Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

Publication Date

8-28-2012

Abstract

This is a case study of four international English L2 students transitioning from their home countries into the academic context of a US university. It investigates the intersections of identity and investment as English L2 students interact with English resources, and how proficiency may or may not mitigate the type and quality of access to English resources. Furthermore, the study proposes a learner as agent framework for understanding the processes of gaining access to English resources. Finally, the study argues that proficiency is a complex issue that needs to be analyzed and defined locally rather than globally and that decontextualized proficiency assessments only provide a partial account of an L2 learners language skills.'

Keywords

Second language acquisition, English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers, Applied linguistics, Discourse analysis

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

English

Degree Name

Educational Linguistics

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies

First Committee Member (Chair)

Morford, Jill P.

Second Committee Member

Peele-Eady, Tryphenia

Third Committee Member

Romano, Susan

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