Text and Identity among LEP Readers: A Phenomenological Study

Abstract

This study explores the learning process of 32 college students with limited English proficiency (LEP) and focuses on how students perceive and develop self identity, social identity, and global identity through reading one literary work in a freshmen English class. With the emphasis upon portraying the individual experiences and seeing through the eyes and minds of the beholders, this phenomenological study analyzed qualitative data to investigate how meanings were mediated and constructed through the interaction between the text and students. Drawn mainly from scripted cooperation (O'Donnell, 1999; Zuber, 1992), this study triangulated various qualitative data and yielded the following findings. First, even though LEP readers were withdrawn, vexed, and annoyed in the beginning of the reading process, they developed a better sense of self identity and social identity, but lacked the sense of global identity by comparing themselves with the characters in the literary work. Second, a beginners’ reader based on a movie story that stresses self-awareness can serve as an entry into readers’ lives. This research could be a springboard for researchers and educators interested in literature teaching. Possible limitations of the study and some pedagogical implications for LEP students are also discussed.