The discursive construction of authorial voice and disciplinarity through citation: when educational research and applied language research articles intersect with decoloniality

Date
2020-12
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis aims to investigate the ways in which disciplinary knowledge, convention, canonisation, and authorial voice are constructed in Educational Research (ER) and Applied Linguistics and Language Studies (ALS) Research Articles (RA). This will be done in the context of when ALS and ER RAs intersect with Decolonial theory and praxis in response to recent and ongoing ‘#Fallist’ student movements in South Africa. Citation practices have frequently been discussed in the broader context of academic writing and has now become the focus of research in and of itself (For examples see Thompson and Ye 1991; Thomas and Hawes 1994a; Thomas and Hawes 1994b; Buckingham & Neville 1997: 52; Hyland 1999; Hyland 2008; Hyland & Jiang 2019; Peng 2019). Three different types of citation analyses were used to analyse the data. The first two focused on in-text citation practice and the third was a bibliographical quantification. These three methods allowed for a close analysis of citation practice across the data set. Citation presentation type and citation language form patterns across the data mirror those found in other studies for the ‘soft sciences’. High rates of direct quotation and relatively high rates of integral citation suggest an acknowledgement of the role of human agency in the production of knowledge. While both disciplines show high levels of reference to university and governmental policy, and the prominence of language and education literature, ER incorporates more literature often onsidered seminal in the ‘Decolonial canon’. Conversely, ALS seems to rely heavily on theories of multilingualism, specifically translanguaging, when they explicitly address Decoloniality in education. Ultimately, the data shows the importance of recognising both authorial agency and the constraints in which writers operate when constructing authorial voice and navigating disciplinary boundaries. In terms of voice, to discursively construct an authorial voice, a writer must create explicit and rhetorically significant intertextual linkages by negotiating self-representation through the constraints and conventions of their context. In terms of disciplinary construction, writers must make choices about which communities to align with and the degree to which they conform or resist these conventions (Hyland 2008). Writers working in academic contact zones, such as those created when many disciplinary traditions meet and sometimes clash, need to create and implement innovative and novel ways to negotiate rhetorical boundaries.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis het ten doel om die maniere waarop dissiplinêre kennis, konvensie, kanonisering en outoristiese stem gekonstrueer word, te ondersoek in Opvoedkundige Navorsing (ER) en Toegepaste Linguistiek en Taalstudie (ALS) Navorsingsartikels (RA). Dit sal gedoen word in die konteks van wanneer ALS en ER RAs met dekoloniale teorie en praktyk oorvleuel in reaksie op onlangse en deurlopende '#Fallist' studentebewegings in Suid-Afrika. Verwysingspraktyke word gereeld bespreek in die breër konteks van akademiese skryfwerk en het nou die spesifieke fokuspunt van navorsing op sigself geword (Vir voorbeelde kyk Thompson and Ye 1991; Thomas and Hawes 1994a; Thomas and Hawes 1994b; Buckingham & Neville 1997 : 52; Hyland 1999; Hyland 2008; Hyland & Jiang 2019; Peng 2019). Drie verskillende tipes aanhalingsanalises is gebruik om die data te ontleed. Die eerste twee het op die aanhalingspraktyk in die teks gefokus, en die derde was 'n bibliografiese kwantifisering. Hierdie drie metodes het 'n noue ontleding van die aanhalingspraktyk oor die datastel moontlik gemaak. Aanhalingsprestasietipe en aanhalingstaal vorm patrone oor die dataspieël wat in ander studies vir die 'sagte wetenskappe' gevind word. Hoë koerse van direkte aanhalings en relatief hoë koerse van integrale aanhaling dui op die erkenning van die rol van menslike agentskap in die produksie van kennis. Alhoewel beide vakgebiede hoë vlakke van verwysing na universiteits-en regeringsbeleid toon, en die prominensie van literatuur op die grensvlak van taal en onderwys duidelik toon, bevat ER meer literatuur wat dikwels as seminaal in die 'dekoloniale kanon' beskou word. Omgekeerd, lyk dit asof ALS baie steun op teorieë oor meertaligheid, spesifiek transtaling (translanguaging) wanneer hulle dekonialiteit in die onderwys eksplisiet aanspreek. Uiteindelik is die belangrikheid daarvan om erkenning te gee aan sowel die outoriteitsagentskap as die beperkinge waarin skrywers werk wanneer hulle outoriale stem konstrueer en dissiplinêre grense navigeer. Wat stem betref, om 'n outoristiese stem diskursief te konstrueer, moet 'n skrywer eksplisiete en retories beduidende intertekstuele skakels skep deur selfverteenwoordiging te onderhandel deur die beperkinge en konvensies van hul konteks. Wat dissiplinêre konstruksie betref, moet skrywers keuses maak oor watter gemeenskappe hul hulself mee belyn, en die mate waarin hulle ooreenstem met hierdie konvensies (Hyland 2008). Skrywers wat in akademiese kontakgebiede werk, soos dié wat geskep word wanneer baie dissiplinêre tradisies ontmoet en soms bots, moet innoverende en nuwe maniere skep om retoriese grense te onderhandel.
Description
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2020.
Keywords
Language policy, Sociolinguistics, Discourse analysis, Social sciences -- Methodology, Citation analysis, Education -- Research -- Study and teaching, Language and languages -- Study and teaching, Applied linguistics -- Methodology, Translanguaging (Linguistics), UCTD
Citation