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Virginia Community College System
Expressive writing; identity formation; learning the university; composition; student agency
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Do The Verb. Become The Noun: Writing Towards A New Identity, Mary K. Tedrow
Do The Verb. Become The Noun: Writing Towards A New Identity, Mary K. Tedrow
Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges
Abstract
The initial composition course in the community college has the potential to be a transformative space for the identity formation of adult learners towards the linguistic signifier of scholar. Freshman students of variable ages enter a new culture which demands the negotiation of an alternative academic language, an adaptation to the post-secondary culture, and the development of the critical thinking required for academic work. All of these factors can destabilize identity as students confront long-held beliefs and biases in their studies (Bartholomae, 1985; Tingle, 2004; Bracher, 2006). Students who are unable to adapt to the new environment are …