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Eastern Washington University

Social pressure to speak English and the effect of English language learning for ESL composition students in higher education

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

<p>"Current language policies are based on faulty notions of the historical and contemporary linguistic landscape of the U.S. However, simply because the student is studying in the U.S. at an English medium institution, does not necessarily indicate that the student plans on being a lifelong member of any English community of practice. Pressures on these students to converge to English occur because of the faulty notions that make the basis of current language policies. This study looks at the implications of the pressure to converge within two sections of an ESL composition course at a state university. The pressure to converge makes these students re-evaluate their linguistic priorities and can be demotivational to their language learning. Keeping in mind their imagined communities of practice, reducing the pressure to converge can make these students integratively motivated to learn and grant them access to the dominant discourse community."</p>

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Arts (MA) in English: Teaching English as a Second Language
Level thesis:degree_level
Thesis: EWU Only
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
English
Year
2013

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Duston, Trevor

Subjects

dc:subject × 6

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • Access perpetually restricted to EWU users with an active EWU NetID

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Repository record dc:identifier
https://dc.ewu.edu/theses/113
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:dc.ewu.edu:theses-1112

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Eastern Washington University
Base URL
dc.ewu.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Duston, Trevor. Social pressure to speak English and the effect of English language learning for ESL composition students in higher education. Thesis: EWU Only thesis, 2013. https://dc.ewu.edu/theses/113