Review 2011

Transfer, transformation, and rhetorical knowledge: Insights from transfer theory

BD
Brent, Doug
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Journal · Vol. 25 · Issue 4 · pp. 396-420
Abstract

This article traces the uncomfortable relationship between writing studies and the concept of learning transfer. First it reviews three stages in the changing attitudes toward learning transfer in writing theory that is influenced by rhetorical genre studies, activity theory, and situated learning. Then it reviews learning transfer theory itself, an area that is seldom explicitly referred to in writing studies. The article concludes with a synthesis that brings transfer theory to bear on writing studies, suggesting directions for developing research and pedagogical practices related to business and technical communication. © The Author(s) 2011.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Situated learning Learning Transfer Activity theory Business communication Technical communication rhetorical genre studies workplace writing

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
Department of Communication and Culture, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
Funding & Acknowledgements
No funding information
References 10 References
1 ALEXANDER, PATRICIA A., Nurturing the seeds of transfer: A domain-specific perspective, International Journal of Educational Research, 31, 7, pp. 561-576, (1999)
2 Artemeva, Natasha, Toward a unified social theory of genre learning, Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 22, 2, pp. 160-185, (2008)
3 Genre in A Changing World, (2009)
4 Artemeva, Natasha, From page to stage: How theories of genre and situated learning help introduce engineering students to discipline-specific communication, Technical Communication Quarterly, 8, 3, pp. 301-316, (1999)
5 Shaping Written Knowledge the Genre and Activity of the Experimental Article in Science, (1988)
6 Teaching for Transfer Fostering Generalization in Learning, (1995)
7 Wpa Writing Program Administration, (2007)
8 Teaching for Transfer Fostering Generalization in Learning, (1995)
9 Worlds Apart Acting and Writing in Academic and Workplace Contexts, (1999)
10 Ford, Julie Dyke, Knowledge transfer across disciplines: Tracking rhetorical strategies from a technical communication classroom to an engineering classroom, IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 47, 4, pp. 301-315, (2004)
Quick Actions
Full Text via DOI
Citation Metrics
59
Times Cited (Scopus)
References 10
Document Identifiers