Multilingual Writers' Perceptions and Use of L1 in a U.S. Composition Class
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Minnesota State University, Mankato Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects Capstone Projects 2017 Multilingual Writers’ Perceptions and Use of L1 in a U.S. Composition Class: A Case Study of Nepalese Students Shyam Bahadur Pandey Minnesota State University, Mankato Follow this and additional works at: https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds Part of the Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons Recommended Citation Pandey, S. B. (2017). Multilingual Writers’ Perceptions and Use of L1 in a U.S. Composition Class: A Case Study of Nepalese Students [Master’s thesis, Minnesota State University, Mankato]. Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato. https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds/696/ This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects at Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects by an authorized administrator of Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato. Multilingual Writers’ Perceptions and Use of L1 in a U.S. Composition Class: A Case Study of Nepalese Students By Shyam Bahadur Pandey A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Teaching English as a Second Language Minnesota State University, Mankato Mankato, Minnesota April 2017 Date: 04/07/2017 This thesis paper has been examined and approved. Examining Committee: ___________________________________________________ Dr. Sarah Henderson Lee, Chairperson ___________________________________________________ Dr. Ghanashyam Sharma, Committee Member i Abstract This thesis shares a qualitative study of multilingual student writers’ perceptions and attitudes toward the use of L1 (i.e., Nepali) in L2 (i.e., English) writing. The research questions include: 1) What are Nepalese students’ attitudes toward using their L1 in a first-year composition class in the U.S.? and 2) How do Nepalese undergraduate students in a U.S. composition class use their L1 for the research writing process? A case study research design was adopted to shed light on the lived experiences multilingual writers in U.S. university writing programs. Nepalese students were recruited from two multilingual sections of English 101 Composition at Minnesota State University, Mankato, and nine participants consented. The data collection process spanned one academic semester, and data sources included a questionnaire, an interview, and written artifacts. Recursive content analysis was employed for data analysis. Data sources were transcribed and coded using MAXQDA12 software. Emerging themes from the data analysis include: L2 writing in a cross-cultural context, L1 use in L2 research writing, and multilingual writers’ identities. Findings, including participants’ perception of their L1 as an L2 writing resource and participants’ use of L1 at various stages of the L2 writing process, inform current and future writing instructors’ ability to better meet the needs of multilingual writers. ii Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................ i Table of Contents ................................................................................................................ ii List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... iv Dedication ............................................................................................................................v Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ vi Chapter I: Introduction .....................................................................................................1 Background Information ......................................................................................................1 Statement of Purpose and Research Questions ....................................................................7 Limitations of the Study.....................................................................................................11 Chapter Organization of the Thesis ...................................................................................13 Chapter Conclusion ............................................................................................................14 Chapter II: Literature Review ........................................................................................15 L1 and L2 Writing Connection ..........................................................................................15 Historical overview of L2 writing ..........................................................................16 Perspectives on L1 and L2 writing ........................................................................18 Characteristics of L2 writers ..................................................................................19 Use of L1 in L2 Writing .....................................................................................................22 Translingual approach in writing ...........................................................................22 Issues in L2 Writing ...........................................................................................................27 Culture and writing ................................................................................................28 Perceptions of L2 writers .......................................................................................31 Contrastive rhetoric and Nepalese L2 writers’ context ..........................................33 Identity Construction in L2 Writing ..................................................................................35 Social identity theory .............................................................................................36 Chapter Conclusion ............................................................................................................40 Chapter III: Methodology ...............................................................................................42 Introduction ........................................................................................................................42 Research Materials .............................................................................................................43 Data Collection Process .....................................................................................................47 Questionnaire .........................................................................................................47 iii Written artifacts .....................................................................................................48 Interviews ...............................................................................................................49 Data Analysis .....................................................................................................................50 Chapter Conclusion ............................................................................................................51 Chapter IV: Findings and Discussion ............................................................................52 Introduction ........................................................................................................................52 Findings Pertaining to Research Question 1 ......................................................................53 Findings Pertaining to Research Question 2 ......................................................................55 Discussion ..........................................................................................................................58 L2 writing in a cross-cultural context ....................................................................58 L1 use in L2 research writing ................................................................................65 Multilingual writers’ identities ..............................................................................73 Chapter Conclusion ............................................................................................................80 Chapter V: Pedagogical Implications, Suggestions for Future Studies, and Coda ...81 Introduction ........................................................................................................................81 Pedagogical Implications ...................................................................................................81 Suggestions for Future Studies ..........................................................................................86 Coda ...................................................................................................................................90 References .........................................................................................................................94 Appendices ......................................................................................................................104