Critical language awareness through advocacy: Disrupting deficit discourse through simulation in L2 writing teacher education

Second language specialists are often called on to advocate for multilingual learners (MLs), particularly in response to deficit views of MLs’ writing. Such advocacy necessitates critical language awareness (CLA) in regard to issues of equity, power, and ideology that intersect with the lives of MLs on a daily basis. However, little is known about how advocacy interactions actually occur in real time. To document advocacy-related discourse, our study explores an innovative virtual simulation approach in which participants discuss ML writing samples with a teacher-colleague (in the form of an avatar) who is extremely focused on “errors” and employs deficit-oriented discourses about ML student work. Focusing on discursive approaches and footings, we documented how 42 English as a Second Language endorsement candidates engaged with this simulation and leveraged (or not) critical language awareness in their advocacy efforts. We identified three main approaches participants took up in these interactions: (1) conceptual, (2) strategic, and (3) developmental. We illustrate these approaches through case studies of three focal participants, documenting how CLA can be operationalized across different approaches to ML writing advocacy.