Technical Communication Research Articles

(Re)situating Professionalism: Using Course Documents As Tactical Tools in the Professional Writing Classroom

ABSTRACT Through an auto-ethnographic critical reflection methodology, this article describes our attempts to use course documents as tactical tools of resistance within undergraduate professional writing courses. Using introspection to examine how our positionalities and values shape the choices we make when constructing course documents, we advocate for scholars and practitioners of rhetoric and technical communication to engage in a sustained practice of critical reflection as part of developing inclusive and equitable pedagogy and classroom coalition building.

Professional Critical Consciousness: Bridging Classroom Theory with Workplace Practice

ABSTRACT In this Methodologies and Approaches piece, I introduce the concept of professional critical consciousness (PCC). PCC combines professional consciousness and critical consciousness to form a workplace praxis centered on social justice. I describe PCC using work and classroom experiences and provide instructors with assignment ideas to promote PCC. By learning how to increase one’s power and legitimacy in the workplace, technical communicators can use PCC in ways that are more intentional and socially just.

Automating Research in Business and Technical Communication: Large Language Models as Qualitative Coders

The emergence of large language models (LLMs) has disrupted approaches to writing in academic and professional contexts. While much interest has revolved around the ability of LLMs to generate coherent and generically responsible texts with minimal effort and the impact that this will have on writing careers and pedagogy, less attention has been paid to how LLMs can aid writing research. Building from previous research, this study explores the utility of AI text generators to facilitate the qualitative coding research of linguistic data. This study benchmarks five LLM prompting strategies to determine the viability of using LLMs as qualitative coding, not writing, assistants, demonstrating that LLMs can be an effective tool for classifying complex rhetorical expressions and can help business and technical communication researchers quickly produce and test their research designs, enabling them to return insights more quickly and with less initial overhead.

On the Current Moment in AI: Introduction to Special Issue on Effects of Artificial Intelligence Tools in Technical Communication Pedagogy, Practice, and Research, Part 1

On the Current Moment in AI: Introduction to Special Issue on Effects of Artificial Intelligence Tools in Technical Communication Pedagogy, Practice, and Research, Part 1

Establishing Citizen Democratic Networks to Promote Political Participation in Schools under the Provincial Administrative Organization in Mahasarakham

This research focused on the mechanism of establishing citizen democratic networks to promote political participation in schools under the provincial administrative organization in Mahasarakham. This research aimed to 1) analyze the model of creating a civil-democratic network between universities and schools, and 2) study the process of promoting students’ political participation in schools under the provincial administrative organization in Mahasarakham. The qualitative research methods were conducted by document study and then in-depth interviews with the participant observation method. Research instruments were 1) the related documents and research in a reliable database, and 2) four interview questions for each group and the participant observations form. Collected data were analyzed and categorized into critical issues and themes based on the literature. The participants comprised sixty-two interviewees and were divided into four groups: 1) Two representatives of the Office of Education, Religion and Culture of the provincial administrative organization; 2) Twenty school administrators under the provincial administrative organization; 3) Twenty teachers responsible for the civics course, and 4) Twenty high school students. The findings revealed: 1) The model for creating a civic network between universities and schools. There must be a central person in the management position with the authority to command leadership and technical communication between the school and the university. The creation of a network of citizens of democracy will be successful. 2) The process of creating the political participation of students in schools arose from the process of building democratic citizenship through school education and extra-curricular activities. Students can then apply that knowledge in daily life.

Localizing Directed Self-Placement: UX Stories and Methods

This article seeks to address the need for research supporting localization efforts in placement assessment. We argue that as a highly technical communication endeavor, directed self-placement (DSP) and its developers can benefit from research in technical and professional communication (TPC). We synthesize the theoretical relations between DSP and TPC, especially regarding models of localization, and demonstrate how implementing user experience (UX) design can help address placement equity concerns by foregrounding accessibility and usability from the beginning. We follow this discussion of DSP and TPC scholarship with storied examples from our institution, providing a sample range of UX methods that (1) are flexible across contexts, (2) are relatively manageable to implement, and (3) are cognizant of WPA, staff, and students’ time, labor, and compensation concerns. We propose DSP as a form of advocacy, and we demonstrate how UX method/ologies are an excellent choice for DSP localization efforts toward equity and accessibility.

