Adult Learners- Discourse Analysis

Alex Kuck

4/12/12

Eng 3029

Research in Language in Literature

Dr. Chandler

                                                Adult Learners - Discourse Analysis

Discourse analysis by definition relates to language in its entirety.  Discourse is the overall performance of language.   It relates to communication of thought by words, talk and conversation.  Its communication connected to culture and identity.  Discourse analysis is also the way that language is used to create meaning.  When language is broken into parts, patterns can then be identified.  After this occurs relationships between the parts can also begin to be examined.  Discourse is something that one doesn’t realize occurs around them constantly.  Simple everyday acts such as talking to family and friends involve conversation.  The focus of my paper will show how in the adult learner’s transcript the dynamics of the language used changed immensely over the course of the transcript.  My paper will reiterate the subjects’ feelings toward technology; specifically computers, and how it was never considered that they could be used for educational purposes.  The researcher in this transcript is able to change the entire conversation by having the subject become more comfortable with the researcher.  This is an essential move in this transcript because it changes the dynamics of the language and sets up the framework for the relationship between the interviewer and the subject. 

            The lens that I found to be most evident was language.  The word choices between the researcher and the subject were crucial.  The researcher started with a straight forward question and I could tell that the subject was not quite comfortable.  The subject responds to the question with a lot of hesitation.  An example of this is as follows I guess that I thought that I couldn’t do it, I didn’t trust myself, I didn’t trust the computer, I was afraid.   The level of uncertainty was evident from this point and there seemed to be a slight awkwardness. The subject continued to use phrases such as “I guess” and “I didn’t”.  This reiterates the hesitation.   The subject has now said that they never thought that computers could be used in the education setting.  It wasn’t that she didn’t know that computers could be used, but never considered them for anything other than typing.  In relation to the math program that the subject had used, she admitted that she didn’t trust computers.  She was perfectly content with solving equations on her own and using a computer wasn’t the only way to figure out how to solve the problem at hand.   

At this point of the transcript was when the researcher wanted the subject to begin to recall personal memories in regards to the computer.  This was when the subject admitted she didn’t consider that computers could relate to education.  She didn’t think that it was necessary.  This was when the dynamics of the language between the researcher and the subject began to change.  The questions and the responses went back and forth a lot more and the subject became more comfortable with the researcher.  While the responses were longer they still seemed to be informal and were quite choppy.  An example of this is as follows:  It was different, and ah, it was a fun experience because the teacher was very good, very willing to work with us,…we learned about the history of computers, and then it was the actual hands on. The subject relayed to the researcher that the math program wasn’t essential to her because it was on the computer and she saw it as difficult. 

Excerpt two continued with the researcher giving positive reinforcement to the subject by saying what she had previously said was interesting and taking a genuine interest in what the subject has to say.  The conversation began to change.  As the subject became more comfortable with the researcher the answers that she gave became longer.  The subject now became more expressive and in detail with memories and personal accounts.  There was less hesitation but the subject was still clinging to her fears of computers.  She began to talk about her fears when she was typing.  What really freaked her put was if she typed something and then it disappeared.  She didn’t know what to do and then discovered the undo button.  These little things that she started to discover allowed her to become less fearful.  The researcher realized that the subject had now found a new sense of assurance.  This is when you could tell that the fear that the subject had was diminishing.  She began to recall the things that she learned in word.  These were things that she taught herself.  She realized that if she needed help all she had to do was ask for it.  The end of the transcript yielded results that I didn’t expect.  The subject began to realize that her fear was irrational.  What I found to be interesting was when the subject first talked about buying a computer.  This event was really what changed her view point on technology. It was something that her children used more than her but none the less kept her curious.  When she took a course at Middlesex County College that’s when her fears really started to subside.  When the subject gave her response she was very explanatory.  The language that she used was similar to that of what she had used throughout the transcript. She gave one long sentence with several breaks.  The sentences were still choppy and very indirect.  This course that she took was an internet course.  It was all computer based so she was forced to become comfortable. The internet course helped me to build up my confidence, because we had to do everything on the computer. She realized that computers had been around for awhile and with the creation of the internet any questions that one had about anything really could be looked up with a click of a button. 

            The language use between the researcher and the subject went back and forth a lot.  The researcher was the one that was in the most control in the beginning and in middle of the transcript.  The subject seemed unsure and had several hesitations.  As the interview progressed the subject was able to open up.  I think that this was because the subject became more comfortable with the researcher.  It can also be in part because the subject may have realized that her fear of the computers was something that wasn’t as scary as it needed to be.  There was a lot that she taught herself partly because she needed to and didn’t even realize it. 

            Another lens that comes in to play is micro perspective. The transcript was done in the style of an interview so there was known face to face interaction.  The interaction between the researcher and the subject grew and developed throughout the course of the interview. 

            In reading through the Discourse Analysis in Classrooms book I found that the essay from chapter three that related the most to the adult learner’s transcript was An Interactional Sociolinguistic Perspective on an Instructional Conversation: Talking Opportunities for literacy into being by Mandy Smith.  The entire transcript was based on the interaction between the researcher and the subject building throughout the transcript.  In her essay Smith defines three principals.  There were two out of the three that I found could be applied to the adult learners’ transcript.  The first principal was that based around reactions between two or more people.  She stated that how people act and react to each other tells how their specific interactions construct what they are doing, what it means, and who they are.  From the beginning you could tell that the researcher was the one who held the power.  The researcher was the one who asked the questions and the subject answered them almost painfully in the beginning.  It took awhile for the connection to form between the two.  With time throughout the transcript I could see that the language use had changed and the comfort level became a lot higher.  This is due to two contributing factors; the changing relationship between the researcher and the subject, and the subject material of the interview becoming easier. The responses went from pure hesitation and uncertainty to more complex and concrete responses.  The subject was able to address her fear of computers and come across the notion that computers could be used for literacy purposes and that her fear was somewhat irrational.  I think that she came to his realization in part due to the questions that the researcher asked.  This provoked her to think and to search her mind.

            The second principal from Smiths essay that I applied to the adult learners’ transcript was the idea that relationships are formed through connections that are made.  The relationship between the researcher and the subject changed throughout the transcript.  The researcher was the one who was most dominant and the subject was more passive.  As the questions became more in depth the researcher was able to ease the subject into addressing her fears of the computer.  They are able to relate to each other and make connections at certain points that form the grounds of familiarity.  When the subject begins to feel comfortable with the researcher is when she really opens up.  The researcher even says at some points that some of the things she said are interesting and provides numerous points of positive reinforcement which allows the subject to open up even more.

This transcript was an excellent example of discourse analysis.  The linguistics were powerful throughout the transcript and it was interesting to see the relationship between the researcher and the subject gradually build up.  In the beginning there was numerous hesitation and uncertainty and by the middle of the transcript it was pretty much gone.  The transcript was based on the communication between the researcher and the subject and as the comfort level of the subject rose, the researcher was able to get more solid responses to questions which yielded a better more concise interview.   Through my analysis of the adult learners’ transcript I was able to make a discovery.  I discovered that   the choices that one makes with words had a powerful impact on the person that one is carrying a conversation with.  Communication and the relationship that was formed between the two parties are two examples of what is part of discourse analysis and both of those items had a huge impact on the transcript.