Drawing upon the temporal notion of agency from both sociocultural and ecological perspectives, this study reports a cross-case analysis of narratives conducted to examine how three L2 writers exercised agency for identity construction to gain membership of their target Master's degree programs through statement of purposes (SOP) writing. It is found that the students' perceptions of SOP writing, self-identities and the available affordances rendered them capable of making choices about how to handle their writing, taking deliberate actions in the writing process, and producing desired outcomes, which in turn helped them generate new perceptions. Findings suggest that L2 writers' language improvement will ensue as a bonus when they are treated as agents seeking opportunities for personal development rather than as mere language learners.
Upper-caste Syrian Christian family histories variously comprise the reconstructions of popular beliefs; family and church genealogies claiming Brahminic and apostolic origins; biographies of prominent family members; discussions on the crisis of national and global migration; purity of race and blood; descriptions of relationships with other social groups; road maps and