Can Artificial Intelligence Robots Write Effective Instructions?

The authors analyze the ability of ChatGPT to generate effective instructions for a consequential task: taking a COVID-19 test. They compare the output from a commercial prompt for generating these instructions to those provided by the test manufacturer. They also analyze the input, the prompt itself, to address prompt-engineering issues. The results show that although the output from ChatGPT exhibits certain conventions for documentation, the human-authored instructions from the manufacturer are superior in most ways. The authors conclude that when it comes to creating high-quality, consequential instructions, ChatGPT might be better seen as a collaborator than a competitor with human technical communicators.

Student-Created Tabletop Foresight Games as Advocacy

This assignment asks first-year writing students to collaboratively create a tabletop game design that would expose players to possible future developments of climate change. The multimodal component is accompanied by a series of writing, research, and communication assignments that are scaffolded to guide students through the iterative process of composing. As students explore alternative formats to make a persuasive argument, they gain a more nuanced understanding of their topic, hone critical thinking skills, and practice addressing different audiences. The final project includes a research paper and a formal project proposal. The author argues in favor of the affordances of game-based pedagogies in a writing and technical communication classroom.

“Unreasonable” Bodies: Thinking Beyond Accommodation in Workplace Lactation Law and Policy

Purpose: This article investigates why workplace lactation law, guidance, and policy may fail to support women. It examines the epistemological and ethical bases of technical communication governing Virginia K???12 teachers and considers complex material conditions and opportunities for social justice intervention.Method: I employed a qualitative critical discourse analysis of three Virginia codes governing workplace lactation and one state human resources guidance document, examining their interaction with the Federal Labor Standards Act and 10 local school district policies. I drew on Technical and Professional Communication (TPC) social justice scholarship, disability studies, and apparent feminism scholarship to interpret my findings.Results: Documents governing workplace lactation are based on an ableist mindset that marginalizes women’s bodies. They prioritize an ethic of expediency, draw on medical knowledge while ignoring women’s knowledge and material conditions, and perpetuate systemic inequities.Conclusion: To promote social justice, technical communicators should continue questioning the epistemological and ethical bases of laws, policies, and guidance since documents informed by knowledge and ideologies that devalue the people they purport to protect will fail in implementation. Local policymakers need not wait for institutional changes but can look for opportunities to reimagine design approaches and intervene to create supportive, inclusive workplaces.

Experts’ consensus on the design of a technical communication module for vocational college students in the manufacturing sector

In the twenty-first century one of the most significant challenges is preparing professionals to adequately communicate technical information when writing and speaking. A number of studies have been published on various aspects of technical communication (TC), but few studies in China have investigated the curriculum design for TC. In this study, expert consensus was sought to explore elements required for a TC module for vocational college students in the manufacturing sector using the fuzzy Delphi method (FDM). The FDM was employed to determine consensus among a panel of 12 experts. Two rounds of data collection were conducted to garner opinions from the experts. The first round was semi-structured interviews among five experts to design the items for the FDM questionnaire with a five-point linguistic scale. The designed FDM questionnaire was distributed to 12 experts to gather their opinions on the elements required for the TC module. The data analysis determined the consensus on the elements of the TC module in four categories: objectives, contents, learning activities, and assessment methods. Their levels of agreement were assessed to determine elements that needed to be highlighted for implementation in the classroom. These findings could be used to develop a more relevant instructional module for TC in the manufacturing sector.

The Effectiveness of a Technical Communication Module for Automobile Manufacturing Students at Vocational Colleges

This study employs a one-group pretest and posttest design to assess the written and oral technical communication (TC) skills of students in vocational colleges in China. Fifty-nine 1st-year students in automotive engineering participated in a 3-week implementation of a TC module. To measure learner differences, students took oral and written tests before and after the intervention, respectively. Results showed that the module effectively improved students’ written and oral TC skills. In addition, findings from interviews with participants and English teachers indicated that the TC module is suitable from a pedagogical perspective.

