Identity, Language and Culture: Six Frames

Asking a group of educational researchers to conceptualise the relationship between identity, language and culture is guaranteed to stir up some stimulating and challenging discussions. This paper explains how and why a group of researchers came together to collaboratively prepare a one-page theme statement for the purpose of articulating the ways in which concepts of identity, language and culture inform their approach to educational research. A qualitative research approach, informed by constructivist grounded theory (Charmaz, 2006) has been used to analyse five theme statements prepared individually and collaboratively to construct six ‘research frames’, on the ‘identity, language and culture’ (ILC) research theme. These frames were constructed and evaluated in light of their usefulness as entry points for research students, enabling them to identify with, gain access to, and navigate the range of discourses on identity, language and culture promoted by a group of researchers. The findings explore how broad conceptual frames can be used to identify and problematise the mechanisms used by researchers to establish the entry points and boundary markers of their specialised and ostensibly discrete domains of knowledge.