Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/handle/10635/29928
Title: A Systemic Functional Multimodal Discourse Analysis Approach to Pedagogic Discourse
Authors: LIM FEI VICTOR
Keywords: Multimodality, Pedagogic Discourse, Discourse Analysis, Classroom, Gesture, Space
Issue Date: 8-Jul-2011
Citation: LIM FEI VICTOR (2011-07-08). A Systemic Functional Multimodal Discourse Analysis Approach to Pedagogic Discourse. ScholarBank@NUS Repository.
Abstract: My thesis adopts the Systemic Functional Multimodal Discourse Analysis (SF-MDA) approach to investigate pedagogic discourse. Two lessons of the subject General Paper in a Junior College in Singapore are analysed. The semiotic resources of language, gesture and the use of space through the positioning and movement of the two teachers are discussed in relation to the pedagogy that they realise. Chapter 1 relates the research field and discusses definitions of literacy and multimodality. Multimodality is described as a phenomenon, domain of enquiry and an analytical approach. The respective challenges to paradigm, perspective and practice are presented. Multimodal literacy in multimedia texts and multisemiotic experiences are also explicated. Finally, multimodal pedagogic discourse is introduced as the research application in this study. The SF-MDA approach adopted in this thesis is explained in Chapter 2 against the backdrop of current approaches to classroom discourse. The `quadnocular perspective? applied in this study is introduced. The diachronic and synchronic analytical views adopted in the analysis are described in terms of time and space as `integral resources?. Chapter 3 focuses on contextualisation. The context of culture is described through the notion of resemiotization. The resemiotization of the Ministry of Education?s policy documents to the General Paper classroom practices is discussed. The Curriculum Genre Theory is applied to multimodal pedagogic discourse and is productive in locating the lesson in the context of situation. The Curriculum Hypergenre is proposed along with a set of Lesson Microgenres formulated for the General Paper classroom. Gesture and spatial pedagogy are discussed in Chapter 4. The categories of Communicative Gesture and Performative Gestures are proposed and both formal and functional descriptions of gesture are annotated in the analysis. Presenting, Representing and Indexical Actions are described in terms of their systems in the metafunctional organisation. In addition, the different types of space in the classroom are also proposed. Chapter 5 describes the approach and presents the findings from the analysis of the multimodal corpus. The approach in the collection, annotation, analysis and visualisation of the data is outlined. The analysis is discussed in accordance to the lesson microgenres, gesture, use of space through positioning and movement as well as language. The visualisation of the patterns and trends in the logogenesis of the teachers? lessons and their use of space are displayed through state transition diagrams. The dominances and tendencies observed in the statistical results are contrasted between the two teachers. With that, the distinct pedagogies they realise in their lesson through their multimodal semiotic selections are described. An integrative perspective on the co-deployment of semiotic resources is presented in Chapter 6. Specifically, the intersemiosis between language and gesture is described in terms of contextualising relations and intersemiotic cohesion. The emergent meanings of `Redundancy? and `Structured Informality? in the lessons observed are also discussed. Finally, Chapter 7 concludes with the theoretical and methodological contributions along with the educational and pedagogical implications arising from this thesis. The limitations of this study are also discussed along with possible further research endeavours.
URI: http://scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/handle/10635/29928
Appears in Collections:Ph.D Theses (Open)

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