Children’s sense of being a writer: Identity construction in second grade writers workshop

Abstract

Literacy activities in which children invest in and understand literacy creates spaces for them to construct their identity as readers/writers and build their personal theories of literacy. This study presents the identity construction of second grade students who identified as successful, average or struggling in their first time engagement with writing workshops. Writing as a process approach in which students practiced drafting, sharing, editing and publishing their pieces of writing were implemented during a year. 27 second grade students were interviewed at the end of the school year. Analysis of the data revealed that students conceptualized identity under four dimensions: (1) purposes of writing, (2) assumptions/views about writers/writing, (3) the process of writing, and (4) competence in writing. Involvement in the writing workshops influenced students’ identity as writers. Children’s perceptions of themselves also played a role in their engagement in literacy learning especially writing and identity construction.