ORIENTATING EMERGING SCHOLARS IN THE LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPE: TOWARDS EARLY RESEARCH IDENTITY FORMATION

Abstract

The aim of the this article is to examine a workshop model designed to broaden postgraduate students’ understanding of the contemporary linguistic landscape and to support the early stages of research identity formation. The session introduced students to major linguistic subfields, guided them through analytical work with authentic publication titles, and encouraged them to articulate their own preliminary research interests.

Methodology. The workshop followed a six-stage, task-based design combining conceptual input, collaborative problem-solving, and reflective individual output. Activities included acronym decoding, clustering of disciplinary terminology, guided exploration of linguistic subfields, analysis of genuine research titles, examination of publication venues via QR codes, and drafting initial research questions. Interaction patterns moved from individual to pair and whole-class modes. Observations of student engagement and responses served as the basis for reflective analysis.

Scientific novelty. The study proposes an introductory pedagogical model that integrates disciplinary mapping, authentic research examples, academic literacies development, and early publication literacy to foster research identity formation in MA students. The approach highlights how personal and academic experience can be used to model a coherent research trajectory and demonstrates the value of guided exposure to real publication contexts in TEFL-oriented programmes.

Conclusions. The intervention expanded students’ awareness of linguistic subfields, improved their ability to relate research titles to disciplinary domains, and familiarised them with a journal scope, publication expectations, and elements of academic literacies. Students formulated tentative research questions, indicating the workshop’s potential to initiate research engagement. Limitations include the one-off format and lack of formal data collection. Future work may involve longitudinal tracking, adaptation to diverse contexts, and integration into academic literacy curricula.