Survey: Writing Teacher Identity Dissertation Research Study

Good afternoon,

My name is Maria Vint, and I am a doctoral candidate within the Composition and Applied Linguistics program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. I am conducting a study as part of my dissertation and am currently looking for participants.
The study focuses on understanding teacher identity and how pivotal moments in one’s life influence what, where, and how teachers teach. Specifically, using a qualitative approach with life-history and phenomenological characteristics, I will explore the lived experiences of college writing instructors who were once basic writing students in their undergraduate educations.
Please see the participant criteria below:

1. Participant must teach, or have taught, college writing (including: first-year writing, composition and rhetoric, basic writing, writing in the disciplines, business writing, and/or technical writing) at a two- or four-year higher education institution, technical school, and/or adult developmental education program, AND
2. Participant must have taught these courses for a minimum of five years, AND
3. Participant must have been enrolled in at least one basic writing class during their undergraduate coursework. (A “basic writing class” may include single- or multi-semester credit bearing or non-credit developmental, basic, remedial, and/or preparatory writing classes; and pre-requisite or co-requisite stretch, studio, jumbo, accelerated learning programs, and/or self-directed courses.)

If you choose to participate, you will be asked to:

1. Engage in one (1) in-depth interview where we will discuss your experiences and create a life-history timeline. Here, you will share reflections on key moments in your personal, academic, and professional journey that have shaped your teaching practice.
2. Complete reflective journal entries.
3. Meet for a final exit interview.

The estimated time commitment is approximately 3-4 hours over the course of several weeks (a single 60–90-minute interview, two 20–30-minute reflective journal entries, and a final 20–30-minute exit interview). All interviews will take place via Zoom. Your participation is completely voluntary. All data collected will be kept confidential and used solely for academic purposes.
Your insights would provide invaluable contributions to the research in the following areas of focus: teacher identity, writing teacher identity, composition studies, and basic writing studies.
Thank you for considering this opportunity to share your story and contribute to the scholarship. If you are interested in being part of this study, please complete the kthbc.
Sincerely,
Maria Vint
This project has been approved by the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects (Phone (724) 357-7730).