"I Will Find My Way": A case study of multilingual students developing their aspirational identities

This thesis reports the results of a qualitative case study of multilingual students at a large public university as they develop and enact their aspirational identities. The study seeks to understand the focal students’ hopes for the future, called here aspirational identities, and how these impact their investment in university coursework. It also addresses how students develop their aspirational identities by exercising agency and what factors influence their perceptions of opportunities for agency. Data sources include a survey and two in-depth interviews. These data sources are analyzed together using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Drawing from the study participants’ experiences during their first year at the university, suggestions are made for writing program administration (WPA), with a particular focus on WPA work with diverse and underrepresented student populations, as well as for research and teaching.