Reader identity: a case study of Korean graduate students’ meaning construction of an L2 literary text

Abstract

Grounded in constructivist theories of reading and informed by the contemporary theories of identity, this study explored how three Korean adult speakers of English as a foreign language (EFL) constructed meaning of the novel The Catcher in the Rye, and how their identities mediated this process. Sources of data included think aloud protocols, semi-structured interviews and participant written responses. Qualitative data analysis revealed how the participants’ multiple identities at individual and group levels prominently emerged as they constructed a storyline that was internally and externally coherent. Based on the findings, we propose that the concept of the ‘L2 reader identity’ is useful for capturing the intricacies of the identity work of readers who construct meanings at the intersection of languages and cultures. The study concludes that the reading processes that L2 readers engage in are not only the site of their multiple identities at work, but also a site where multiple competing concepts of the world meet, clash, transform and coexist resulting in narratives that cross cultures, contexts and individuals. Limitations and implications of the study for L2 research and pedagogy are discussed.