Abstract
Globalization and internationalization of higher education have perpetuated the dominance of English as the language of production and reproduction in doctoral education. English dominance considers the status of English as a lingua franca in academia. Multilingual students for whom English is not the first language must engage in complex language and writing practices to meet university and publication standards, globally. As writing is identity work, students must negotiate thought and writing in two or more languages to achieve meaningful self-expression and to represent authentic, authoritative voices in English. Data representing students from 17 different countries and speaking 14 different languages provides insight to understanding multilingual language practices, students’ perceptions of using English to write, and how language and perception influence identity negotiation. Further, the study considers why students write dissertations in English. Findings suggest that multilingual students have little choice in the language of production in doctoral education and engage in complex, often culturally-situated writing practices to construct meaningful writing in English while navigating and negotiating between native and target languages and identities. Rich survey and interview data highlighted diverse experiences to support an international comparative study.
Date Dissertation Completed
4-2021
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctorate of Education
Department
Education Studies
Dissertation Advisor
Daniel Kirk
Dissertation Committee Members
Ditlev Larsen, Matthew Guy
Location
Winona
Recommended Citation
Boulton, A. Brooke, "Negotiating Multilingual Writer Identity in the Dissertation: International Perspectives on Language and Writing Practices" (2021). Education Doctorate Dissertations. 6.
https://openriver.winona.edu/educationedddissertations/6
Included in
Discourse and Text Linguistics Commons, Education Commons, English Language and Literature Commons, International and Intercultural Communication Commons, Other International and Area Studies Commons
