CDA as an Approach to Analyze Language Ideologies in Supervisory Meetings

Abstract

This qualitative case study research set out to look at the concepts of hegemony and power in supervisory meetings centered on the idea of linguistic ideologies. Two BS (English) study supervisees and their supervisors were chosen for the study as two case studies their supervisory meetings were recorded and later transcribed for analysis purpose. The study adopted Halliday’s Systematic Functional Linguistics (SFL) for data collection and Norman Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) analytical methodology for the empirical investigation of the concepts of power as well as hegemony in supervision procedures (1989; 2003). The study's findings show how language contributed to the development of power relationships among the study's participants. In research supervisory meetings, language was a significant issue along with educational experience and knowledge that contributed to the development of unequal power relations among the participants. In terms of methodology and supervisory style, case B was slightly different from case A, due to its flexibility. This study suggests a fair and democratic style of supervision that can be beneficial and flexible for participants involved in research supervision regardless of their educational background.

Keywords: Critical discourse analysis (CDA), SFL, Power, Research supervision, Hegemony, Language ideologies.

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-33-13

Publication date: November 30^th 2022