Negotiating Local Identity in EFL Reading Classrooms: Reflection through Critical Dialogue and Social Issues
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Abstract
Locality and identity play a crucial role in reading practices. In this study, we explored how Thai students in a culturally diverse EFL reading classroom negotiated their local identities through critical dialogue engaged in social issues. To examine this interplay, we investigated how critical dialogue practices influenced students’ reflection on locality and identity in reading. The participants of this study were 30 EFL English major students enrolled in a fundamental reading and writing course at a public university in Northeastern Thailand. We collected qualitative data from the participants’ reflective journals, teachers’ field notes, and interviews, and analyzed them using analytic induction and thematic analysis. Findings reveal that the participants actively negotiated their identities through their locality in reading practices and expressed their thoughts in relation to linguistic, religious, and sociocultural experiences. The findings indicate that the participants negotiated, presented, and affirmed their identities through reading practices by actively engaging in reflective discourse. Our findings suggest that students’ locality and identity could establish connections between texts and lived experiences, and subsequently foster their confidence in self-expression. All the findings consequently highlight the vital role of critical dialogue in EFL reading practices, and the significance of locality and identity that shape student engagement.
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