Voice and narrative in L1 writing

Authors

  • Ellen Krogh
  • Anke Piekut

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17239/L1ESLL-2015.15.01.10

Keywords:

Bildung, narrative, transition from lower secondary to upper secondary school, voice, writer identity

Abstract

This paper investigates issues of voice and narrative in L1 writing. Three branches of research are initially discussed: research on narratives as resources for identity work, research on writer identity and voice as an essential aspect of identity, and research on Bildung in L1 writing.

Subsequently, two empirical investigations of L1 writing in a Danish upper secondary school are presented. The first study is based on longitudinal interview data and analyses one student's experience as an L1 writer in the transition from lower secondary to upper school. A high-achieving student in lower secondary L1, she found that her previous writing strategies were not rewarded in upper secondary school. In the second empirical study, two upper-secondary exam papers are investigated, with a focus on their approaches to exam genres and their use of narrative resources to address issues of voice and identity. In the first paper, the student writer is provoked by the text material to attempt a private narrative. In the second paper, the student provides a personal narrative framework for his argumentation. In conclusion, this paper argues that empirical cases document a need for explicit training of voice and narratives as a resource for academic writing, and that the Bildung potential of L1 writing is tied to this issue.

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Published

2015-09-03

How to Cite

Krogh, E., & Piekut, A. (2015). Voice and narrative in L1 writing. L1-Educational Studies in Language and Literature, 15(3), 1–41. https://doi.org/10.17239/L1ESLL-2015.15.01.10