Why do people feel trapped by some
academic situations?
- the writing of a collaborative thesis as a PEPA
Sabine Mendes Lima Moura, PhD candidate
May 2015
Contextualizing...
 A PhD in progress;
 EP as a new epistemological approach within
Applied Linguistics (participatory inquiry – GUBA
&LINCOLN, 2010 – and beyond);
 On the decision to collaborate when writing;
Co-authors: Caroline Barqueta, Caroline Vieira,
Heberton Prado, Jéssica Almenar, Beatriz Moreira,
Carolina Siqueira, Jaime Hermano, Caroline Lilian and
me (Sabine Mendes) – interacting face-to-face, on
Facebook and in a Whatsapp group.
On the “Heberton’s granny dillema” and on Science
and
Knowledge
(DEMO,
2010;
BOURDIEU,
2011,LATOUR, 2011; FEYERABEND, 2011, FOUCAULT,
2012)
Planning to understand (ALLWRIGHT, 2005;
BARRETO et al, 2015)
• The main PEPA – The collaborative thesis itself –
coming from the puzzle:
• “Why do we write about research following the
structure of chapters including a literature
review, a methodology and an analysis, when
we know that they do not guarantee a sound
methodological process?”
• Generating 5 other PEPAs, including “The Keep
Calm activity” proposed by Jéssica Almenar.
Jéssica’s Keep Calm activity:
Why do people feel trapped by some academic
situations?
...he thinks he is a
PhDivinity
...have you seen my
academic CV?
... where is your
theoretical
background?
Jéssica’s Keep Calm activity:
Why do people feel trapped by some academic
situations?
...I have narrowed my
monographic paper’s theme
so much that I don´t even
recognize it anymore.
...this semester
we´ll have only 365
mandatory
readings
...my teachers are
mistaking me for an
assigment-writing
machine
Jéssica’s Keep Calm activity:
Why do people feel trapped by some academic
situations?
...do not train me for
the SATs (Brazilian
version)
EP in Academia (a Brazilian perspective)
• Based on the representationalism/praxis view on language
(MARTINS, 2004) and on EP Brazilian dissertations and
thesis (MOURA, 2013)
Analysis
Perspective
EP role
Treating PEPA outcomes as
data (product view)
Taking representationalism
for granted
A philosophical approach, an
aggregate to AL
Treating analysis as a
reflexive tool
Praxis making the analysis
impossible
EP as the rebel or
incompetent AL sibling
Treating the narration of
PEPA as micro-analytical
moments
Representationalism as
useful within a larger praxis
context
EP as a way of resignifying
the academic genre
Treating language/discourse
as a phenomenon that
cannot be analysed.
Praxis making scientific
EP and AL as operational
construction impossible (???) fictions that do not focus on
language/discourse.
The fifth option... Defending a new
epistemologic approach for EP
• How do we understand the word analysis?
• Greek origin: detach, disolve, set free...
• The Language-relationship proposal: puzzles generating
more puzzles...
• Puzzles as a kind of analysis based on PEPAs (as
autoetnography; ELLIS and BOCHNER, 2000).
• This could become an interesting contribution to Applied
Linguistics in its attempt to overcome some assumptions:
the use of fossilized or monolitical empirical evidence, the
support on ideologies which are language artifacts only, the
lack of dialogue with more reflexive models coming from
language users and the concentration of its studies in
already established areas, more than problems emerging
from language everyday use (SILVA, 2015).
References
ALLWRIGHT, D. From learning points to teaching opportunities and beyond. In: TESOL QUARTERLY, Vol. 39, No. 1, March 2005
ALLWRIGHT & HANKS, J. The developing language learner – an introduction to exploratory practice. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.
BARRETO et al. Atividades pedagógicas com potencial exploratório: caminhos para a coconstrução de entendimentos. In: SILVA, KA; MASTRELLADE-ANDRADE, MR e ALVIM, C. Redes colaborativas na formação de professores de línguas.Campinas, SP: Pontes, no prelo.
BOURDIEU, P. Homo Academicus. Florianópolis: UFSC, 2011.
DEMO, P. Praticar ciência - metodologias do conhecimento científico. São Paulo: Saraiva, 2012.
ELLIS, C; BOCHNER, A. P. Autoethnography, Personal Narrative, Reflexivity: Researcher as Subject. In: DENZIN, N. K.; LINCOLN, Y. S. Handbook of
qualitative research. London: Sage Publication, 2000.
FEYERABEND, P. Contra o método. São Paulo: UNESP, 2011.
FOUCAULT, M. Arqueologia do Saber. Brasília: Gen/Forense Universitária, 2012.
LINCOLN, YS; GUBA, EG. Controvérsias paradigmáticas, contradições e confluências emergentes. O planejamento da pesquisa qualitativa –
teorias e abordagens. Porto Alegre: Artmed, 2010.
MARTINS, H. Três caminhos na filosofia da linguagem. In: BENTES, A.C e MUSSALIM, F. Introdução à Linguística: fundamentos epistemológicos,
vol. 3. São Paulo: Cortez, 2003.
MOURA, SML.Trabalhando para entender o entendimento - avaliação em teses e dissertações da Prática Exploratória. In: Pesquisas em Discurso
Pedagógico, não páginado, 2013. Disponível em: http://www.maxwell.vrac.puc-rio.br/rev_discurso.php?strSecao=report1&fas=224 Acesso
em 15 de Outubro de 2014.
SILVA, D do N. ‘A propósito de Linguística Aplicada’ 30 anos depois: quatro truísmos correntes e quatro desafios. In: DELTA, v. 31, 2015.