Perspective taking in second language academic reading: A longitudinal study of international students' reading practices

Abstract

Perspective taking as the ability to project norms and values of the target academic community is said to be the hallmark of a good learner. While this argument finds some support in the research on writing, little is, however, known about how perspective taking manifests in reading. This longitudinal ethnographic study explores the perspective taking of four international students studying for their one-year Master's degree in a British university and aims to understand how international students orient to the perspectives of their target academic communities. Multiple data collection methods were employed to understand students' perspective taking, such as students' diaries, interviews with students and their lecturers, and the analysis of materials. The findings of the study demonstrate that, while all the students expended constant efforts to understand the norms of their new reading communities, their extent of audience consideration and their perceived accuracy in interpreting these norms differed. The implications of these findings for English for academic purposes tutors and subject specialists are discussed.