Projection of Identity in
Introductory Posts: a Critical
Discourse Analysis of Strategies
of Online Self-Presentation
Denis Samburskiy
SUNY at Albany
Background and Data Collection
 Teaching English Well Online
 SUNY Ph.D. candidates –
Dwight, Simon, Jack - NS,
Jasmine, Daniel – NNS.
 Introductory posts
Research Questions:
 How do online educators introduce
themselves to their virtual students?
 What do texts of such introductions reveal
about online teacher identity expression
online from a critical discourse perspective?
 Which themes from teachers’ introductory
texts students more readily associate with in
their responses?
Theoretical Framework
O Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) – language is a
form of social practice (Fairclough, 1989).
O CDA facilitates a view of language as having
meaning in a particular historical, political, and
social condition.
O Wodak (2002, p. 6): ‘the notions of ideology,
power, hierarchy and gender together with
sociological variables [are] all seen as relevant
for an interpretation or explanation of text’.
3 dimensions of CDA (Fairclough)
O Analysis of Text – Description
O Analysis of Discursive Practices –
Interpretation
O Analysis of Sociocultural Context Explanation
SOCIOCULTURAL CONTEXT (explanation)
DISCOURSE (interpretation)
TEXT (description)
Textual Analysis - Egocentrism
Textual Analysis - Pronouns
NAME
I (and
derivatives)
MY
ME
YOU
YOUR
JACK
33
12
1
2
0
SIMON
31
10
2
13
0
JASMINE
18
8
2
7
4
DWIGHT
11
5
0
1
0
DANIEL
10
3
0
15
4
Textual Analysis - Pronouns
Self-directed vs. Other-Directed Self-Directed in
NAME
Entire Text
Other-Directed
in Entire Text
NUMBER
RATIO
PERCENT
PERCENT
JACK
46:2
23:1
8.35%
0.36%
SIMON
43:13
3.31:1
6.34%
1.92%
JASMINE
28:11
2.55:1
8.86%
4.35%
DWIGHT
16:1
16:1
7.62%
0.48%
DANIEL
13:19
0.68:1
5.14%
7.51%
Textual Analysis - Daniel
 “Hello, friends”
 Solidarity-promoting ‘WE” (Tapper, 1994; Rowland
1999):
o ‘let’s introduce ourselves’
o ‘help us get to know each other better’
Discursive Analysis - Themes
 Professionalism
 Awareness of Audience
 Affinity
 Multifaceted Self-Image
 Erudition
Discursive Analysis - Themes
Discursive Analysis - Themes
THEMES
I have an academic degree
TEACHERS
+
STUDENTS
-
I have teaching experience
I have expert English language
skills/I’m a native speaker
+
-
+
-
I’m managing the course
+
-
I can teach you new things
+
-
I have a professional interest
+
some
I have travelled a lot
+
some
I have interests and hobbies
You choose from a few topics
to discuss
+
+
+
+
Sociocultural analysis
O Imaginary Recipient vs. Producer
– ‘ideal subject’
O Culture Capital (Bourdieu) – ‘the
haves’ and ‘the havenots’
O Native vs. Nonnative
O Hegemony (I-Centeredness)
Implications:
I recommend that online instructors endow their
students with more authority by following these:
 remember about your audience and validate
their presence continuously
 dedicate more of your message to your students
by addressing them directly
 encourage your students to be active readers by
asking them to react to your text
 share more information that has the potential of
being relevant to your students’ lives (e.g., your
personal interests, leisure activities, favorite
books, movies, music)
Implications:
I recommend that online instructors endow their students with more
authority by following these:
 make your students believe they have something that





you have an acute interest in knowing
provide your students with a number of possible
topics to discuss
put less emphasis on your power – empower your
students
learn more about your students’ culture and
language
minimize detachment from your students, as online
environment may seem impersonal already
add an amicable picture to your post
ACTFL 21-century skills and Teacher
Power
 Could we promote communicative
competence in our students in its entirety
and developing their critical thinking while
utilizing traditional teacher-centered
philosophy both online and f2f?
 Is teacher discourse foregrounding an
unequal hegemonic relationship between
learners and instructors consistent with a
view of the teacher as a
facilitator/collaborator?
Thank you!
O Questions: denisalbany@gmail.com
O I sincerely thank Pr. Carla Meskill for her
insightful feedback.