Literacy, Signs and Identity: International English Learners' Multimodal Compositions Across Borders

By Huan Wang

Authored by Dr. Huan Wang, an expert in language and literacy education, this groundbreaking qualitative case study explores how international English language learners (ELLs) in a U.S. university Intensive English Program (IEP) engage with multimodal composing to articulate their language learning journeys. Through a series of ten workshop sessions, six multilingual participants from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds created multimodal texts combining words, images, colors, and spatial designs to narrate their English learning experiences both in their home countries and in the United States.

The study investigates three critical dimensions: how ELLs strategically select and integrate multimodal resources to express their experiences, how their evolving social and literate identities are represented through their compositions and self-descriptions, and their perceptions of using multimodal resources for self-expression. Drawing on social semiotic theory and sociocultural identity frameworks, the book reveals how multimodal composing offers powerful pathways for identity negotiation, creative expression, and academic literacy development.

Essential reading for language educators, literacy researchers, and program administrators seeking to understand and implement multimodal pedagogies for multilingual learners in the digital age.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GV18RY8B
• ISBN13: 9798901860366
• Release Date: March 2026
• Publisher: Chicago Academic Press
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.17 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"