The Use of Academic Voice about Mature Age Students Taking Psychology Courses - Essay Example

Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning. Maya Angelou (Poet) Introduction The person who is writing academic papers, and what that person chooses to write about, as well as how they choose to write, will change them as well as others. Academia has recently recognized that in order for its institutions to change it is necessary to encourage students to draw more on their own "voice" within their writing so as to facilitate more inclusive and broader perspectives (Belenky, 1997). Hence, it is critical that each student's "academic voice" come across in their writings. Voice can be defined as the way in which an argument is presented, supported, evaluated and conclusions drawn from it for practical applications (Demetriou, Goalen & Rudduck, 2000). This begins with the way in which a topic is introduced, and then the structure of the student's interpretation of the topic and accompanying supportive data to justify their point of view. It is important to distinguish academic voice from paraphrasing and direct quoting of other authors, which is used as the evidence to support the writer's conclusions (Brearly, 2000). It is clear that academic voice is essential to the concept of analyzing other writer's non-fiction text. This paper will critically review the use of academic voice with regard to mature age students taking psychology courses. Firstly, academic voice will be more fully described. Secondly, how academic voice can be used will be outlined, with reference to mature aged psychology students. Finally, a conclusion shall synthesize the main points of the paper to demonstrate the important benefits of cultivating academic voice and the contributions of mature aged students to the discipline of psychology. Describing Academic Voice Voice can be classified into three general forms; 1) audible voice, as in how much a reader will "hear" the text; 2) dramatic voice, to determine what type of writer is implied by the text; and 3) one's own voice, which is the relationship of the text to the actual writer of the text (Eisner, 1998). It is evident that the written word is more likely to be heard when the writer's syntax, rhythms and word-choices are characteristic of their own speech patterns. Textual cues, for example, simple sentences that are not wordy, and those which communicate a sense of mental activity, will draw the reader's attention to the audibility of the material. A dramatic element of a text can be cultivated from the former audible voice. As to a writer's own voice, it is comprised of three key elements; there is a distinctive recognizable tone; the impression of actually "having a voice" or "having the authority to speak"; and the "authentic voice" which is the resonance or meaningful relationships between the text and the actual writer of the material, in contrast to the implied author (Demetriou et al., 2000). So that a writer who is aware of the persona or image of themselves that is projected in their writing will be able to practice promoting and muting this voice, depending on the context of their composition. In general, new writers who are inexperienced are not aware that they can create their own persona within their writings (Demetriou et al., 2000). Often, due to their lack of experience new writers will use an inappropriate voice, for example using lengthy sentences comprised of jingoism in an attempt to portray themselves as knowing more about a topic than what they actually do. Sometimes, their writings may be overly casual, which is usually completely inappropriate for academic writing, and subsequently their text is not taken seriously by the reader, and so respect and authority is not fostered by their compositions. By way of learning about academic voice a student writer can develops an understanding of the different types of voice, becoming aware of their own voice and of techniques that can be used to change their voice. Undergraduate writers typically find that actual act of writing essays, lab reports and proposals a daunting task, and usually struggle to understand and engage with specific areas of knowledge. The struggle also incorporates their being challenged to utilize language necessary to communicate their active participation with new knowledge. Read (2001) used semi-structured interviews with final-year undergraduates across four universities in North America to identify student issues with acquiring the language needed to communicate their opinions and insights in their written assessments. Read also investigated the effects of the unequal power relationship between students and their lecturers as to the presentation of the student's academic voice. He concluded that student's struggle due to the perceived lack of guidance from their lecturers, and that a significant number of the participants actually held back on communicating their views and ideas, because they felt unconfident. Alternatively, they hesitated to express their own views because they perceived their lecturers as likely to penalize them if the lecturer did not agree with their opinions on any given topic. Hence, it appears that although academic voice is expected of students, it may be that they are not being trained in the style as they are trained in other aspects of their discipline. This viewpoint is supported by a wealth of research (Francis, Robson & Read, 2000; Jean, 1991; Sommers & Lawrence, 1997). Evidently it is necessary that more research be undertaken to investigate the extent to which the academic community contributes to the training of academic voice in students, and to evaluate lecturer perceptions of explicitly modeling expectations. As the practice of modeling appears to be limited, it may be that the academic hierarchy consider student responsibility of learning the art of voice excuses them from actively participating in their learning experience, instead leaving the student to "get it" as a way of "weeding them out"; clearly an unacceptable approach to advancing the scope and inclusiveness of academic discourse and perspectives. How to Communicate Academic Voice The first step in writing in the language of