“I’m not a person that reads” - Identity Work, Adult Learners, and Educational (Dis)engagement

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Muffet

Identity is a prominent concept in Canadian education research. This study advances identity work by examining how adults present themselves as subjects within learning processes when reading self-help books. Using qualitative interviews with 134 adults who had recently read self-help texts about health, careers, or relationships, it analyzes motivations, goals, and attributed learning outcomes. Findings show that about half produced unsolicited identity talk, rhetorically embracing or distancing from the social role of the self-help reader.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages27

Reading Time1 h 8 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Conceptual framework for identity work

Research approach and findings

“I’m not a person that reads”: Identity Work, Adult Learners, and Educational (Dis)engagement Scott McLean University of Calgary Jaya Dixit University of Calgary Abstract The concept of identity has become prominent in the study of Canadian education. We further the understanding of identity by examining the ways through which adults present themselves as subjects in learning processes. We recruited 134 adults who had recently read self-help books pertaining to health, careers, or relationships, and conducted qualitative interviews that focused on the motivations, goals, and learning outcomes that they attributed to their reading. We found that, during the process of being interviewed about their self-help reading experience, roughly half of our interviewees engaged in unsolicited“identity talk”—rhetorically embracing or distancing themselves from the social role of the self-help reader. Our study provides three key contributions to the scholarship of education: a nuanced ethnographic description of the complex and diverse ways in which adult learners Canadian Journal of Education / Revue canadienne de l’éducation 41:4 (2018)©2018 Canadian Society for the Study of Education/ Société canadienne pour l’étude de l’éducation [www.cje-rce.ca](www.cje-rce.ca) position themselves as subjects in self-directed learning processes; an illustration of the theoretical utility and limitations of research focused on the identity work of individuals; and an exhortation to further research concerned with understanding the role of identity in processes of educational engagement/disengagement. Keywords: identity, self-help reading, agency, distancing, embracement Résumé Le concept d’identité est devenu important dans l’étude de l’éducation au Canada. Nous approfondissons la compréhension de l’identité en examinant les façons dont les adultesse présentent comme des sujets dans les processus d’apprentissage. Nous avons recruté 134 adultes qui avaient récemment lu des livres des livres d’auto-assistance sur la santé, les carrières ou les relations. Nous avons mené des entretiens qualitatifs axés sur les motivations, les objectifs et les résultats d’apprentissage qu’ils attribuaient à leur lecture. Nous avons constaté que, au cours du processus d’interview sur leur expérience d’auto-apprentissage, près de la moitié de ces personnes se livraient à des « conversations identitaires » non sollicitées—s’embrassant ou se distanciant, sur le plan rhétorique, du rôle social du lecteurd’auto-assistance. Notre étude fournit trois contributions clés à l’étude de l’éducation: une description ethnographique nuancée des façons complexes et diverses dont les apprenants adultes se positionnent comme sujets dans les processus d’apprentissage autodirigé; une illustration de l’utilité théorique et des limites de la recherche axée sur le travail identitairedes individus; et une exhortation à approfondir la recherche orientée vers la compréhension du rôle de l’identité dans les processus d’engagement / désengagement éducatif. Mots-clés : identité, lecture d’auto-assistance, agence, la distanciation, l’embrassement Acknowledgements The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions of graduate research assistants Kristin Atwood, Brandi Kapell, and Laurie Vermeylen. Research for this article was supported by a standard research grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (Grant No. 410-2011-0324) . Canadian Journal of Education / Revue canadienne de l’éducation 41:4 (2018) [www.cje-rce.ca](www.cje-rce.ca) Introduction In scholarship regarding education in Canada, identity has become a prominent concept. Since the year 2000, the Canadian Journal of Education has published numerous articles exploring connections between identities and educational processes, including studies of colonization and racism (Gebhard, 2017; St. Denis, 2007), gender (Rahm, Lachaîne,& Mathura, 2014; Wang, 2000), sexuality (Drazeno

FAQs

What does the study investigate about identity in education?

It examines how adults present themselves as subjects in learning processes, specifically through their experience of reading self-help books.

How was the research conducted?

Researchers recruited 134 adults who recently read self-help books on health, careers, or relationships and conducted qualitative interviews about motivations, goals, and learning outcomes.

What key finding relates to identity talk?

During interviews, roughly half of participants engaged in unsolicited identity talk, rhetorically embracing or distancing themselves from the social role of the self-help reader.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Muffet