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Lee, Yew-Jin
- PublicationOpen AccessMultimodality of high school’s students’ interview for explanation of addition reaction(2006-11)
; The paper presents a case study report of two high school students’ explanation of addition reaction during an interview. It aims to characterise students’ discourse dealing with the concepts of reaction mechanism from a multimodal communication perspective. The research addresses the following questions: (1) What roles do the different communicative modes play within students’ discourse? (2) What are the relationships among communicative modes used by the students? A theoretical framework based on multimodal communication and social semiotics which guided the analysis of the students’ discourse and the results of the analysis are presented in the paper. Implications for teaching and learning of science are also drawn from the study.50 50 - PublicationOpen AccessLatent power in high school organic chemistry discourse(2006-11)
; This paper draws on Foucault to (a) describe the production of classroom discourse in relation to how ordering manifests within the discourse, and (b) to explicate how chemistry classroom discourses are not fixed but are the site of constant contestations of power as displayed in an eighty minute high school lesson on organic chemistry in Singapore. This microanalysis of discourse provides opportunities to reconstruct how teachers teach and dispels the notion that power is uniquely their sovereign possession. Classroom instruction is in fact a complex activity that coordinates power/knowledge production through communication. Examining classroom instruction through Foucaultian lenses uncovers the taken for granted nature of communication and illustrates the capillary relations of power and knowing.47 45 - PublicationMetadata onlySpills and thrills: Internship challenges for learning in epistemic spacesWe examine the challenges and emergent nature of learning during undergraduate internships. Much scholarly inquiry on the latter focuses on internship experiences within traditional professional domains such as medicine, teacher education, and other fields. There is less knowledge about undergraduate interns entering more fluid and recent work sectors such as Public Relations and Communication. In this study, a sociomaterial perspective guided the interest in the situated and emergent nature of learning as an intern in such tool-saturated environments. Specifically, we examined how interns learn to participate in such activities, and how they encounter and appropriate sociomaterial resources used for coordinating and performing work practices. Using a case study method, we examined internship experiences of penultimate undergraduates in communication studies (N = 38). From semi-structured interviews, strategies such as scaffolding, networking and negotiating with colleagues, and technological tools as contingent means for coping with workplace challenges were reported during the initial stage of their internship. By making visible knowledge strategies undergraduates interns employ for learning at the workplace, we call to attention the role of and access to technologies, significant others, and workplace culture in the development of professional learning in such dynamic professional settings.
WOS© Citations 1Scopus© Citations 2 92 - PublicationOpen AccessOrganizational socialization strategies of interns transitioning to telecommuting work in uncertain times
Purpose
The study aims to examine how organizational socialization occurs for interns transitioning from onsite to telecommuting work, particularly in a context where traditional supports have been reduced due to the pandemic.Design/methodology/approach
Drawing from interviews (n = 22) of undergraduates interning at advertorial and marketing firms, the study conducted a thematic analysis of workplace learning experiences of undergraduate interns─newcomers at the workplace when disruption of traditional ways of performing work activities occurred. In particular, the enforced telecommuting work-from-home arrangements due to the pandemic provided a unique setting for this study of internship learning in changing contexts. The analyses reveal differences in undergraduate interns’ experiences of organizational socialization when they were at the physical workplace as compared to when they had to work remotely.Findings
Interns reported benefitting from structured onboarding, supportive peer systems, and regular face-to-face meetings with supervisors, which facilitated their socialization and understanding of workplace culture before the pandemic. However, as telecommuting became the norm during the pandemic, these experiences shifted. Interns adapted by engaging in digital interactions to mirror office dynamics, extending work hours due to blurred work-life boundaries, and independently seeking information in the absence of direct guidance. When adapting to digital communication and independent learning, interns faced challenges like longer working hours and reduced spontaneous interactions, indicating a preference for the traditional, in-person socialization methods of the pre-pandemic workplace.Originality/value
This study provides insight into interns’ experiences during the global shift to hybrid work as a result of the pandemic, contributing fresh insights into organizational socialization processes amidst workplace disruptions. The conclusions offer valuable implications for future adaptive onboarding practices in educational and professional settings.18 360 - PublicationOpen AccessIconic gestures as undervalued representations during science teachingIconic gestures that are ubiquitous in speech are integral to human meaning-making. However, few studies have attempted to map out the role of these gestures in science teaching. This paper provides a review of existing literature in everyday communication and education to articulate potential contributions of iconic gestures for science teaching. We then analyze the iconic gestures produced by one university professor during a semester-long organic chemistry module to exemplify the functions of iconic gestures in sharing abstract scientific concepts. These gestures were found to show vital information about size, relative position, and movement of particles. Implications for designing teaching environments are discussed in light of our claims and we propose that iconic gestures can illuminate aspects of abstract scientific meaning to present a more complete version of meaning than what speech can accomplish on its own.
WOS© Citations 3Scopus© Citations 7 415 203 - PublicationMetadata onlyPost-secondary education institutions internships: The Singapore experienceThis chapter describes the landscape of formal internship programmes available in our Singapore education context. Focusing on internship programmes offered by the three main types of institutions that define the Post-Secondary Education Institutional (PSEI) space in Singapore, Universities, Polytechnics, and the Institute of Technical Education, we posit internships as an integral part of the curriculum and a critical element of learning. We begin by tracing the roots of internship in these broad institutional categories to highlight the organisation and nuances of the various internship programmes. We will also attempt to draw connections between the development of internship programmes and the Singapore SkillsFuture initiatives and to suggest some areas for enhancement.
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