Situated Learning in Acquisition of a Workplace Genre

Abstract

For learners in vocational education, acquiring the specialized language of their field is important in facilitating the ability to communicate appropriately with colleagues and customers. Spoken and written discourse in a range of workplace settings has received some attention, but less attention has been given to discourse in vocational education contexts. This article concerns Builders’ Diaries; this is a key written text produced by trainee carpenters, both in an educational setting and once they move into the workplace as apprentices. Writing the Builders’ Diary gives trainees experience in producing a text important also to carpenters in the workplace. An analysis that focuses on language and meaning is used to investigate the purposes served by the Builders’ Diary in educational settings and the meanings expressed in it. Drawing on insights from Applied Linguistics, the analysis uses a small corpus of trainee diaries as well as interviews with qualified carpenters/tutors. It includes a comparison of writing done early on while the trainees are still in an educational setting, and towards the end of carpentry training, once the trainees have moved into the workplace. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of apprenticeship and situated learning in trainees’ acquisition of written workplace discourse.