On the outside looking in: Students' analyses of professional discourse communities

Ronald, Kate

doi:10.1080/07350198809388844

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Specialist knowledge mediated through specialist discourse (and genres) can be useful in helping non-specialists solve problems. But it can also be alienating and disenfranchising for them (Geisler, 1994;Ronald, 1988). The problem of student alienation by specialized discourse is especially evident in undergraduate general education courses in U.S. higher education.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

�Big Picture People Rarely Become Historians�: Genre Systems and the Contradictions of General Education

Russell

Yañez

2003

Writing Selves/Writing Societies: Research From Activity Perspectives

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This study synthesizes Y. Engeström's version of cultural historical activity theory and North American genre systems theory to explore the problem of specialized discourses in activities that involve non-specialists, in this case students in a university 'general education' course in Irish history struggling to write the genres of professional academic history. We trace the textual pathways (genre systems) that mediate between the activity systems (and motives) of specialist teachers and the activity systems (and motives) of non-specialist students. Specifically, we argue that the specialist/lay contradiction in U.S. general education is embedded in historical practices in the modern university, and manifested in alienation that students often experience through the writing requirements in general education courses. This historical contradiction also makes it difficult for instructors to make writing meaningful for non-specialists and go beyond fact-based, rote instruction to mediate higher-order learning through writing. However, our analysis of the Irish History course suggests this alienation may be overcome when students, with the help of their instructors, see the textual pathways (genre systems) of specialist discourse leading to useful knowledge/skill in their activity systems beyond the course as specialists in other fields or as citizens.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

�Big Picture People Rarely Become Historians�: Genre Systems and the Contradictions of General Education

Russell

Yañez

2003

Writing Selves/Writing Societies: Research From Activity Perspectives

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“…Situated cognition suggests that knowledge is made, not learned, and people create meaning together in what have often been called "discourse communities" (Bizzell, 1982b;Porter, 1986). Both approaches suggest that "readers and writers do not simply 'find' meaning... Blummer, 1999;Herrington, 1988;Hounsell, 1988;Prior, 1994;Rymer,1988) responded to the macro layer research published over the last two decades demonstrating the heterogeneity of academic discourse and the need for academic discourse to be learned within the context of disciplinary activities (i.e., Bazerman, 1981;Bazerman & Paradis, 1991;Bergmann, 1996;Blummer, 1999;Hounsell, 1988;Prior, 1994;Richardson, 1990;Ronald, 1988;Russell, 1997). .. .this is the humanities approach.…”

Section: Professionalization Of Compositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contradiction, constraint, and re-mediation: an activity analysis of FYC motives

Wardle

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This project started out small and quickly became too ambitious to carry out alone. Many people are responsible, in large and small ways, for the completion of the project. For this, I owe them a debt of gratitude and public acknowledgement. I thank my committee members, each of whom has served as an excellent professional role model: # Davwf jfw&rg#-who generously collaborated; tirelessly read draft after draft, commenting on some things and kindly leaving others for later (in order to help me retain my sanity); and taught me to withhold judgment. I simply could not ask for a better or more supportive mentor and colleague. » Dorof&y Wmaor-who enthusiastically supported me in my research and responded positively to the place I ended up. « MicAagf MgwkZfo»-who treated me like a colleague, found financial support for the project, and provided the best example of what a supervisor could be. # Mary ffwixz-who kindly allowed me the opportunity to serve on the Assessment Subcommittee and who gently provided much needed feedback about my surveys. # Do» Dowg&za-whose good humor, humility, and kind and encouraging remarks do not go unnoticed or appreciated. I express appreciation for the support of the Howard Shapiro, Corly Brooke, and Doug Gruenwald, who generously funded three years of assessment of linked English learning community courses, demonstrating their commitment to excellence and constant improvement. I gratefully thank my friends and colleagues who collected and coded data, read drafts of my work, brought me food, formatted my figures and headings, taught me how to get rater reliability, encouraged me to take up yoga, and patiently listened to me talk about this project for three years:

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“…I address the literature specifically regarding learning transfer in the following section. Significantly, even those studies addressing students' writing which have not featured internship or workplace situations have nevertheless been conducted primarily with upper-level undergraduate students (e.g., Faigley and Hansen, 1985;Freedman, Adam, and Smart, 1994;Herrington, 1985;Jolliffe and Brier, 1988;Ronald, 1988;Velez, 1995) or graduate students (e.g., Berkenkotter and Huckin, 1995;Blakeslee, 1997;Prior, 1998;Schryer, 1993).…”

Section: Writing-across-the-curriculum (Wac)avriting-m-the-disciplinementioning

confidence: 99%

Writing-across-the-curriculum in a linked course model for first-year students: an activity theory analysis

Harms

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On the outside looking in: Students' analyses of professional discourse communities

Cited by 7 publications

References 11 publications

�Big Picture People Rarely Become Historians�: Genre Systems and the Contradictions of General Education

�Big Picture People Rarely Become Historians�: Genre Systems and the Contradictions of General Education

Contradiction, constraint, and re-mediation: an activity analysis of FYC motives

Writing-across-the-curriculum in a linked course model for first-year students: an activity theory analysis

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