Multimodal representation and the making of knowledge : a social semiotic excavation of learning sites

This research is concerned with the construction of knowledge as evidenced in the multimodal representations of students. In the spirit of an archaeological excavation it seeks to uncover evidence of that which can not be seen; of learning. It provides systematic classification and analysis of multimodal texts retrieved from secondary school science and history lessons. By conducting this analysis and accounting for the conditions of representation that stimulate learning it also demonstrates the instrumentality of representational activity in the making of knowledge.\ud Applying social semiotic theory to textual artefacts from the two sites, a new methodology is utilised to expose evidence of learning. This methodology is derived from theories of social semiotics (Halliday, 1978 and Hodge and Kress, 1988) and multimodality (Kress and van Leeuwen, 1996). It is based on a conception of learning as a process in which the status and identity of the individual are changed. It is informed by, amongst others, Bernstein (1996) - in relation to the socialising of individuals through systems of education and by Vygotsky (1962) - in relation to the shaping of consciousness.\ud The thesis consists of the description and demonstration of new methods for multimodal analysis of students' representational activity. The technique used for the presentation of data is tracking semiosis and for analysis process charting and mode mapping. Together these methods expose changes arising from the reconfigurations, transformations and transductions undertaken by students engaged in representational activity. In so doing, new directions are offered for the orientation of education practices in the face of rapidly changing patterns of communication. The efficacy of learning in multiple modes is also established and groundwork laid for fresh approaches to assessment. \u

The accessibility of science instructions to Jamaican students

The debates about the importance of the sociocultural and sociolinguistic influences that affect science textbooks and classroom instructions have been the focus of much attention by theorists and constructivist thinkers for many decades. Such debates are particularly salient in the context of Jamaica, where the language of instruction is Jamaican Standard English (JSE) and many of the students are first language speakers of Jamaican Creole (JC). Against a background of the Creole-speaking environment in Jamaica, this research investigates the circumstances in which Jamaican bilingual science learners might be at an advantage or at a disadvantage in understanding science instructions. Participants were selected from five school types in Jamaica: junior high, private, technical, traditional and upgraded secondary. Data concerning students’ and teachers’ attitudes and opinions were collected through interviews and questionnaires. More detailed linguistic information was collected through Cloze procedures, discussion tasks and a social semiotic analysis of the textbook studied. A wide literature was reviewed concerning the structure of scientific language, the Jamaican linguistic situation and school science textbooks. The findings provided evidence for four main assertions which arose from the research. First, the findings raised some salient considerations in terms of the extent to which science textbooks and classroom instructions are accessible, especially to students in the junior high, technical high and upgraded high schools. Secondly, even students who were proficient in JSE and were learning science in English experienced difficulties in dealing with the specialist vocabulary and in coping with the language demands and assumptions made by science teachers and writers of curriculum materials. Thirdly, the results provided substantial evidence which suggested that teachers and students held ambivalent attitudes to language use in science classrooms across the five school types investigated in the study. Fourthly, teachers and students were united in the belief that the language of science instructions posed significant barriers to the learning of science

Discourses, Modes, Media and Meaning in an Era of Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of our everyday lives – from the political to the economic to the social. Using a multimodal discourse analysis approach, this dynamic collection examines various discourses, modes and media in circulation during the early stages of the pandemic, and how these have impacted our daily lives in terms of the various meanings they express. Examples include how national and international news organisations communicate important information about the virus and the crisis, the public’s reactions to such communications, the resultant (counter-)discourses as manifested in social media posts and memes, as well as the impact social distancing policies and mobility restrictions have had on people’s communication and interaction practices. The book offers a synoptic view of how the pandemic was communicated, represented and (re-)contextualised across different spheres, and ultimately hopes to help account for the significant changes we are continuing to witness in our everyday lives as the pandemic unfolds. This volume will appeal primarily to scholars in the field of (multimodal) discourse analysis. It will also be of interest to researchers and graduate students in other fields whose work focuses on the use of multimodal artefacts for communication and meaning making

