Identity texts in science for multilingual students: discovering resources with social semiotics

Abstract

This study examines how multilingual students (11-12 years) negotiate meaning in writing, drawing, and dialogues in science. Students use emotions, reflections, and experiences from areas other than school when given the opportunity to solve an open-ended task in science. Data consists of texts from three multilingual students and excerpts from co-generative dialogues collected over five months. Expressions of meaning in the students’ drawing, writing, and oral explanations were analysed using a social semiotic framework. The findings illustrate how emotions and everyday experiences play a significant role in the students’ work to create meaning about science knowledge. Furthermore, the findings indicate that students engage through experiences from learning arenas other than school and that those have the potential to create curiosity and negotiation of identity, language, and subject knowledge. The study reflects upon how the aspects of social semiotic theory, identity, agency, and investment are intertwined with subject-specific knowledge when students negotiate meaning. One implication highlighted is the need for consciousness related to students’ different use of semiotic resources, and to encouraging multilingual students to use their semiotic resources. This implies a potential for students to develop science knowledge and teachers to identify their meaning-making process