Fostering agency and identity through digital production: a critical pedagogy case study in the university writing classroom

Abstract Digital technologies are now fully incorporated into English Language Teaching (ELT). Yet, research in this area has largely emphasized their technical and instructional value for improving language skills, paying comparatively little attention to their potential to cultivate learners’ critical awareness or influence identity construction. This study responds to that limitation by examining the use of a critical digital pedagogy in a university-level advanced writing course. Framed as a qualitative case study, the research explores students’ experiences of this instructional approach and investigates how multimodal digital production enables them to construct, negotiate, and communicate their identities. Over one academic semester, data were gathered from twelve participants through semi-structured interviews, examination of student-produced digital texts (including blogs, video essays, and podcasts), and the instructor’s reflective journal. Thematic analysis generated four central insights: (1) students moved from receptive roles toward becoming active and critical creators of meaning; (2) they developed stronger capacities to assess, question, and navigate digital sources; (3) their multimodal projects became spaces for expressing personal and cultural identities; and (4) they demonstrated growing awareness of the risks and ethical obligations connected to sharing authentic voices in public digital spaces. The findings indicate that critical digital pedagogy extends beyond improving language competence. It supports development of literacies necessary for contemporary civic participation and offers meaningful opportunities for identity formation in a second language. The article concludes with practical implications for ELT professionals, illustrating how technology can be integrated to promote deeper, more transformative learning experiences rather than merely serving functional instructional purposes.