Argument Essay Writing in English as a Foreign Language: Third Year Students’ Journey of Writer Identity Construction and Expression at ENSB, Algiers

Abstract

This study is an exploratory qualitative case study of a group of forty-two third year students of English at a Teacher Training College in Algiers-Algeria and their struggle to construct a writer identity in higher education. Inspired by Ethnography, building on Norton (2000)’s theory of identity, Ivanič’s (1998) model of writer identity, and self-appraisal theory (Bandura, 1997), this study aims at discovering the factors that shape students’ writer identity. The findings revealed that based on their perceptions of themselves as writers. In addition, the participants used a number of linguistic and discoursal strategies to express their writer identity in argument writing such as taking a clear position, develop strong arguments to defend it, using personal experience as a source for writing creating a connection with the reader. The latter seems to reflect Ivanič ’s (1998) model of writer identity. Based on these findings, the study suggests a more flexible approach to academic writing.