ENHANCING BUSINESS STUDENTS’ EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS AWARENESS

Employability skills have become vital in helping recent graduates distinguish themselves in the competitive job market, transcending disciplinary boundaries. Dissatisfaction with graduates' communication abilities has been a long-standing concern in academia and the workplace. The shift from traditional lecture-based instruction to active learning has prompted changes in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and technical communication courses globally. These changes encompass well-developed professional communication skills, collaborative work practices, effective self-management, and social responsibility. This study addresses the imperative of understanding and addressing the skill prerequisites of the corporate sphere, as employers increasingly seek competencies beyond academic qualifications. The study employs a student-centered approach, allowing students to align these skills with real-world job requirements. The Experiential Learning Theory by Kolb serves as the theoretical foundation for this approach. The results indicate that this teaching method, emphasizing learning by doing, received positive feedback from students. It not only provided insight into the skills required by the labor market but also improved students' awareness of their own strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, students found that this approach prepared them for their future careers. In conclusion, this research emphasizes the importance of equipping students with employability skills through authentic, context-based learning. The findings underscore the need for a shift from teacher-centered practices to more student-centered, collaborative learning environments that foster student autonomy and responsibility. The research closes with limitations and suggestions for further research.

A Comparative Rhetorical Analysis of Trump and Biden's Climate Change Speeches: Framing Strategies in Politics

This article analyzes the speeches of two U.S. politicians—President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden—to present how they make their arguments about climate change using various frames. While frames are rhetorical acts, they are also a form of persuasion. In particular, the author demonstrates how Trump foregrounded negative frames with fear-inducing elements. He presented job losses and economic harm as consequences of joining the Paris Climate Accord, putting him on the defensive. In contrast, Biden utilized positive frames to strengthen his arguments and aligned more closely with the environmental justice framework. Inspired by the rhetoric of the framing strategies employed by these two speakers, the study suggests that technical communicators should focus on using language that constructs new frames to enhance the success of their argumentations.

Speech Manipulation and Perception of Oral Speech in Court‑Hearing Online Communication

The article considers the peculiarity of speech communication in the conditions of the use of remote technologies (videoconferencing) by the participants of the process in relation to the possibility of using manipulative speech means of influencing the addressee. The influence of technical communication channels and means of sound reproduction, which introduce distortions into speech signals, on the production and perception of speech is noted. It is concluded that the participants, directly and remotely present in the courtroom, have different opportunities to use the arsenal of verbal and non-verbal means of persuading the court through manipulative and non-manipulative influence.

A complex of technical tools and measures designed for conducting operational-search measures in the communication networks of ministeral affairs bodies

The article discusses current issues of a holistic understanding of the system of technical means to support the functions of operational investigative measures (SORM), the possibilities of its use in various areas of operational investigative activities of the internal affairs department, as well as problems of application. The effective use of special hardware and software solutions designed to collect information from technical communication channels will greatly improve the efficiency of operational investigative activities and the detection of crimes committed using information and telecommunication technologies.

