A Critical Discourse Analysis of News in Media about Rape Victims in Pakistan

This study aims to investigate the discourse in news coverage, specifically focusing on the reporting of rape cases, with a particular focus on victim blaming and fact-hiding in the Pakistani media discourse. Drawing on the Van Dijk model of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the study intends to unveil biases or power inequalities deep rooted in the structure and management of news reporting discourse. The research seeks to ascertain whether media outlets employ deceptive language to conceal the reality in reporting on rape cases, the influence of victim blaming on readers’ perception, and how the news media copes with the reporting of rape incidents. Data collection involves analysis of news articles from five well-known Pakistani publications: The Dawn News, ARY News, Dunya News, Geo News, and the Express Tribune particularly focusing on the "Zainab\u27s Murder and Rape Case." The analysis highlights instances of deletion, word choice, hiding identity, and lack of mention of police action, which contribute to the manipulation of information in news reports. The results of the study shed light on the biased description of rape incidents in the Pakistani media, fanning victim blame and rape lores. The study stresses the need for unbiased and truthful reporting of sexual assault incidents, ensuring that the experiences of victims are accurately portrayed. By uncovering the manipulation and biases in the Pakistani news media, this research contributes to a better understanding of the discourse patterns surrounding rape cases and the potential impact on public attitudes towards victims. &nbsp

The impact of sexual harassment on job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and absenteeism: findings from Pakistan compared to the United States

The purpose of this study was to compare and contrast how differences in perceptions of sexual harassment impact productive work environments for employees in Pakistan as compared to the US; in particular, how it affects job satisfaction, turnover, and/or absenteeism. This study analyzed employee responses in Pakistan (n = 146) and the United States (n = 102, 76) using questionnaire data. Significant results indicated that employees who were sexually harassed reported (a) a decrease in job satisfaction (b) greater turnover intentions and (c) a higher rate of absenteeism. Cross-cultural comparisons indicated that (a) Pakistani employees who were sexually harassed had greater job dissatisfaction and higher overall absenteeism than did their US counterparts and (b) Pakistani women were more likely to use indirect strategies to manage sexual harassment than were US targets

INVESTIGATING POWER IN ENGLISH EDUCATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

The objective of the study is to evaluate the implementation of ELPP theoretically and of curriculum framework (CF) according to ELPP, in addition to this, strived to fulfill the purpose by checking the power representation in textbook basing CF and ELPP. This study is a multi-modal study and used mixed method approach in order to answer three research questions. This study used the multi-layer model of Ricento and Hornberger (1996) comprising three levels: macro, meso and micro, as the main model of the study along with other models and collected the data through triangulation data source technique at interpretation level from the online sources focusing all the research questions of the present research and all layers of the main model of research. At first, the researcher evaluated the National Education Policy (NEP) document (2017) by using the proposed checklist made by researcher in collaboration with Hassan (2021) based on the model framework presented by Haddad and Demsky (1995) focusing the macro-level. Secondly, the researcher evaluated the National Curriculum Framework (NCF, 2017) document by using the proposed checklist made by researcher in collaboration with Hassan (2021) based on the model framework presented by Stabback (2007) focusing the standards of UNESCO concerning the meso level.  Lastly, the current study investigated the power representation at micro level through the textual analysis of English textbook, Book 1 of Intermediate Level Part 1. The findings of the study showed that policy planners in NEP (2017) and curriculum designers in NCF (2017) have followed the necessary guidelines to a great extent mentioned in the proposed checklists; and investigation indicated that textual analysis of English textbook exhibited power representation in the text through modality expressions. The results and discussion of the study showed the extent of evaluation and power representation through the quantitative representation by showing the percentages and frequencies of the findings; and suggested some future implications by emphasizing the significance of the study

Ideology in “Besharam”: A Multi-Modal Discourse Analysis of Pakistani Dramas

The current research study has been aimed to explore the deliberately infilled ideologies in the linguistic and visual discourse of Pakistani Dramas. This will help know how language patterns are structured and visuals are developed to convey the desired message. For this purpose,Pakistani drama “Besharam” production of a private Pakistani television channel ARY digital has been selected for the analysis through the purposive sampling method. The drama has been analyzed using the multimodal discourse analysis (MDA) approach. This involves analysis of visuals, linguistic structures, and cross-functional systems such as colour, setting of elements of visuals etc. The results of the research study show that the producer has very technically developed the discourse of the drama using verbal elements (language patterns) and non-verbal elements (contextual elements, colour scheme, the focus of light, the intensity of light, etc) to instill his desired (western) ideology in the organization of these elements. The study is useful for Pakistani society (parents, children, students, teachers, researchers, producers of dramas, etc.). It will help them understand the hidden ideologies of drama

EXPLORING THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN CRITICAL THINKING AND ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING SKILLS PURSUING THE BACHELOR DEGREE STUDENTS OF GOVERNMENT COLLEGE UNIVERSITY FAISALABAD

The concept of critical thinking is arduous and complex, its nature is difficult to define and challenging for those students who come from Western or non-native backgrounds, who often encounter difficulties in incorporating a critical aspect into their writing. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed to explore the relationship between critical thinking and argumentative writing skills. Through convenient sampling, information from 105 individuals with majors in applied linguistics, international relations, and psychology departments was obtained for this study. To assess participants' writing and critical thinking skills, the study used a critical thinking questionnaire that was developed totally based on the ‘Delphi Consensus statement of Critical Thinking” collectively formulated by a panel of forty six CT experts and an argumentative writing essay for scoring argumentative essays VSTEP rubric (Vietnamese Standardized test of English skill ability,2014)was used. Three stages made up the data gathering process: piloting the questionnaire, disseminating it, and giving the writing exam, which demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach's Alpha=0.87). The study found a weakly positive association between the capacity to write persuasively and critical thinking (multiple R = 0.1188).However, only 1.41% of the variance in writing scores could be assigned to critical thinking (R Square = 0.0141), indicating that critical thinking had a poor ability to predict writing performance. Although critical thinking may influence writing abilities, the ANOVA results did not provide statistical significance for critical thinking as a predictor of writing skills, suggesting that it may not be a strong or reliable predictor in this particular situation

A Comparative Discourse Analysis of Medical Associations and Research Articles Through Van Dijk Microstructure Model

The current study investigates the linguistic gap between discourses of medical associations and research journals through Van Dijk's Model of critical discourse analysis. This will help to understand how language patterns are structured and visuals are constructed to convey the required message. The data analysis method that has been adopted in this study is the Van Dijk's microstructure approach of discourse analysis. The data has been collected from well-known medical journals and association directories. Five research articles and four directories recommendations are taken from 2015 to 2020 on colorectal cancer. A qualitative approach has been used in the data analysis. The findings of the study revealed that certain choices of words, phrases, clauses, sentences, and rhetorical devices have been used in medical discourse to propagate certain ideologies and hidden agendas and divert public attention towards certain dietary brands, medicines, and surgeries. Moreover, the medical discourse has tried to impose a great impact of their hidden ideologies and agendas on public minds. This study is not only useful for readers to understand structural differences between medical journals and associations recommendations but also will helps them to understand hidden purposes of associations and research journals