Skrywer-leser-verhoudings: die rol van metadiskoers in tersiêre studiegidse / Writer-reader relationships: the role of metadiscourse in tertiary study guides

Abstract

The role of study guides at tertiary institutions can entail much more than merely providing summaries and notes about a particular module. It can, for example, also be used to provide students with information about the field of study as a whole, differentiate between important and less important information within the module, and contextualise subject content. It can even give students support in terms of possible career opportunities or provide other additional information. Despite the content and subject-specific information, study guides can also have a big linguistic impact on reader-writer relationships, which can influence the relationship that develops between the lecturer and students in a classroom situation. In this article, the nature and occurrence of reader-writer relationships in tertiary study guides are investigated. The methods that writers of these guides employ are analysed within the context of metadiscourse, and the discussion focuses on whether or not these methods are effective. Qualitative text analyses are used along with a descriptive approach to evaluate the interpersonal and textual metafunctions in the texts. Elements that are identified in the research can be used in future analyses of similar academic texts which are aimed at students.