Search results for "Discourse Analysis"

Language ideologies about learning historical minority languages : Hungarian in Romania and Swedish in Finland

2015

University Autonomy, Agenda Setting and the Construction of Agency : the case of the European University Association in the European Higher Education…

2014

This article analyses the ways in which a policy actor constructs its agency through the production of knowledge. Taking the example of the concept of ‘autonomy’ as constructed in the discourse of the European University Association (EUA), the article draws on the theory of discursive framing and agenda setting, as well as on Meyer and Jepperson's heuristic of agentic actors, to show how the practice of knowledge production can shape the European higher education policy. The article offers a contribution to the debate aiming to develop a more critical perspective on the development of the European Higher Education Area, which sees the process as constituted through the activities of, and t…

Making the case for policy : persuasiveness in higher education, science and technology policy discourse

2015

Policy texts present problems, propose solutions to those problems and persuade multiple audiences of the legitimacy of the proposed problems and solutions. The rhetorical analysis of two decades of higher education and science and technology discourse in Finland, Germany, UK, Portugal and USA highlights the discursive elements that contribute to persuasiveness of policy, construe it as rational and logical, and create a sense of urgency in bringing it about. I argue that the analytical and hortatory registers of policy discourse foreground competitive and hierarchical relations of countries and their higher education systems. By construing certain state of affairs and courses of action as …

Negotiating female judoka identities in Greece : A Foucauldian discourse analysis

2015

Abstract Objectives The objectives of this paper are to trace the discourses through which female Greek judokas articulate their sporting experiences and to explore how they construct their identities through the negotiation of sociocultural beliefs and gender stereotypes. Design This article is based on interview data from a larger ethnographic research with women judo athletes, grounded in a cultural praxis framework. Method Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted during fieldwork in Greece. Interview data were analyzed drawing on a Foucauldian approach to discourse analysis. Results We identified four concepts—biology, gender, femininity, and judo/sport—that were central to unearth…

Similar and equal relationships? Negotiating bisexuality in an enduring relationship

2015

In the public debate in Finland, same-sex couples’ right to legal recognition is routinely defended by stressing their sameness to heterosexual couples within the discourse of romantic love. This article explores how bisexual women and their partners use these discourses. The five couple interviews were analyzed by implementing discourse analysis. The results highlight how, when taking positions within the discourse of the enduring couple relationship, the interviewees drew on the discourse of romantic love. Woman’s bisexuality disappeared easily in this talk. Although it seemed effortless at first sight, negotiations and affective tensions arose when the interviewees tried to fit their re…

Teacher educators amid conflicting demands : tensions between individual and organizational development

2012

It’s Not Only What You Say, But How You Say It : Investigating the Potential of Prosodic Analysis as a Method to Study Teacher’s Talk

2018

In this study, we introduce new insights into prosodic analyses as an emerging method to study what happens in classrooms interactions. We claim that the prosodic aspects (features of speech such as intonation, volume and pace) of talk are important, but under-represented in the learning sciences. These prosodic aspects may be used to complement, intensify or even reverse the linguistic content of speech. Thus far, most research on classrooms has focused on the content (what is said) rather than on understanding the meaning of the prosodic features (how it is said) of talk. In this study, we introduce prosodic analyses as a method to study classroom discussions. Our exploratory experiment f…

Contents and functions of dramatizations in team decision making

2017

This study examines the contents and functions of dramatizations in natural team decision making. Theoretically, the study employs symbolic convergence theory to understand decision making as a complex phenomenon constructed in symbolic communication. Observational meeting data and thematic interview data from an autonomous team in Finland were analyzed. A fantasy theme analysis and an inductive, rhetorical discourse analysis revealed three rhetorical visions and seven functions of dramatizations in the team’s decision making. Visions represented social, righteous, and pragmatic master analogues. The functions of dramatizations were legitimizing independent and current decisions, reinforci…

Creating the Consumer girl : A Study of Consumerism in Seventeen Magazine

2010

 Kriittisen diskurssianalyysin perusajatuksen mukaan kieli ei vain heijasta todellisuutta vaan myös rakentaa sitä. Kielenkäytöllä voidaan siis katsoa olevan valtaa ihmisten uskomusten, arvojen ja tietämyksen määrittelyssä. Samanlaista valtaa on myös medialla, jota feministinen mediatutkimus tutkii stereotyyppisiä ja normalisoivia sukupuolikäsityksiä rakentavana sukupuoliteknologiana . Usein median vallankäyttö tapahtuu juuri kielenkäytön kautta. Kun tietyt puhetavat eli diskurssit toistuvat mediassa tarpeeksi usein, muokkaavat ne myös yleisiä mielipiteitä. Hyvä esimerkki sukupuoliteknologiana toimivasta mediasta ovat naistenlehdet, jotka rakentavat rajattua ja usein kulutuskeskeistä kuvaa n…

The Use of Multimodal Resources by Technical Managers and Their Peers in Meetings Using English as the Business Lingua Franca

2020

Background: Engineers increasingly work and advance their careers in international business settings. As technical managers, they need management and technical skills when working with different stakeholders with whom they may not share a common first language. Studies have revealed that informal oral communication skills are of prime importance for global engineers who face challenges in building shared meaning and formulating clear messages in meetings with non-native speakers of English. This article proposes that studying the use of multimodal resources (spoken language, gaze, gestures, and objects) in meetings can unpack how work tasks are accomplished in business through different com…