This edited book, the first of its kind in the field of applied linguistics, offers a refreshing and unique exploration of how personal experiences shape academic journeys. Through engaging autoethnographic inquiries, each chapter sheds light on the complex factors influencing doctoral students' decisions on dissertation topics. This collection provides deep insights into the interplay between identity, experience, and academic research, making it an essential read for anyone interested in the human aspects of applied linguistics. This book is a must-read for doctoral students, doctoral advisors, and anyone interested in doctoral studies, offering valuable perspectives on the how, what, and why of choosing dissertation topics in applied linguistics.
Contributors are: Farah Ali, Anna Becker, Jaione Diaz Mazquiaran, Xuewei He, Ufuk Keleş, Akiko Kiyota, Justyna Legutko, Angel Merchant, Valéria Schörghofer-Queiroz, Marc Tamarit-Galdón, and Ethan Trinh.
Luis Javier Pentón Herrera, Ph.D., is the 2024 TESOL Teacher of the Year, Professor (Profesor uczelni, in Polish) at Akademia Ekonomiczno-Humanistyczna w Warszawie, Poland, and the Co-Editor of
Tapestry: A Multimedia Journal for Teachers and English Learners.
Foreword
Farah Ali List of Figures and Tables
Notes on Contributors
1 Opening the Dialogue: An Autoethnographic Account of Choosing My Dissertation Topic in Applied Linguistics
Luis Javier Pentón Herrera
2 The Influence of Educational and Professional Experiences on Writing a Doctoral Research Proposal in Educational Linguistics: An Autoethnographic Study
Justyna Legutko
3 The Autoethnographer, or, There and Back Again: Revisiting My Decision to Write an Autoethnographic Dissertation
Ufuk Keles
4 More than a Researcher: (Re)Constructing Identities through the Research Process
Valéria Schörghofer-Queiroz
5 Researcher Identity and the Formation of an Analytical Lens in Applied Linguistics: An Autoethnographic Exploration
Akiko Kiyota
6 My Dissertation as an Assemblage of Identities, Motivations, and Experiences
Anna Becker
7 Bihotzean Dagoena, PdD-ra Irten: An Autoethnographic Account of My Journey as an International Researcher in the Antipodes Choosing a Dissertation Topic in Applied Linguistics
Jaione Diaz Mazquiaran
8 Navigating Imposter Syndrome as an NNEST: My Journey in Choosing My Dissertation Topic
Xuewei He
9 Interpreting to Survive: An Autoethnographic Account of Child Language Brokering during My Dissertation
Marc Tamarit-Galdón
10 My UAE-Nique Story: Navigating Dubai’s Cultural Landscape as a Third Culture Student
Angel Merchant
Afterword: Dissertationing as Unapologetically Embodied Queer Experiences
Ethan Trinh
Index
This book is ideal for academic institutes, libraries, specialists, and postgraduate students in applied linguistics. It is particularly relevant for those interested in doctoral studies, dissertation topic selection, and the interplay of identity and research.