Talk and action as discourse in UN military observer course:routines and practices of navigation

Abstract This chapter examines navigation and navigational routines as social and interactional activities in patrolling exercises in United Nations military observer (UNMO) training, showing how navigating is more than getting from point A to point B. The data come from two multinational MO courses where English is used as working language and lingua franca. By using navigation as an entry point to examine talk and interaction in patrol vehicles, this chapter illustrates how collaborative practices are created through performance of individual actions and their reiteration. Successful navigation provides anticipatory information for the team related to their route and position that can be used as a tool for making and reporting observations, and verbalises the location, thereby creating shared situational awareness. Navigation is also important for safety. The study offers insights on social and interactional activity in teamwork and the impact that team members’ actions have on collaborative work. The results can be utilised to further develop MO training, but they also benefit other simulated and practice-based training

Practices of promoting and progressing multinational collaborative work:interaction in UN military observer training

Abstract This dissertation examines collaborative work and the ways it can be promoted and progressed in a context novel for interaction research: multinational military observer training. The dissertation consists of a summary and three original articles that focus on participants’ practices of “doing patrolling”, that is, how participants in military observer training collaborate and coordinate their actions to accomplish a mutual goal and how individual practices they employ advance their overall project of patrolling. By using video recordings and ethnographic observations from naturally occurring interactions in military observer training and employing the methods of ethnomethodology and multimodal conversation analysis, the dissertation analyses and describes some constitutive elements and practices of successful collaborative work. The study, thus, aims to present a deep and multidimensional view of collaborative work and to conceptualise some of the practices that can be used in and as part of it. The study also illustrates how the examination of a complex, multi-level activity as well as of a highly specialised institutional setting can benefit from a multi-method and multidimensional approach. The dissertation explores interactional phenomena during military observer training, with a special focus on what takes place in between the action points of training, when "nothing is going on". The first article illustrates the routines and practices of navigation and shows how navigational talk builds the foundation for patrolling work. The second article explores negotiating trouble during radio-mediated communication, showing how troubles are solved in situ in the patrolling vehicle. The third article investigates the use of questions to advance courses of action, displaying the participants’ orientation to each other’s assigned and assumed roles. The dissertation shows that collaborative work is indeed work done together, not work divided among the participants, and establishes that it can be advanced with various, sometimes complex, and subtle means. The examined practices show the participants’ multi-layered orientation to their mutual work, but also their orientation to taskwork and teamwork. The findings are relevant to the crisis management training community and can be used to further develop training.Tiivistelmä Väitöskirjassani tarkastelen yhteistyön vahvistamisen ja edistämisen tapoja vuorovaikutustutkimukselle uudessa kontekstissa, monikansallisessa sotilastarkkailijakoulutuksessa. Väitöskirja koostuu yhteenveto-osasta sekä kolmesta alkuperäisestä tutkimusartikkelista, jotka keskittyvät siihen, miten osallistujat ”tekevät partiointia”, eli miten osallistujat sotilastarkkailijakoulutuksessa tekevät yhteistyötä ja koordinoivat toimintaansa yhteisen päämäärän saavuttamiseksi ja miten yksittäiset käytänteet edistävät partiointia kokonaisuutena. Aineisto koostuu sotilastarkkailijakoulutuksessa tapahtuvien luonnollisten vuorovaikutustilanteiden videotallenteista ja etnografisista havainnoista. Etnometodologian ja multimodaalisen keskustelunanalyysin menetelmiä käyttäen kuvaan ja analysoin tutkimuksessani joitakin onnistuneen yhteistyön käytänteitä. Tutkimus pyrkii muodostamaan syvällisen ja moniulotteisen kuvan yhteistyöstä sekä käsitteellistää sitä edistäviä käytänteitä. Tutkimuksessani kuvaan myös monimenetelmällisen ja moniulotteisen lähestymistavan hyötyjä kompleksisen, monikerroksisen toiminnan sekä erikoistuneen, institutionaalisen kontekstin tutkimuksessa. Väitöskirja tarkastelee vuorovaikutusilmiöitä osana sotilastarkkailijakoulutusta, keskittyen erityisesti toimintakohtien välisiin hetkiin, kun ”mitään ei tapahdu”. Ensimmäinen artikkeli kuvaa navigoinnin perusrakennetta osana ajoneuvopartiointia ja osoittaa, miten navigointipuhe muodostaa perustan autopartioinnille. Toinen artikkeli tarkastelee radiovälitteiseen vuorovaikutukseen liittyvää neuvottelua ja näyttää miten ongelmia ratkaistaan partioautossa tilanteisesti. Kolmas artikkeli tutkii kysymysten käyttöä toiminnan ja toimintalinjojen edistämisessä, tehden näkyväksi osallistujien orientaation toistensa annettuihin ja omaksuttuihin rooleihin. Tutkimukseni näyttää, että yhteistyö todella on työtä, jota tehdään yhdessä, ei työtä, joka jaetaan osallistujien kesken. Tutkimus osoittaa, että yhteistyötä voidaan edistää monenlaisin – joskus monimutkaisin – ja hienovaraisin keinoin. Tarkastellut käytänteet osoittavat, että osallistujien orientoituminen yhteistyöhön on monikerroksista ja että he orientoituvat sekä tehtävään että ryhmän sisäisiin suhteisiin. Tutkimuksen löydökset ovat merkityksellisiä kriisinhallintakoulutusyhteisölle ja niitä voidaan hyödyntää koulutuksen kehittämisessä

