From an Outsider to a Marginal Member： The Academic Literacy Narrative of a University English Lec.docVIP

From an Outsider to a Marginal Member： The Academic Literacy Narrative of a University English Lec 　　【Abstract】This academic literacy narrative reports a Chinese university English lecturer’s experience in a major university in Singapore as an academic writer. It details the struggles that the author experienced as well as the linguistic and non-linguistic problems he faced， with a focus on the transformation of the author from a novice academic writer and outsider of academic community before going overseas to a confident academic writer and a peripheral member of a community of practice a year later through participatory practice. 　　【Key words】academic writing； participatory practice； narrative 　　【摘要】本文?蟾孀髡咴谛录悠铝粞?期间作为一名学术英语写作者的身份嬗变经历。作为学术英语的新手到一个陌生的全英语的学术写作环境，作者面临着诸多语言及语言外的问题和困难。本文记录了从作者从出国前的学术话语共同体的局外人到通过参与式实践成为一名自信的学术写作者和学术社团边缘成员的心路历程。 　　【关键词】学术写作 参与式实践 叙事 　　I. Introduction 　　“Do you consider yourself a good writer？” I tossed back this question to our writing pedagogy course lecturer who asked us the same question at the beginning of my postgraduate degree program in a major Singaporean university in August 2014. It was not my intention to embarrass the professor， who holds a PhD in academic writing from a prestigious university in England， but was just out of my curiosity. However， on retrospection， it perhaps should be viewed as a way of seeking consolation from an authority figure， whom I looked up to as a full member of academic discourse community and would confess to not being a good writer， then I would feel that I was not the only lousy writer in this world. This is because， as a second language user， I did not have much confidence in writing， let alone academic writing， the main reason being having received little instruction and training in academic writing in the Chinese education system， just as reported by the Chinese student Fei studying in an Australian university （Morton， Storch， Thompson， 2015）. Despite having earned a Masters’ degree be