EAL and L1 English-speaking postgraduate students’ conceptions of English academic writing: a comparative metaphor analysis

Yan, Bing and Li, Mingyu (2025) EAL and L1 English-speaking postgraduate students’ conceptions of English academic writing: a comparative metaphor analysis. Applied Linguistics Review. ISSN 1868-6311

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Abstract

Despite intensive research on English academic writing, few studies compare how English-as-a-first-language (L1) and English-as-an-additional-language (EAL) writers conceptualise the task rather than simply perform it. Addressing this gap, this study surveyed 458 UK postgraduate students (258 EAL, 200 L1) from eight research-led universities using a Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) prompt (“Academic writing is like…because…”) and followed up with 45 metaphor-checking interviews. Inductive coding of metaphor entries generated four overarching themes. Two revealed clear language-group contrasts: EAL writers framed difficulty as external precision or gatekeeping, whereas L1 peers emphasised internal struggle and self-expression. The other two themes – an affective arc from struggle to catharsis and a constructive blueprint of building, crafting, and journeying – were strikingly similar across groups. These patterns extend CMT by showing how positionality in Anglophone knowledge networks shapes source-domain choice, yet also corroborate academic-literacies claims that cognitive, rhetorical, and emotional demands transcend native-speaker status. The study thus offers an integrated lens for theorising academic-writing cognition and lays a conceptual foundation for more equitable support strategies.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	From Crossref journal articles via Jisc Publications Router History: epub 15-12-2025; issued 15-12-2025.
SWORD Depositor:	JISC Router
Depositing User:	JISC Router
Date Deposited:	29 Jan 2026 12:35
Last Modified:	29 Jan 2026 12:35
URI:	https://bnu.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/20772

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