The actualisation of the learning objective of information literacy in university studies:the case of English Philology at the University of Oulu

Information literacy, that is, the ability to identify, locate, evaluate, and use information effectively (ALA, 1989), is a central learning objective at all stages of education, and crucial also in postgraduate studies and working life. It is a practice that becomes more valuable as the quantity of information keeps on increasing and the quality of it becomes even more uncertain. University education has a mission to support lifelong learning and to provide students with versatile tools for their future. This pro gradu thesis studies the information literacy learning objective and its actualisation in university studies. The aim is to find out whether the general learning objective of information literacy is visible in the subject of English Philology at the University of Oulu. This study also aspires to discovering how the students see the objective and what perceptions they have about the guidance they receive in their studies to achieve the objective. The motivation is to provide support to students and the faculty staff by trying to understand how the students think and what difficulties they encounter, in respect of information literacy. The study is a case study, and the methods used in the study include content analysis of the curriculum, interviews of a group of students, two teachers and an information specialist at the Oulu university library. In addition, the group of the interviewed students was observed, as they participated in the course Master’s Seminar in autumn term 2016. The curriculum was scrutinised against the ALA’s and ACRL’s (2015) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education to see whether the different frames and their practices and dispositions were visible in the curriculum. Information literacy assessment is not uniform in higher education institutions. Without assessment, it is difficult to conclude whether an objective has been achieved or not. In Finnish universities, the main responsibility for the information literacy guidance is in the university libraries. The conclusion of this study was that the information literacy objective is visible in the subject of English Philology, although it is not spelled out as such, but through individual practices, abilities, and skills that are present in the course descriptions. The student interviews showed that all students could define the concept of information literacy, and that they experienced themselves to be average or above average in information literacy among their peers. The students evaluated that they had received guidance and appeared content with it. However, when the students specified the difficulties they encountered in information searches, the difficulties appeared fundamental, such as defining search terms and choosing the right databases. The students were also not acquainted with the learning objectives of higher education or the learning objectives of the Faculty of Humanities. Further research in a wider scale is called for and would be beneficial for developing the guidance in information literacy.Informaatiolukutaito, jolla tarkoitetaan kykyä tunnistaa, paikantaa, arvioida ja käyttää informaatiota tehokkaasti (ALA, 1989), on keskeinen oppimistavoite kaikilla koulutusasteilla. Nämä kyvyt ovat varsin tärkeitä myös jatko-opinnoissa ja työelämässä. Informaatiolukutaidon arvo kasvaa, kun informaation määrän lisääntyessä sen laatu muuttuu entistä epävarmemmaksi. Yliopistokoulutuksen tavoitteena on tukea elinikäistä oppimista ja tarjota opiskelijoille monipuoliset työkalut joilla rakentaa tulevaisuutta. Tämä pro gradu -tutkielma tutustuu informaatiolukutaidon oppimistavoitteeseen ja siihen, näkyykö oppimistavoite englantilaisen filologian oppiaineessa Oulun yliopistossa. Tutkimus pyrkii myös selvittämään, miten opiskelijat näkevät oppimistavoitteen ja miten he kokevat opinnoissaan saaneensa ohjausta saavuttaakseen tämän tavoitteen. Pyrkimyksenä on ymmärtää miten opiskelijat näkevät informaatiolukutaidon, ja selvittää minkälaisia ongelmia he kohtaavat informaatiolukutaitoon liittyen ja tämän tiedon ja ymmärryksen avulla tukea niin opiskelijoita kuin henkilökuntaakin oppimistavoitteen saavuttamisessa. Kyseessä on tapaustutkimus ja tutkimusmetodeina käytettiin opetusohjelman sisällönanalyysia ja opiskelijaryhmän, kahden opettajan sekä informaatikon haastatteluita. Lisäksi opiskelijaryhmää havainnoitiin Master’s Seminar -kurssin ajan, syyslukukaudella 2016. Opetusohjelmaa tarkasteltiin ALA:n ja ACRL:n (2015) kehittämää Informaatiolukutaito korkeakouluopinnoissa -viitekehystä vasten, pyrkimyksenä selvittää näkyvätkö viitekehyksen osa-alueet käytänteineen ja dispositioineen opetusohjelmassa. Informaatiolukutaidon arviointi ei ole yhtenäistä korkeakouluissa mutta ilman arviointia on vaikea tehdä päätelmiä tavoitteiden toteutumisesta. Suomen yliopistoissa päävastuu informaatiolukutaidon opetuksesta on yliopistokirjastoilla. Tämän tutkimuksen tulokset osoittivat, että informaatiolukutaidon oppimistavoite näkyy englantilaisen filologian oppiaineessa, vaikkei sitä sellaisenaan opetusohjelmassa mainitakaan. Tavoite näkyy sen sijaan käytänteinä sekä kykyinä ja taitoina, jotka käyvät ilmi kurssikuvauksista. Opiskelijahaastattelut osoittivat, että kaikki opiskelijat osasivat määritellä informaatiolukutaito-käsitteen ja itsearvioinnissa arvioivat informaatiolukutaitonsa olevan keskitasolla tai sen yläpuolella muihin opiskelijoihin verrattuna. Opiskelijat arvioivan saaneensa ohjausta ja vaikuttivat tyytyväisiltä ohjaukseen. Kuitenkin kun opiskelijoita pyydettiin yksilöimään minkälaisia ongelmia he olivat kohdanneet tiedonhaussa, ongelmat vaikuttivat olevan varsin perustavanlaatuisia, kuten hakulausekkeiden määrittely ja oikeiden tietokantojen valinta. Opiskelijat eivät myöskään tunteneet korkeakoulujen yleisiä oppimistavoitteita tai Humanistisen tiedekunnan määrittämiä yleisiä oppimistavoitteita. Laajemman skaalan jatkotutkimukselle olisi tarvetta ja tutkimuksesta olisi hyötyä myös informaatiolukutaidon opetukselle ja sen kehittämiselle

