Dynamic Becomings in the Transition to University : Experiences of Non-traditional Students across Contexts and Writing Practices

Montes, Soledad and Tusting, Karin (2024) Dynamic Becomings in the Transition to University : Experiences of Non-traditional Students across Contexts and Writing Practices. Revista Latinoamericana de Estudios de la Escritura, 1 (1). pp. 78-98.

Abstract

This study explores the experiences of 11 students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds as they transition from school to university. Relying on data from 40 interviews, we utilize Deleuze and Guattari’s concept of becoming to comprehend students’ navigation of different contexts, writing practices, and identities. Our results show that students experience dynamic and multilayered becomings and non-linear transitions as they combine diverse roles and engage in writing practices across domains and timescales. We also found that school students engage in diverse non-academic writing practices, but this narrows down in university as they focus on academic writing demands. However, they use their prior non-academic writing experiences to cope with academic writing at university. These findings challenge deficit discourses about marginalized students' writing and linear views on transition. Based on the data, we suggest strategies to support students in their transition to university.