Becoming a writer: a longitudinal qualitative study of Saudi postgraduate students’ perceptions of writer identity at UK universities

Alsehri, B. (2026) Becoming a writer: a longitudinal qualitative study of Saudi postgraduate students’ perceptions of writer identity at UK universities. PhD thesis, University of Reading. doi: 10.48683/1926.00129756

Abstract/Summary

This study is a qualitative longitudinal study that aims to explores 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 the perspectives of Saudi postgraduate students regarding their disciplinary and authorial identity. To meet the study's objectives, I collected three written texts to elicit responses from writers during three semi-structured interviews with eight Saudi postgraduate students pursuing master's degrees in law, business, science, and linguistics in the UK. The aim of the inquiry was to explore the shifts in perspective and narrative of each novice writer over a one-year period. The study's findings indicate that writers' perceptions of their writing identity are changing, influenced by socio-cultural factors, interactions with others, and the emotions they experience during these interactions. This preliminary investigation enhances our understanding of how Saudi master's students perceive their writing 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 writing identity. Additionally, it contributes to our comprehension of theories related to writer identity research and emphasizes 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.

Item Type	Thesis (PhD)
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/129756
Identification Number/DOI	10.48683/1926.00129756
Divisions	Arts, Humanities and Social Science > School of Literature and Languages > English Language and Applied Linguistics
Date on Title Page	November 2024
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