Becoming A Writer: A Longitudinal Qualitative Study of Saudi Postgraduate Students’ Perceptions of Writer Identity at UK Universities

Abstract

This study is a qualitative longitudinal study that aims to explore how eight Saudi students perceive their identity as writers while completing their master's degrees at universities in the United Kingdom over the course of one year. Writing involves embodying a specific identity; therefore, it is crucial for Saudi students to develop a strong understanding of both disciplinary and authorial identity, which is essential for an academic writer. The primary focus of this study is on Saudi postgraduate students’ perceptions of disciplinary and authorial identity. To meet the study's objectives, I collected three written texts to elicit responses during three semi-structured interviews with eight Saudi postgraduate students pursuing master's degrees in law, business, science, and linguistics in the UK. The inquiry aimed to explore the shifts in perspective and narrative of each novice writer over one year. The study's findings indicate that writers' perceptions of their writer identity are changing over time, influenced by sociocultural factors, interactions, and the emotions they experience during these interactions. This preliminary investigation enhances our understanding of how Saudi master's students perceive their writer identity as novice writers in their respective disciplines in the UK. It underscores the need for clear and specific instructions to improve their awareness and understanding of writer identity. Additionally, it contributes to our comprehension of theories related to writer identity research and emphasises the importance of contextual and interactional factors in shaping perceptions of writer's identity. Furthermore, it demonstrates how longitudinal qualitative methods could aid in exploring changes in writers' perceptions of their identity over time, highlighting the need for future research to investigate factors influencing these shifts.