‘Who am I?’: Exploring identity in online discussion forums

Identity became apparent as an important theme while investigating the role of interaction in the asynchronous discussion forums of an online post-graduate TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) education subject. Identity emerged through dialogic choices as students projected an impression of themselves, negotiated their positioning within the group, and established what was valued in this context. Without usual face-to-face meaning making cues, what students post to the forums carry the load of what they mean. Discourse analysis of the initial forums using systemic functional linguistics, provided insights into how identity was being constructed concurrently through interpersonal manoeuvring. This reveals a process of multiple identity construction, with the effect of perceived negative identity discussed. The impact of different tasks on identity formation is also considered.

► Identity is important for online learners: socioemotionally and cognitively.
► Negative identity impacts the level of dialogic engagement.
► Aligned identity increases motivation for participation and self-disclosure.
► Tasks can also serve identity-constructing and rapport-building purposes.
► Dialogue encourages opportunities for identity expression and knowledge construction.