Comments from the Classroom: A Case Study of a Generation-1.5 Student in a University IEP and Beyond

This case study examines the patterns of participation of one US-educated refugee student in a university intensive English program (IEP). Specifically, I illustrate how the focal student used her advanced oral proficiency and prior experience with US educational norms and practices to engage in various interactional behaviours, such as shifting participation structures, taking an active role in classroom management, and positioning herself as more knowledgeable than her peers. Using observational and interview data, I demonstrate that such behaviours resulted in teachers' constructions of this student as ‘highly engaged and motivated’ despite their assessment of her written work as ‘poor-to-average.’ Finally, I link this student's behaviours to classroom performance outcomes and show that although her ‘good student’ behaviours enabled her to complete her high school and university ESL programs successfully, those behaviours - and her highly advanced oral proficiency - were ultimately insufficient to ensure her academic success beyond the IEP.