The Influence of Iranian EFL IELTS Candidates’ Identity Processing Styles on their Oral Versions of Personal Experience

This study aimed at discovering the influence of identity processing style on personal experience narratives of Iranian IELTS candidates in terms of the narrative structure used in oral narratives. For this purpose, 10 Iranian IELTS candidates’ oral narratives were collected orally and analyzed. Personal narratives were examined in terms of Labov’s (1972) narrative categories, and then compared between 2 groups based on Berzonsky’s identity processing style ISI 5. The findings of the study suggested that there were some differences in narrative structures based on identity processing style of the members of each group. The personal experience narratives of diffuse-avoidant members seemed to have more “evaluation” while normative members seemed to have used more “complicating action”. With respect to the obtained results, this study points to the fact that instructors and educators, can take advantage of identity surveys to construct improved learning opportunities. Test developers, on the same token, can use identity surveys to form a more comprehensive interpretive argument which can producerelatively more plausible interpretations. This assists test users, in turn, to take more appropriate and fare decisions.