Evidence supporting Swales' definition of a discourse community
The concept of a discourse community has become quite relevant in
academic contexts and it is through a thorough understanding of what
it entails that there can be improvement in any academic field. Johns
(1990) and Swales (1990) provide a comprehensive definition:
A discourse community is
composed of a minimum number of expert members and a frequently
larger number of apprentice members who operate on the basis of
implicit and explicit public goals... their members develop and use
systems of speech and writing that are sometimes quite specific to a
particular community’s needs and goals. We often find participatory
mechanisms used by community members to transmit information and
feedback (e.g. meetings, publications, etc).
Johns (1990) & Swales
(1990); in Teaching ESL Composition defines a discourse community
In this paper, academic articles
will be analysed, in which there is evidence that supports this
definition. For instance, Kelly-Kleese (2001) noted that “through
community college scholarship, we can enhance our colleges'
reputations, bring prestige to our campuses and to our faculty [...]”
(para. 15) This is a clear example of a common goal,
since this group shares the same interests and they should achieve a
specific objective that will eventually be beneficial to all its
members.
Furthermore, as a result of the
participation in the discourse community, the group should gain a
higher level of knowledge.
Hoffman-Kipp, Artiles and Lopez Torres.(2003) highlight the
importance of improving members' expertise: “Teacher reflection is
an important contribution to the scholarship on teacher education and
development.” (Hoffman-Kipp, et al., 2003, para. 26) Kelly-Kleese
(2001) also pointed this out: “This kind of inquiry can lead to a
more thoughtful, qualitative understanding of the community college.
It may also provide faculty and administrators with a greater
understanding of the need for scholarship that has been generated
from within the community college discourse community.” (para. 15)
Swales (1990) mentions
participatory mechanisms
that provide members with information and feedback. Wenzlaff and
Weiseman (2004) aim at sharing their conclusions with their
community: “The findings of this study suggest that a cohort-based
graduate program that is personalized and responsive to teachers'
needs promotes meaningful learning and a sense of empowerment.”
(para. 52) The authors are writing to transmit these findings to the
community, thus raising the level of expertise of those who belong to
it.
As regards this transmission of information, which is essential for
Swales (1990), Wenzlaff and Wieseman (2004v) claims that “For the
learning to have long-standing impact, "teachers need teachers
to grow with" in a discourse community. “A discourse community
cannot exist in the absence of a collaborative culture and an
environment that supports risk-taking (McLaughlin & Talbert,
1993) and reflection.” (para. 53)
This
communication of information
takes place through community-specific genres,
and in this case the genre that defines the educational discourse
communities explored in this paper is the article, which is published
in journals, both in paper format and on-line.
A further characteristic of the
discourse community is that, in these articles highly
specialized terminology can be
found. It is expressed in form of abbreviations and acronyms which
are specific of the community. Hoffman-Kipp, et. al. (2003) use
abbreviations of school forms such as “K-12”; and Wenzlaff and
Wieseman (2004) refer to "NCATE standards" in connection to
university guidelines.
In conclusion, it is evident that Swales has provided us with a
detailed and comprehensive definition of a discourse community, in
which the members strive to establish a connection with their peers,
with the final aim of sharing knowledge that will improve their
organization and their academic level.
References
Hoffman-Kipp, P., Artiles, A. J., & Lopez Torres, L. (2003).
Beyond reflection: teacher learning as praxis. Theory into Practice
(Summer, 2003). Retrieved October 2007, from
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NQM/is_3_42/ai_108442653
Kelly-Kleese, C. (2001). Editor’s Choice: an open memo to community
college faculty and administrators. Community College Review (Summer,
2001). Retrieved October 2007, from
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HCZ/is_1_29/ai_77481463
Swales, J. M. (1990). Genre analysis: English in academic and
research settings. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Wenzlaff, T. L., & Wieseman, K. C. (2004). Teachers need teachers
to grow. Teacher Education Quarterly (Spring 2004). Retrieved October
2007, from
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3960/is_200404/ai_n9349405
