Significatif, Válido, Unido: Learning about the Meaningful Writing of Multilingual Students in Community College
Date of Award
Spring 2026
Abstract
AbstractWhen is writing meaningful to students in higher education? This study provides missing and much needed student insight into the meaningful writing experiences of multilingual writers in community college. Following up on The Meaningful Writing Project (Eodice et al., 2016), which examined the meaningful writing identified by university students, the findings in this study present the voices of multilingual student writers in a public community college in northeastern United States. Ranging in age from 18 to 38, these students represent cultures and languages from around the world, including Ukraine, Turkey, and Burkina Faso. Drawing upon a practitioner-scholar perspective, the qualitative methodology included questionnaires, interviews with focal participants, and student writing. Conducted under the societal pressure of language less-than, anti-immigrant attitudes in current U.S. political and social landscapes, the study examines the writing experiences of linguistically diverse students within the first year writing course of a community college. Research findings illustrate that their meaningful writing offers multilingual students visibility to their peers, instructors, and communities; validation of their experiences and values; and a demonstrated, embodied writer identity that propels them on their academic and professional journeys, motivating them to push through walls of language and cultural exclusion. The study adds to the literature of Writing Studies and of higher education and invites researchers to acknowledge multilingual community college students, to listen to their voices, and to read their writing.
Document Type
Dissertation
First Advisor
Christina Ortmeier-Hooper
Second Advisor
Cristy Beemer
Third Advisor
Soo Hyon Kim
Department or Program
English
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Recommended Citation
DeCiccio, Ann, "Significatif, Válido, Unido: Learning about the Meaningful Writing of Multilingual Students in Community College" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations. 3018.
https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation/3018