Identity and Engagement in EAP Writing Classes for Multilingual Learners

Abstract

 In the past, English for Academic Purposes (EAP) mainly focused on the language system and structure of school life. Recently, many scholars have been studying how writing can also serve as a tool for self-construction and identity formation in the modern era. Examine the complex relationship between identity and participation of multilingual learners in EAP writing classes in this paper. According to post-structuralist theories of identity and multi-dimensional models of student engagement, this study finds that language learners are not communication-impaired individuals but rather complex people with various cultural and academic demands that need to be managed simultaneously. Based on the analysis, authorial presence, social investment and power relations directly affect how much students are willing to participate in academic writing activities at different levels of behaviour, emotion and cognition. In addition, this paper also proposes some practical teaching strategies that promote the construction of an all-inclusive learning environment, such as translanguaging, culturally sensitive feedback, and dialogic teaching. In the end, the study believes that recognising and honouring the various identities of multilingual learners will foster a sense of belonging and drive them to learn better in higher education.