Blending Humanistic and Rhetorical Analysis to Locate Gendered Dimensions of Kenyan Medical Practitioner Attitudes About Cancer

Chapter 1: What Are We Really Teaching? Revisiting Technical and Professional Communication�s Pedagogical Training

“…I am also making an organizational shift from the previous category-based approach to a now thematic review. In answer to my second research question about "lessons learned," three themes emerged from the substantive reflections found in Agboka (2014), N. , Longo (2014), Mara and Mara (2018), Rose andWalton et al (2015). Those themes are lessons learned about localization, adaptation, and reflexivity.…”

“…His article shared some study complexities, including an "awakening" to understand that Kenyan cancer statistics were compiled in ways other than what had been assumed, the "surprising differences" in how different audiences read similar information, and the decision to "take greater care" in understanding his participants' perceptions (Mara, 2017, p. 51). Andrew Mara was involved in a second Kenya-based study along with Miriam Mara, and outcomes of Mara (2017) may have helped revise the research design for Mara and Mara (2018), discussed below.…”

“…Relationships take time to build, and cross-cultural relationships can require significant commitment because they bridge differences in worldviews and values. For example, Mara and Mara (2018) spent 11 months over a five-year period learning the language, observing local contexts, growing a network of contexts, developing localized subject matter expertise, studying literary works, and learning about the local culture. Many researchers do not have the resources for such investments, however (see Rose & Racadio, 2017, pp.…”

“…Adapting can mean changes to interview questions and method protocols (N. Jones, 2014, p. 31;Rose & Racadio, 2017, p. 17) and/or the "power distribution [being] flipped" and a complete revision of post-research results dissemination in the host location (Walton et al, 2015, p. 61). Rather than in-situ amendments, adaptation may be an anticipated part of the project-planning process, as Mara and Mara (2018) demonstrated when they kept their "interview protocol and survey deliberately broad" (p. 100). They also allowed time at their Kenyan locations to get to know the location, then drew interview participants from "personal connections, community member suggestions, and in-person requests at health care facilities" (Mara & Mara, 2018, p. 102).…”

Chapter 6: Technical Communication Reimagined Through a Socio-Technical Problem-Solving Lens

“…His article shared some study complexities, including an "awakening" to understand that Kenyan cancer statistics were compiled in ways other than what had been assumed, the "surprising differences" in how different audiences read similar information, and the decision to "take greater care" in understanding his participants' perceptions (Mara, 2017, p. 51). Andrew Mara was involved in a second Kenya-based study along with Miriam Mara, and outcomes of Mara (2017) may have helped revise the research design for Mara and Mara (2018), discussed below.…”