How do International Students Reconstruct their Identity as Readers when they Transition into Canadian Post-Secondary Education?

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20360/langandlit29590

Keywords:

reader's identity, reconstruction of identity, second language reading, sociocultural reading, Chinese international students, Canadian post-secondary education

Abstract

Recognizing the cultural transitions Chinese international students undergo as readers in the Canadian higher education system, this study explores the difficulties encountered by four Chinese students and uncovers how they experienced, responded to, and transformed in a new cultural reading environment. Focusing on the notion of a reader’s identity, this study uses narrative inquiry to show how participants’ readers identities are reconstructed in a new cultural reading environment. It concludes that readers’ identities reflect readers’ different cultural memberships. As international students crossing cultural boundaries, their identities as readers shape how they interpret and understand the meaning of reading materials.

Author Biographies

Danni Chen, University of Calgary

Danni Chen is a PhD student in Curriculum and Learning at the University of Calgary. As an international student, learning language is always her favorite topic. Her research interests include language learning, cultural studies, and power inequalities within the context of second language education, especially in English as an additional language learning.

Dr. Aubrey Jean Hanson, University of Calgary

Dr. Aubrey Jean Hanson is a member of the Métis Nation of Alberta and an Associate Professor in Education at the University of Calgary. Her research spans Indigenous literary studies, curriculum studies, and Indigenous education. Her book Literatures, Communities, and Learning: Conversations with Indigenous Writers was published with Wilfrid Laurier University Press in spring 2020. 

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Published

2023-08-19

How to Cite

Chen, D., & Hanson, A. J. (2023). How do International Students Reconstruct their Identity as Readers when they Transition into Canadian Post-Secondary Education?. Language and Literacy, 25(2), 84–104. https://doi.org/10.20360/langandlit29590

Issue

Vol. 25 No. 2 (2023): Regular Issue

Section

Articles

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