Discusses Prince's (1992) reanalysis of the information status of noun phrases (NPs) into two cross-cutting distinctions, one between NPs denoting entities that are new or old with respect to the discourse and another between NPs denoting entities that, in the speaker's estimation, are new or old with respect to the addressee. (Nine references)…

Investigates how discursive practices in a physics class were constrained by social forces associated with the larger context. Reports that in addition to constructivism, belief sets that shaped the enacted curriculum related to time, content coverage, and examinations. Provides examples of students accepting the viability of scientific claims…

Investigates whether the locus of persuasion of the metaphor "A is B" lies in the valence of B, as widely assumed, or in the valence of the metaphor ground, what A and B share. Indicates that global affect toward B does not transfer onto A and that metaphorical persuasion is a distinct process meriting further investigation. (SR)

Using conversation analysis, examines one sequence of interaction during the closing stage of a business negotiation in English among four speakers--three native Mandarin speakers who speak fluent English and one native British English speaker. Attempts to reveal how their cultural beliefs and values inform their conversational styles. Notion of…

Explores narratives about teacher work articulated through representations of substitute teachers, using this representation to render visible assumptions governing boundaries of professionalism. The article discusses professional teachers as constructed in educational reform; images of substitute teachers (incompetent, unqualified, deviant…

T.S. Eliot's "Four Quartets" articulates a view of lifelong learning as a process of grappling with questions about identity and existence. This contrasts with the dominant policy discourse of lifelong learning as a straightforward task of acquiring government-sanctioned skills, knowledge, and attitudes. (Contains 44 references.) (SK)

Addresses a situation in which a foreign student wrote an extremely homophobic message to a class mailing list--advocating the death penalty for homosexuals, something which is "a practice common in his homeland." Engages in a less triumphal reading of the episode with the homophobic student, then explicates the controversies over…

Uses the lens of postcolonial theory to reflect on the author's uses of a varied series of writing pedagogies in cross-cultural classrooms at an international college. Suggests that a pedagogy constructed against the backdrop of postcolonial theory might provide both students and their teacher in such a cross-cultural setting with a more complex…

A management course included a qualitative research module in which a panel of three faculty researchers demonstrated their methods (interpretive, grounded theory, and critical discourse analysis) using an interview transcript. Class discussion and a 6-month follow-up focus group indicated the module demystified data analysis and illustrated…

Presents three connected essays that use the idea of genre to study discourse communities. Examines several contexts of language exchange in which the use of genre theory may yield insight into teaching, research, and social interaction: legal practice, medical practice, and classrooms. Suggests how genre analysis contributes to the use of…

Presents the opportunity to continue and enhance the dialogue about ways to research and understand children's discourse during science activities and inquiry processes by opening a window onto a variety of techniques, methods, and approaches to the analysis of one short discussion between several elementary students. (Author/MVL)

In a 1950s Portuguese journal for high school teachers, their professional image was depicted variously as artisan, professional, and intellectual. The climate in 1950s Portugal presented political and ideological constraints to the assertion of teacher professionalism. (Contains 18 references.) (SK)

Focus groups of 19 graduate social work students viewed two episodes of "The Golden Girls." Students had differing opinions on whether the program reinforced or challenged social stereotypes about older women. The need for positive media portrayals and for media literacy was identified. (Contains 46 references.) (SK)

Notes how the author usually limits her instructional role to that of facilitator, focusing on methods more than on specific content, but occasionally she feels compelled to take a more proactive approach, to guide the students toward one reading of a text. Considers that teaching Willa Cather's 1905 short story "Paul's Case" as a piece…

Presents a critical discourse analysis of two Committee on Special Education meetings for one middle school girl. Drawing on 2 years of ethnographic data, the study demonstrates that the second-year meeting was wrought with contradictions. Suggests the need to look to institutional discourses and cases of subjective experiences in order to…