4. Discourse Analysis

I found an interesting study, a discourse analysis of Korean EFL learner's written narratives. Here the written narratives of these English learners held themes that are unique to aspects of Korean culture and distinct use of rhetoric. This was a comparative study that compared native English speakers narratives to that of Korean English leaners' narratives.

• They used a narrative linguistic model developed by McCabe. I am not familiar with his work and will look into his research and literature to better understand my topic. 

• My central focus is motivation and if personal narratives or dialogue journals create ELL motivation to write. I would also like to propose a secondary question that will address if  there are specific culturally and structurally categories that emerge from the narratives.

• I think this would be difficult to evaluate. I could possibly ask the student characteristics of his/her native language and see if these themes emerge. However, if my student has limited English proficiency then it will be difficult to voice native language and culture details and aspects in writing. Instead, I may focus more on the emergence of personal identity  growth and cultural aspects and how the journal writing helps these factors and thus increases motivation.

Kang, J. (2006). Producing culturally appropriate narratives in English as a foreign language: A discourse analysis of Korean EFL learners’ written narratives. Narrative Inquiry, 16(2), 379-407.
Read: Kang(2006)