Framing the Problem of Identity in Composition and TESOL Studies: A Sampler

Abstract

This article looks at how the intricate issue of identity has been addressed and framed in composition and TESOL studies (C&T). It reviews five articles and a book as a sampler to explore identity research in various contexts ranging from the problematic rise of identity in second-language acquisition (SLA) research in 1997, which represented a paradigm shift in SLA research, to other research dealing with second-language (L2) learners’ identity, identity in a teacher training program (i.e., identity of student teachers), and finally, teacher identity as a transformative pedagogy.