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An Investigation into Disciplinary Literacies through Text Characteristics:
A Literature Review
Helen Hendaria Kamandhari, Instructional Design and Technology, Virginia Tech
[email protected]
Introduction
This literature review discusses the importance of disciplinary literacy
through textual characteristics for K-12 and higher education settings.
Disciplinary literacy has been a prevalent theme in K-12 education
setting in the United States in the last few years, especially with the
focus on textbook and academic journal readings. A lot of research works
have centered on Science, Mathematics, and History/Social Science
textbooks’ discourse characteristics. However, very few research works
have been conducted beyond K-12 and from L2 learners’ viewpoints at
higher education level. Shanahan (2009) and Fang (2012) confirmed
that disciplinary discourse is indeed different from academic discourse,
and understanding disciplinary discourse is one of the keys to academic
success.
Disciplinary Literacy vs. Content Literacy
Disciplinary literacy: the use of specific discourses originating from
each discipline or sub-discipline characteristics to communicate its
contents with its audience.
Secondary School Texts: Similarities and Differences
Science
a. three major text
types: report,
exploration,
exposition
History
a. major text types:
recording,
explaining, and
arguing
b.
b. generic nouns
c.
d.
e.
Mathematics
a. text type: typically
semiotic (using
linguistics, and
symbolic and
visual resources
technical
b. technical
vocabulary
vocabulary
long noun phrases c. semi-technical
terms
(including
nominalizations)
nominalization
d. long noun phrases
metaphorical
e. symbolism and
realizations of
visual display
logical reasoning
c. nominalizations
d. causality
e. texture
f. abstract language
g. historian’s
ideological
perspective
Disciplinary knowledge elements (Shanahan, 2009) :
1. Creation of information
2. Evidence and Quality
3. Discourse of communication
4. Power of structures controlling the information
Content area literacy: reading materials from all subjects is similarly
treated no matter what the subjects are. This method uses SQ3R
(Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review) or general reading strategies
(summarizing, questioning, monitoring, visualizing).
How Far Has It Been Explored?
Most studies have been focused on the discourse of science,
mathematics and social studies.
How disciplines are different: Fundamental purposes, specialized genres,
symbolic artifacts, traditions of communication, evaluation standards of
quality and precision, and use of language.
7th Annual Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy
Text Structures
Science/Technology Frames
(Armbruster & Anderson, 1985):
Text characteristics: Structure,
Mechanism,
Process,
and
Hypothesis-Theory
Social Studies/History Frames
(Armbruster & Anderson, 1985),
Social studies/history frames
consist of static and dynamic
frames.
Two static frames used:
Systems frame and Biomes
frame.
The static frames are the
Cultures frame which consists of
Technology,
Institutions,
Language, and Arts slots, and the
People
frame
consists
of
Background, Traits, Goals, and
Accomplishments.
The Systems frame which are
applicable to biological and
technological systems comprises
of slots for Function/Uses, Parts
and their Functions. How It Works,
and
Problems/Preventions/Solutions.
The Biomes frame consists of
slots for Location, Climate, Plant
Life, and Animal Life.
L1 learners have reached up to 88,700 word
families, according to Stahl (1998), until
they reach 12th grade. The word family here is
defined as “one of the words in the family”
learned by an individual (Stahl, 1998) and an
individual inference to this word family in its
contextual use such as its different forms of
nouns, verbs, adverbs and adjectives.
Disciplinary Literacy in L1 and L2
Contexts:
In general, text contains 107 most common
words. The rest of the text which comprises
around 5,000 words is disciplinary-related
words and this implies that both L1 and L2
learners must encounter these 5,000 words in
order to be able to comprehend a disciplinary
text.
References
Armbruster, B., & Anderson, T. H. (1985). Frames: structures for informative text. In
D. H. Jonassen (Ed.), The technology of text: Principles for structuring, designing
and displaying text (pp. 90-104). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology
Publications, Inc.
Fang, Z. (2012). Challenges of reading interdisciplinary texts. In T. L. Jetton, & C.
Shanahan (Eds.), Adolescent literacy in the academic disciplines: General principles
and practical strategies (pp.34-68). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
Fang, Z. (2012, January/March). Language correlates of disciplinary literacy. In
Topics in language disorders 32(1), 19-34. doi: 10.1097/TLD.0b013e31824501de
Shanahan, T., & Shanahan, C. (2012). What is disciplinary literacy and why does it
matter? 32(1), 7-18. Top Lang Disorders. doi:10.1097/TLD.0b013e318244557a
Shanahan, C. (2009). Disciplinary comprehension. In S. E. Israel, & G. G. Duffy
(Eds.), Handbook of research on reading comprehension (pp. 240-260). New York,
NY: Routledge.