The main goal of this research was to better understand how L2 learners

participate and negotiate membership in their new classroom communities. The

analysis and interpretation of the data was guided by the following sets of
questions, which were developed based on the theoretical framework as well as
on the current data collection and analysis.
A major strength of this study is the qualitative (or ethnographic) approach
used, which consists of multiple case studies to gain an in-depth and holistic
understanding of students' lived experiences and perspectives.
Students who participated in the study reported weekly on the classes they
attended and their participation in them. They reported data on one to three
courses per semester via email, in person or by phone. A total of 283 reports on
16 were collected. Second, three series of formal interviews with students were
conducted. Third, there is observation of some subjects that students attended
weekly throughout the academic year (59 lessons in 5 courses; 151 hours of
observation in total). I served in a "peripheral member role" (Adler & Adler,
1994, p. 380) as a participant observer; that is, I established classroom
membership by attending class each week, observing and interacting with
others, but I did not participate in classroom activities.

The analysis showed that the main challenge for students was to negotiate
discourses, competence, identity and power relations in such a way that they
could participate and be recognized as legitimate and competent members of a
particular classroom community.
In this article, I focus on the negotiations of competence and identity that
emerged as central to students' classroom experiences throughout the
curriculum. The COP understands competence as an established capability-
ability that is valued by the COP.

Also one of the important advantages was that these identities could change:
The same students could participate in different ways and negotiate different
identities in different classroom contexts or in similar contexts over time.
Another important advantage is that students tried to shape their own learning
and participation by being personally active and actively discussing their roles
or positions in their classroom communities.
Many students sought support from teachers by talking to them face-to-face
outside of the classroom. Notably, in addition to seeking advice, some students
asked their teacher to address their needs as L2 speakers or international
students.
But also, sometimes there were difficulties, and this is a big minus, students
resisted in different ways when they felt that others marginalized, silenced or
imposed certain roles or identities on them.