Local participation framework as a resource among military observer trainees:interactional episodes between repair initiation and repair solution in critical radio communication

Abstract In critical radio-mediated communication, fixed expressions clarify and expedite interaction and provide a shared vocabulary for lingua franca interlocutors. Sometimes, communication via radio encounters trouble that needs to be clarified. This article examines interactional episodes following fixed other-initiations of self-repair “say again” in radiotelephony, as part of patrolling exercises in military observer (MO) training. The episodes occur between the repair initiation and the repair solution. Radiotelephony is inherently dyadic, but the parties may consist of more than one person. During patrolling, interaction via radio takes place within two overlapping participation frameworks. The article focuses on practices of identifying and repairing trouble in the patrol vehicle. The data come from multinational MO training, where English as lingua franca is the working language. The analysis of talk and embodied actions, drawing on conversation analysis and ethnomethodologically informed ethnography, shows that trainees use their local participation framework as a resource to make sense of the trouble in situ. The article introduces a novel set of language data and broadens our understanding of formulaic repair practices and their uptake and handling repair within overlapping participation frameworks. The findings can be utilised in developing training practices and in settings where radio serves a pivotal role

Noticing, monitoring and observing:interactional grounds for joint and emergent seeing in UN military observer training

Abstract UN military observers patrol crisis areas in small teams. Their task is to determine whether seen military activity constitutes a violation to ceasefire agreements. Failing to see or establish a shared understanding of the activity can be damaging to the mission or put the teams in danger. We use ethnomethodology and conversation analysis to analyse how military observers verbalise and categorise military activity in ‘noticings’. The data are video recordings collected in car patrols in a training course. The analysis is based on fifty-three episodes of the patrols encountering unexpected military activity. The analysis focuses on the design features of and categorisation practices in noticing actions. It also shows how the noticings invite seeing the noticed feature from a particular perspective and in this way build a context for the joint and emergent activities of ‘monitoring’ and ‘observing’. The findings showcase how noticing actions and monitoring and observing are accomplished in interaction. They highlight the role of talk and embodiment as part of military observers’ professional competence and for maintaining situational awareness. The findings are relevant for and can be integrated in UN military observer training

“It seems to be some kind of an accident”:perception and team decision-making in time critical situations

Abstract This study examines the decision-making processes of military observer trainee teams as they encounter a simulated, ‘life-threatening’ incident during a car-patrolling exercise. The study takes place in the context of a course which trains military officers to serve in UN peacekeeping operations as unarmed military observers. The data consist of audio-video recordings of eight trainee teams inside and around their patrol cars during a patrolling exercise, as well as of ethnographic field notes and observations. We use conversation analysis to examine what happens between the first noticing of the incident and the decision regarding the next action, and how the trainees work together to form a diagnosis of the situation and choose the appropriate action. The results show how the trainees make a first general interpretation on the situation immediately after its initial noticing and make visible their assessment of the incident site as either safe or unsafe to approach. These interpretations are crucial, as an incorrect interpretation often leads to action that puts the team in danger. The results also show how earlier shared events can affect the decision-making process, as they are indicated as points of comparison on which a team may base their interpretation of the current situation

Methodological turns in applied language studies

Abstract The theme of the AFinLA 2020 Yearbook Methodological turns in applied language studies is discussed in this introductory article from three interrelated perspectives, variously addressed in the three plenary presentations at the AFinLA Autumn Symposium 2019 as well as in the thirteen contributions to the yearbook. In the first set of articles presented, the authors examine the role and impact of technological development on the study of multimodal digital and non-digital contexts and discourses and ensuing new methods. The second set of studies in the yearbook revisits issues of language proficiency, critically discussing relevant concepts and approaches. The third set of articles explores participation and participatory research approaches, reflecting on the roles of the researcher and the researched community