Discourses, Modes, Media and Meaning in an Era of Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of our everyday lives – from the political to the economic to the social. Using a multimodal discourse analysis approach, this dynamic collection examines various discourses, modes and media in circulation during the early stages of the pandemic, and how these have impacted our daily lives in terms of the various meanings they express. Examples include how national and international news organisations communicate important information about the virus and the crisis, the public’s reactions to such communications, the resultant (counter-)discourses as manifested in social media posts and memes, as well as the impact social distancing policies and mobility restrictions have had on people’s communication and interaction practices. The book offers a synoptic view of how the pandemic was communicated, represented and (re-)contextualised across different spheres, and ultimately hopes to help account for the significant changes we are continuing to witness in our everyday lives as the pandemic unfolds. This volume will appeal primarily to scholars in the field of (multimodal) discourse analysis. It will also be of interest to researchers and graduate students in other fields whose work focuses on the use of multimodal artefacts for communication and meaning making

A critial evaluation on the concept of justice in planning process-judicial oversight: The Balçova and Narlıdere cases

Thesis (Doctoral)--Izmir Institute of Technology, City and Regional Planning, Izmir, 2005Includes bibliographical references (leaves: 199-202)Text in English; Abstract: Turkish and English.xii, 224 leavesThis thesis aims at scrutinizing what is meant by the concept of justice and the ways the concept is being referred to in urban planning practice in Turkey. Aimed as such, the due analysis involves examination of how the concept is taken into consideration and defined by different actors taking part in urban planning process of our country. The basic data underlying the considerations based on not only the conceptual discussions, but also the planning practice will comprise different demands concerning the urban space and the cases of lawsuit under control of adjudication as reflections of these demands upon the process of planning. The questions to which this study based on .justice. in the urban system and the planning discipline are to be answered can be listed as follows: Which concepts, which ideals, which discourses and methods are used during the process of distribution mechanism in the economic realm, law system and judicial process? How are the basic concepts of justice, namely equality, interest, right and liberty used in defining and encountering the urban social needs in these processes? Do the achieved results involve any targeted ends that can be called as just? In order to elucidate the understanding and demands of justice, conceptual information pertaining to the concept of justice is required. For this reason, study focuses on theories of justice and elaborates the fundamental points of concepts, theories and their reflection on the state regulations. Regarding an assessment of the Turkish practice, overall assessments are held as based on cases of lawsuit under control of adjudication. The cases of lawsuit are assumed to represent matters of conflict/dispute and spatial demands of actors regarding the urban space. Accepted as such, the spatial disputes will be elaborated on basis of the matters of case study area in emphasis

Literacy for digital futures : Mind, body, text

The unprecedented rate of global, technological, and societal change calls for a radical, new understanding of literacy. This book offers a nuanced framework for making sense of literacy by addressing knowledge as contextualised, embodied, multimodal, and digitally mediated. In today’s world of technological breakthroughs, social shifts, and rapid changes to the educational landscape, literacy can no longer be understood through established curriculum and static text structures. To prepare teachers, scholars, and researchers for the digital future, the book is organised around three themes – Mind and Materiality; Body and Senses; and Texts and Digital Semiotics – to shape readers’ understanding of literacy. Opening up new interdisciplinary themes, Mills, Unsworth, and Scholes confront emerging issues for next-generation digital literacy practices. The volume helps new and established researchers rethink dynamic changes in the materiality of texts and their implications for the mind and body, and features recommendations for educational and professional practice

The question of Pakistan's national identity : a study of Islamist and Secularist narratives