scholarship is to use Standard English to communicate using words, phrases and sentence patterns that are frequently used by the general public when transmitting information by writing (Brearly, 2000). For a mature aged student in psychology the use of non colloquial English would appear to be achievable, as it is unlikely that they are using such phrases in their daily speech given that; they have achieved the desire to attend university and so have passed through various formal interviews and written assessments to meet the criteria; they tend to be parents and so likely to be instructing their children in norms of conversation; they have chosen to return to an educational institution and so are likely to adapt themselves to conversational requirements within the lecture/tutorial to engage fully in tasks. However, there is a dearth of literature on these speculations, suggesting the need for research to determine if the author's assumptions are justified. The discipline of psychology employs its own "language" of unique expressions to accurately and concisely communicate specific information. It is necessary for the academic voice of an undergraduate in psychology to reflect such terms, many of which are dependant on the context of the text, for example "statistically significant" (i.e., a greater than chance value). A mature aged student is perhaps more likely to appreciate the necessity for a specific language for a discipline, having life experiences to draw links between the language of psychology and the languages of their past occupations (e.g., administration, the navy, police force, plumbing or homemaker). However, given that a mature aged student may have been away from studying for an extended period of time, they will perhaps be daunted by having to learn a new language more so than their younger colleagues, given that the younger graduates (i.e., 18-20 years) have only recently left high school (Leder & Forgasz, 2004; Scott, Burns & Cooney, 1996). Further, female mature aged students (such as the author) are more likely to experience low self-efficacy at the prospect of returning to study, despite their enthusiasm, and this in turn may affect their ability to be motivated and to persevere to write in an academic voice. The tone of academic writing is determined by the degree of openness and objectivity in the text. To communicate open mindedness requires that the writer report the ideas of others, even when they conflict with their own opinions (Demetriou et al., 2000). This can be a difficult task for students of all ages, as capitalist society in general socializes people to see life as a dichotomy of "right" and "wrong" (Gantman, 2005). Psychology as a discipline differs greatly from other life sciences in that it does not build on knowledge of "facts", rather theories, or opinions are tested for their likelihood of being correct. As such, psychology has many "grey" areas, where a number of theories (opinions) to explain a phenomenon exist (e.g., how does short-term memory function). This can be frustrating for students who have been socialized to seek facts (e.g., the answer to a math equation or answers on quiz shows). As such, their academic voice is dramatically challenged as they try to communicate their understanding of a topic, as they tend to try to "prove" a point of view, rather than critically analyze all the relevant theories to determine the one that provides a sound and logical conclusion. That there rarely is a "right" or "wrong" answer in psychology writings is a struggle for most students, and that they have to justify their opinions is usually confronting, to the point that they will regurgitate others knowledge in the hope of "getting it right" (based on the authors observations). Clearly, students need to be encouraged in reflective practices to engage them in the task of analyzing their own opinions, and in seeing the value of multi-faceted perspective to be able to build on knowledge and to view a phenomenon from many points of view. To enhance their confidence in their writing, and so to develop their own academic voice, it is advisable that the undergraduate read and discuss as much as they can on a topic, and also that they actually write about that topic as much as they can (Brearly, 2000). When writing, they can take the point of view of others as a practical exercise, like trying on different hats. This is a common exercise for psychology students, when they are asked by their lecturer to interpret a phenomenon from the point of view of different schools of thought (e.g., personality, as described by psychoanalysts, cognitive-behavioral therapists or humanists). Additionally, an essential aspect of voice is a sense of honesty and integrity that will relax the reader with confidence that the writer is not projecting a biased point of view, by what they are saying or how they are saying it (Read, 2000). This can be achieved when the academic voice communicates the writer's interest and enthusiasm for a topic. Such a circumstance will only occur when the writer feels confident that their subject matter will be accepted by the lecturer, and is not simply retelling what they think the lecturer wishes to hear. Unfortunately, unless the active engagement of lecturers takes place in encouraging students to take risks and explore topics that interest the student through a new set of cognitive lenses, academic voice will be stilted and perhaps even muted. Conclusion In conclusion, academic voice is critical to the undergraduate no matter their discipline of study. It aids the student in their critical analysis of another's text as well as developing their own reflective skills as to their point of view on various issues. For mature aged psychology students it is anticipated that learning to write in their own voice will be benefited by their life experiences, although socio-cultural circumstances may influence their sense of confidence. Additionally, lecturer commitment to developing student academic voice is essential to foster its growth, and consequently the expansion of knowledge amongst the sciences by way of inclusiveness and open mindedness. Belenky, M. (1997). 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