MULTIMODAL APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF SPECIALIZED TEXTS IN TECHNICAL DISCOURSE

The article aims to highlight the possibilities of a multimodal approach to the study of specialized texts in technical discourse. The research design for this study is analytical and descriptive, which focuses on a deductive narrative approach and a complex of complementary theoretical methods: analyzing, summarizing and interpreting scholarly sources on the issue under scrutiny; conceptual analysis of the term “multimodal approach”; analyzing multimodal elements of a technical text; distributional analysis – to find out the environment, which contains various multimodal components; monographic method – to interpret the results obtained in a coherent logical way. The theoretical significance of the article lies: firstly, in expanding the existing understanding of multimodality in linguistic studies at large and in modern technical discourse in particular; secondly, in applying multimodal analysis to the study of technical texts, which differs significantly from similar analyses of other types of discourse due to its powerful semiotic component. Its practical significance is determined by the identification of additional opportunities for linguists to analyze technical texts in terms of a multimodal approach. It is stated that a growing interest in multimodality from the linguistic point of view can be attributed to two main reasons. Firstly, in linguistics, there has been a general turn to functional pragmatism, in particular, to the study of linguistic performance, including the interaction of sociocultural and cognitive factors of speech activity. Secondly, significant changes have also occurred in the field of speech practice: mediated, multi-channel communication in nature, based on the convergence of the semiotic resources available, has come to the fore. The principles of the multimodal approach and a model for conducting a multimodal analysis of a text are considered. As mentioned in the article, the multimodal approach can be applied to analyzing all types and forms of communication, including the analysis of texts, including technical ones, in which two or more semiotic resources are integrated and interact to realize the communicative functions of the text. A multimodal technical text is viewed as a special linguistic and visual phenomenon, where linguistic and extralinguistic means form a common semantic field, have a complex impact on the addressee of these texts. These texts demonstrate the diversity and complexity of approaches to expressing the content and achieving the communicative goal of the message, where, along with verbal elements, non-verbal ones are integral, in particular, illustrations, diagrams, graphs and schemes. On the whole, visual content plays an extremely important role in written technical communication. The image is the most important part of multimodal technical texts and carries a significant functional load, providing a more complete, comprehensive perception. Also, among the main and most important elements of multimodal texts, color and signature stand out. Given that, a distinctive feature of multimodal technical discourse is the presence of accompanying drawings or / and explanatory drawings, which demonstrate all the geometric parameters and other information concerning the manufacturing processes of the product. From an extralinguistic point of view, it is not the language that is considered, but a drawing, a table, a diagram as a whole, creating an image and representing encrypted data, the correct analysis of which reveals a large layer of technical information. Extralinguistic parameters of a technical text also include the surrounding text background – font size and color. Knowledge of these parameters and the ability to correctly decode and use them helps not only a technical specialist to successfully perform his duties, but also an ordinary person to successfully interact with machines and mechanisms, to understand innovation in the information technology age. Therefore, the analysis of non-verbal means in technical texts makes it possible to single out their main functions. Each non-verbal tool has its own function, but often these functions are intertwined due to the combination of elements. At the same time, not only the number of non-verbal means increases, but also the attractiveness of the text, because the general function of non-verbal means is to explain the verbal series. In the interaction of verbal and non-verbal means in the analyzed technical texts, the following general patterns have been revealed: parallel use of verbal and non-verbal elements to explain the text and create a coherent image; extensive use of graphs, diagrams, illustrations and other graphic elements (use of colors, fonts and formatting) to visualize information and facilitate its effective perception.

Book Review: Transnational Research in Technical Communication: Stories, Realities, and Reflections by Small, Nancy, & Longo, Bernadette

Book Review: <i>Transnational Research in Technical Communication: Stories, Realities, and Reflections</i> by Small, Nancy, &amp; Longo, Bernadette

The impact of ISO/TC 37 standards on technical communication

Abstract Rather than just profiting from digitalization efforts such as the implementation and improvement of automated content delivery processes, technical communication itself currently has the opportunity of becoming a major driver in digitalization. The essence of technical communicators’ work is to create representations of products under the aspect of product use. In order to convey how a product functions and how it shall be used, they build concepts that reflect its structure and the structure of the domain to which it belongs. These concepts and their interrelations represent the underlying architecture of information that is rendered into ‘technical documentation’ in the course of the information development process which parallels the product development process. To harmonize concepts for information on products to be launched and in its proper domain, as well as to ensure interoperability between digital resources, technical communication relies on a range of standards created within and published by ISO Technical Committee 37, Language and Terminology (ISO/TC 37).

Cultural Dimensions as Guidelines in Handling Language Problems for Effective Written Communication Across Cultures

This research explores potential problems that might occur in the use of language for cross-cultural written communication. It uses corpus-based study as methodology and cultural dimensional theory by Geert Hofstede as guidelines and identifies potential problems in language use in areas such as word choices, syntaxis, textual organization, translation, and rhetorical strategies. These findings will help cross-cultural communicators avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, misleading information, and cultural blunders and create effective written information for successful business and technical exchanges internationally. In this sense, the research makes a good contribution to international business and technical communication and enriches the education in cross-cultural communication.

Transnational Research in Technical Communication: Stories, Realities, and Reflections

Transnational Research in Technical Communication: Stories, Realities, and Reflections