On the Relationship Between L2 Literacy (Reading and Writing) and Identity Processing Styles of Iranian Advanced EFL Learners

The present study investigated any probable relationship between theidentity processing styles and L2 literacy of advanced Persian EFL learners. Theparticipants included 160 (female = 109, male = 51) advanced EFL Iranian learners.The instruments used included a simulation of the TOEFL iBT test, measuring theparticipants’ L2 literacy-related proficiency, reading, and writing, and the identitystyle inventory (ISI-4), measuring the learners’ identity styles. The results indicatedthat identity processing style plays a role in L2 literacy-related proficiency. A smallpositive relationship among the informational processing style and L2 literacy andL2 writing was found, whereas normative style weakly and negatively correlatedwith these components, and none seem to be able to significantly predict the successor failure of an individual in terms of overall L2 literacy. With respect to theseresults, this study proffers integration of identity survey to the EFL educationalsystems in order to help educators and instructors teach L2 literacy-relatedproficiency more effectively.