International Students in First-Year Writing: A Journey Through Socio-Academic Space

By: Megan Siczek

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Synopsis: The book explores the journey of 10 international students to better understand their experiences at a U.S. educational institution and how they constructed and revealed these experiences in this particular socio-academic space. The study features a series of three interviews during the semester that the participants were enrolled in a mainstream first-year writing course; their stories not only capture their experiences but reveal inspiring stories that “give voice” to students outside the dominant cultural and linguistic community. This study raises questions about how to support international students: In what ways can it inform our practices and policies relative to the internationalization of education and the development of global perspectives and competencies? What does it reveal that could impact daily instruction of L2 writing, particularly when it comes to international students’ need to meet the expectations of “university-level writing” in U.S. institutions of higher education? On an individual level, what can we learn from these students and about ourselves as a result of our interactions?