The Composing Practices of First-Generation, Latinx Students Transitioning to College

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 8
  In Roundtable Session: Exploring Postsecondary Writing and Literacies

Abstract

As students transition to college, they face new writing and literacy challenges (Addison & McGee, 2010), and for first-generation and racially and linguistically minoritized students, these challenges can be compounded by conceptions of ‘college-level’ writing that fail to recognize the full range of students’ literacy practices and potential (Duncheon & Tierney, 2014; Inoue, 2015; Ishanti, 2006). This paper addresses these challenges by exploring how a group of eight, first-generation Latinx students mobilized their composing practices to navigate the shift from high school to college writing, drawing on data from an 18-month participatory, ethnographic study. Findings showed how these students used multimodal, reflective composing and drew upon their cultural resources to explore their own identity development as they became college writers.

Author

• Bethany Monea, University of Pennsylvania