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Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 16. Number 4, December 2025 Pp.438-453
School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics
Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
This study examines the construction of writer identity among undergraduate English language students, comparing Jordanian students at the University of Jordan with their counterparts at San Diego State University. Through a methodology based on multi-method analysis, the overall importance of the research lies in analysing student essays written in two different educational contexts. Discourse-based interviews complement the tools to achieve the goal of this comparative design, which is to clarify and explore the impact of various educational contexts and international experience on the construction of academic writer identity among English as a second/foreign language students. The study employs a results-based method that examines students’ linguistic choices in their academic essays to investigate the impact of the rhetorical features used on the construction of their written identity. The results also reveal subtle differences in writing strategies, as shown by the greater use of first-person pronouns among Jordanian students. On the other hand, San Diego State University students show increased linguistic development, including more structured discussions with clear topic sentences and supporting details. The study concludes that there is a positive and significant relationship between international educational experience and the development of some aspects of academic writer identity.
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Amani Salman is a PhD candidate at the Australian National University. She is studying linguistics at the School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics. She had a master’s in applied linguistics (Discourse Analysis) with a particular interest in cross-cultural perspectives of authorial presence in English academic texts. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9461-0510