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English Language Learner": Second Language Writers, Academic Literacy, and Issues of Identity in the United States High School Christina M

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English Language Learner University of New Hampshire University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository Doctoral Dissertations Student Scholarship Fall 2007 Beyond "English language learner": Second language writers, academic literacy, and issues of identity in the United States high school Christina M. Ortmeier-Hooper University of New Hampshire, Durham Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation Recommended Citation Ortmeier-Hooper, Christina M., "Beyond "English language learner": Second language writers, academic literacy, and issues of identity in the United States high school" (2007). Doctoral Dissertations. 401. https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation/401 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BEYOND “ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER”: SECOND LANGUAGE WRITERS, ACADEMIC LITERACY, AND ISSUES OF IDENTITY IN THE U.S. HIGH SCHOOL BY CHRISTINA M. ORTMEIER-HOOPER Baccalaureate of Art Degree, University of Massachusetts, 1995. Master of Art in Teaching, University of New Hampshire, 1998. DISSERTATION Submitted to the University of New Hampshire in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy In English September, 2007 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3277145 Copyright 2007 by Ortmeier-Hooper, Christina M. All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 3277145 Copyright 2007 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ©2007 Christina M. Ortmeier-Hooper Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. This dissertation has been examined and approved. Dissertation Director Paul Kei Matsuda, Associate Professor of English I P. Thomas R. Newkirk, Professor of English Aya Mjffsuda, Associate ProfesSor-of English Judy/Sharkey, AssisrahTProfessor of Education Jtasiea/moch, Assistant Professor of English University of Pittsburgh /£ , Zool Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DEDICATION For my parents, Lothar and Waltraud Ortmeier, whose courage, determination, and stories of “coming to America” continue to inspire me. For Tom, whose love and support turns inspiration into reality. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. V ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I f I have built my castles in the sky, my work need not be lost, I must now build the foundations under them. - Henry David Thoreau I continue to build my castles in the sky and to construct the foundations beneath them. But I do not build alone. The foundation—the bricks and mortar—of this dissertation was shaped by the many people who provided me with support and encouragement throughout the process. My sincere thanks go to Paul Kei Matsuda, my dissertation advisor, for his continued encouragement and support of my work. Throughout my graduate program, Paul helped me solidify my knowledge of second language writing and composition. His own enthusiasm for scholarship has motivated and inspired me to ask my own questions, to follow my own research pursuits, and to take an active role in the profession. I would also like to thank other members of my dissertation committee: Thomas Newkirk, Jessica Enoch, Aya Matsuda, and Judy Sharkey. I am honored by the dedication and interest that they have shown in my work and my development as a teacher and scholar. I came to the University of New Hampshire in order to work with Thomas Newkirk. Tom’s example as a scholar and teacher remains at the heart of most of the work I do. I remember a conversation at the beginning of my graduate program when I ask Tom about the key to a successful career. He simply answered, “It is about the work. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The work leads me.” When I have questioned some of the other elements of my doctoral experiences, Tom’s words gave me the inspiration and grounding to continue. His work with teachers through his research and the UNH Literacy Institutes remains a model for my own academic pursuits. I would also like to thank Aya Matsuda, Jessica Enoch and Judy Sharkey—who have all provided me with a network of support and have provided me with powerful, sustaining models for the possibilities for women in academia. Aya’s friendship and professional advice has been a steadfast source of encouragement throughout my doctoral program. Her teaching style and pedagogy inspire me to hone my own skills at the front of the classroom. Judy Sharkey gave me numerous opportunities to explore teacher education, to reenvision my own teaching, and to reflect upon my own transition from teacher to teacher researcher. Jessica Enoch expressed such enthusiasm for my work and my development as a scholar. I have treasured her close readings of earlier papers and her advice on my career path. I would like also like to thank Cinthia Gannett who made me believe that a middle school teacher and mom could indeed successfully complete a doctoral degree and pursue a career in academia. Cinthia introduced me to the world of composition, writing centers, and writing-across-the-curriculum. Throughout my years at UNH, she has remained an inspiration and a source of encouragement. I would also like to acknowledge the important teachers and professors who have influenced my teaching, my research, and my understanding of the classroom—Marjorie Burdette, Mary Reilly Potter, Professor William Moebius, Professor Susan Cocalis, and Professor Susan Franzosa. I am also appreciative of the community of scholars, Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. particularly in the L2 writing community, including Linda Harklau, Xiaoming Li, Danling Fu, Linda Lonon Blanton, Sarah Hudelson, Carole Edelsky, Deborah Crusan, and Gwen Gray Schwartz. They have inspired my research and generously provided me with thoughtful questions and insights over the years. I am grateful to the University of New Hampshire Graduate School for supporting my work with a Dissertation Fellowship from 2006-2007 which gave me the time and space to concentrate on my research and my writing. I would also like to thank New England Teachers of English Speakers of Other Languages (NNETESOL) for a research award which provided me with the necessary research equipment for this project. I also wish to extend thanks to my writing group—Michelle Cox, Katherine Tirabassi, Michael Michaud, Abby Knoblauch, and Meagen Rodgers. We met every other week and exchanged drafts of our work-in-progress. Their insights, close readings, and sense of humor provided me with the motivation to continue and the willingness to write and rethink multiple drafts, leads, and chapters. I would also like to thank the graduate student community at UNH. Historically, the UNH doctoral program in composition studies has fostered a wonderful, supportive community of graduate students. I entered the program with Michelle Cox and Katherine Tirabassi, and our friendship over the years has fueled and sustained me. We have taken classes together, shared our writing, collaborated on syllabi, explored teaching dilemmas, and presented together at conferences. Along the way, we have forged a strong friendship that has guided me through the ups-and-downs of graduate school, the moments of self-doubt, and the frustrations of trying to find my voice as a writer and researcher. I would also like to thank the many current and former UNH graduate students who have offered advice and Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. guidance over the years, including Christopher Dean, Dot Kasik, Amy Zenger, Megan Fulwiler, Kuhio Walters, David Edwards, Bronwyn Williams and Joleen Hanson. I am also grateful to the students who participated in this study. I appreciate the time they gave to meet for interviews, the sharing of their writing, and the openness with which they engaged in this project. Those participants, who must remain anonymous, made this project possible and they also reminded me of the wonderful enthusiasm and possibilities that adolescent writers bring to their writing. It was a joy and privilege to get to know each of them and to work with them over the course of this project. I am also appreciative of the schools and
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