EAL and L1 English-speaking postgraduate students’ conceptions of English academic writing: a comparative metaphor analysis

Abstract Despite intensive research on English academic writing, few studies compare how English-as-a-first-language (L1) and English-as-an-additional-language (EAL) writers conceptualise the task rather than simply perform it. Addressing this gap, this study surveyed 458 UK postgraduate students (258 EAL, 200 L1) from eight research-led universities using a Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) prompt (“Academic writing is like…because…”) and followed up with 45 metaphor-checking interviews. Inductive coding of metaphor entries generated four overarching themes. Two revealed clear language-group contrasts: EAL writers framed difficulty as external precision or gatekeeping, whereas L1 peers emphasised internal struggle and self-expression. The other two themes – an affective arc from struggle to catharsis and a constructive blueprint of building, crafting, and journeying – were strikingly similar across groups. These patterns extend CMT by showing how positionality in Anglophone knowledge networks shapes source-domain choice, yet also corroborate academic-literacies claims that cognitive, rhetorical, and emotional demands transcend native-speaker status. The study thus offers an integrated lens for theorising academic-writing cognition and lays a conceptual foundation for more equitable support strategies.