult students, discourses

Abstract

In this article, I extend the academic conversation about writing and identity by investigating the experiences of one adult student negotiating the transition between professional and academic communities and identities. Drawing on a framework articulated by Ivanic (1998), I examine the interaction between the writer’s autobiographical self, the socially available possibilities for self-hood, and the discoursal self the student constructs in a single instance of academic writing. I argue that the primary writerly identity this student constructs in his text is a workplace or professional identity and show how this identity is not entirely coherent but reflects the process of identity transition the student was facing on the job at the time. I use this case study to draw attention to the negotiations some adult students pursuing postsecondary study make, especially those with well-established workplace identities, as they face the challenge of composing new identities in academic settings. I further suggest that the challenge of identity negotiation is one faced by all writers, not just adults, and that this is a challenge we must account for in our teaching and research.

Author Biography

  • Michael J Michaud, Rhode Island College

    Michael Michaud earned his Ph.D. in Composition from the University of New Hampshire. He currently teaches courses in composition, professional writing, rhetoric, and digital and multimedia writing at Rhode Island College in Providence. His work has appeared in Teaching English in the Two Year College and is forthcoming in Open Words. He is currently at work on a project investigating Donald Murray and his influence on the Freshmen English program at the University of New Hampshire.

References

Beaufort, A. (1999) Writing in the Real World: Making the Transition from School to Work. New York: Teachers College Press.

Berker, A. and Horn, L. (2003) Work first, study second: Adult undergraduates who combine employment and postsecondary enrollment. National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved on 10 Feb 2012 from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2003167.

Brandt, D. (2001) Literacy in American Lives. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Cox, M. (2010) Identity, second language writers, and the learning of workplace writing. In M. Cox, J. Jordan, C. Ortmeier-Hooper and G. G. Schwartz (eds.) Reinventing Identities in Second Language Writing 75–95. Urbana, Illinois: National Council of Teachers of English.

Gee, J. P. (1989) Literacy, discourse, and linguistics: Introduction. Journal of Education 171: 5–17.

Irvine, M. (2005) The young labeled ‘entitlement generation.’ Free Republic website. Retrieved on 5 May 2012 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1431497/posts.

Ivanic, R. (1998) Writing and Identity: The Discoursal Construction of Identity in Academic Writing. Philadelphia and Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Ketter, J. and Hunter, J. (2003) Creating a writer’s identity on the boundaries of two communities of practice. In C. Bazerman and D. R. Russell (eds.) Writing Selves/Writing Societies: Research from Activity Perspectives 307–330. Fort Collins, Colorado: The WAC Clearinghouse.

Merriam, S. B., Caffarella, R. S. and Baumgartner, L. M. (2007) Learning in Adulthood: A Comprehensive Guide (3rd edition). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Retrieved on 10 January 2012 from http://0-www.credoreference.com.helin.uri.edu/book/wileyla.

Selfe, C. L. and Hawisher, G. E. (2004) Literate Lives in the Information Age: Narratives of Literacy from the United States. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum and Associates.

Wardle, E. (2004) Identity, authority, and learning to write in new workplaces. Enculturation 5(2). Retrieved on 10 Feb 2012 from http://enculturation.gmu.edu/5_2/wardle.html.

Published

2013-05-30

Issue

Section

Research Matters

How to Cite

Michaud, M. J. (2013). Discoursal Negotiation of Identity in the Writing of Adult Students:: A Case Study. Writing and Pedagogy, 5(1), 31-55. https://doi.org/10.1558/wap.v5i1.31

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 > >>