Pakistan has been grappling with the question of its national identity since its establishment in August 1947. Pakistan was created as a result of an immense political movement based on the two-nation theory. Since its creation, the question of Pakistan’s future national identity has been the central debate in the country. Following the Objectives Resolution in 1949, Pakistan’s National Assembly established that sovereignty belongs to God and that the principles of democracy, equality, tolerance, freedom, and social justice shall be fully observed as “enunciated by Islam”. Moreover, Muslims shall be enabled to order their lives individually and collectively according to the Holy Qur’an and the Sunna. Minority groups can profess and practise their religions and develop their cultures freely. Further, Pakistan became an ‘Islamic Republic’ on 23 March 1956, 16 years after the Lahore Resolution in 1940 called for a sovereign, independent homeland for Indian Muslims. However, the notion of an ‘Islamic Republic’ has created a debate between Islamists and secularists regarding what Pakistan should be and what it actually is. Therefore, this research aims to identify why Pakistan was created, what national identity means for Pakistan’s national discourse, and what challenges are associated with Pakistan’s national identity formation. This thesis argues that Pakistan’s national identity is Islamic and not secular. This is based on three facts: subcontinental Muslim Nationalism; Jinnah’s Islamic national paradigm; and Pakistan’s Islamic-based constitution. In an attempt to develop this argument, this study addresses the main research question: “How do Islamists and secularists define and interpret Pakistan’s national identity in light of Pakistan’s colonial history and the events surrounding its creation?”. This study uses a qualitative approach employing semi-structured interviews and secondary data from official documents and Jinnah’s speeches to investigate the research problem, which is the crisis of Pakistan’s national identity. This qualitative research approach helps to understand Muslim nationalism in the subcontinent and the reason for partition, particularly Pakistan’s national identity. This research finds that Pakistan’s national identity is predominantly Islamic and not secular. The findings of this study also clarify that Islam has been the definitive source of Pakistan’s national identity and legitimacy since the independence movement and its creation in August 1947. All of Pakistan’s constitutions (1958, 1962, and 1973) purify Pakistan’s Islamic identity. However, at the same time, Pakistan faces disorientation regarding its national identity and a persistent conflict with multiple ethnic identities

Analysis of visual images in examples of ‘encountered’ science communication

Visual images are often used in science communication activities and events for different purposes and in different contexts. However, there is limited research on this area and the decision made for choosing a visual image often relies on common sense or the personal judgement of a science communicator. Previous studies have highlighted potential effects with respect to a specific visual image property. This research aims to expand on existing research by examining visual images and their accompanying written texts utilised in ‘encountered’ science communication events. A case study approach was adopted to examine selected examples occurring within the years 2014-2018. The analysis is based on discourse analysis of the visual image and accompanying written texts which scrutinises the construction of an intended concept or ideology. The analyses of exemplified cases demonstrate several relationships between a visual image and accompanying elements to express an ideology. As such, there are four distinct, though occasionally overlapping, ways accompanying elements contribute to a visual image namely identification, expansion, implication, and reinforcement. The case studies then serve as the basis for synthesising the research findings in a science communication context. The findings indicate that a visual image or series of visual images can increase the opportunity for initial engagement through large physical size or occupied space, colour and brightness, recognisable elements, and the coherence with other collaborative visual images. It may also prolong the initial attention by being part of a series or continuation, displaying aspects of relevance or applicability, resonating with emotions, and being intriguing or challenging with respect to the interpretation. With regards to achieving learning outcomes, textual/verbal information is often required for the audience to process scientific knowledge relevant to the images. The interdependent combination of visual and textual/verbal information may enable the promotion of an attitude/value or ideological standpoint. Meanwhile, the use of a visual image can provide enjoyment or inspiration, as well as support the improvement of visual skills by default. These findings are summarised as a guide for science communication practitioners to use in the selection of visual images. In addition, there is a suggestion that the use of a visual image analysis framework could be a useful tool for a science communicator in selecting visual images for use in science communication

Metaphor and mathematics

Traditionally, mathematics and metaphor have been thought of as disparate: the former rigorous, objective, universal, eternal, and fundamental; the latter imprecise, derivative, nearly - if not patently - false, and therefore of merely aesthetic value, at best. A growing amount of contemporary scholarship argues that both of these characterizations are flawed. This dissertation shows that there are important connexions between mathematics and metaphor that benefit our understanding of both. A historically structured overview of traditional theories of metaphor reveals it to be a notion that is complicated, controversial, and inadequately understood; this motivates a non-traditional approach. Paradigmatically shifting the locus of metaphor from the linguistic to the conceptual - as George Lakoff, Mark Johnson, and many other contemporary metaphor scholars do - overcomes problems plaguing traditional theories and promisingly advances our understanding of both metaphor and of concepts. It is argued that conceptual metaphor plays a key role in explaining how mathematics is grounded, and simultaneously provides a mechanism for reconciling and integrating the strengths of traditional theories of mathematics usually understood as mutually incompatible. Conversely, it is shown that metaphor can be usefully and consistently understood in terms of mathematics. However, instead of developing a rigorous mathematical model of metaphor, the unorthodox approach of applying mathematical concepts metaphorically is defended