Relationship Between L2 Writing and Identity Negotiation

This study aimed to check the impact of study-abroad experience on the identity change of the participants as they write in L2 (English). The participants were separated into groups A and B, based on their study-abroad experience. Each participant was told to write an essay in two different languages (Korean and English), and the two essays were compared by the researcher. The data was analyzed with regard to: Frequency of “I,” frequency of “we,” and omission of the subject. Sixty percent of group A (3 participants) used a greater frequency of “I”s in their English writing than they did in their Korean writing; whereas, 40 % of group B (2 participants) used a greater frequency of “I”s in their English writing than they did in their Korean writing. While no participants from group B omitted the subject in their English writing, one participant from group A omitted the subject in her English writing to reinforce her opinion by using imperative sentences. All participants frequently omitted the subject in their Korean writing. As a result, while all participants exhibited change of identity, participants in group A experienced stronger change of identity than participants in group B did.