Using ‘Semantic Waves’ to Guide Students Through the Research Process: From Adopting a Stance to Sound Cohesive Academic Writing

Abstract

This paper reports on contemporary research on knowledge practices, and in particular how it might inform the teaching and evaluation of critical thinking. Research was conducted during an Ideas and Exposition module for first and second year NUS undergraduates entitled “Sport and Socialization”, within the broader field of sport sociology. Findings are presented on the effectiveness of using a part of the notion of semantic waves called gravity waving as a guide at both the curriculum design and the assignment text level. Gravity waving can be seen as a strategy for teaching and evaluating critical thinking. In particular, it can be used by educators and students as they select and apply a line of inquiry for a research project; as well as when they produce their written academic texts. The outcome of the research is an educational model entitled the “Instructional model to facilitate gravity waving”. The paper presents the model and evaluates its impact on student learning. This is done through teacher-researcher observations about the challenges met at different stages of the interventions plus detailed pre- and post-intervention analyses of students’ writing. These findings could help to inform lecturers across the disciplines how gravity waving can lead to demonstrable critical thinking as learning outcomes. It is hoped that this research might also stimulate more inquiry in the emerging field of legitimation code theory (Maton, 2009; 2013), specifically the semantics dimension and gravity waving and how this concept can inform practice at tertiary level.