1

Rhetoric and Writing as a Foundation for Pre-professional School Clubs

Victoria Malaszuk

University of Central Florida

ENC1102: English Composition II

Professor Mooney

April 12, 2020

 2

As defined by Gee and Ann M. Johns in Writing about Writing, “if there is one thing that

most of the [discourse community definitions] have in common, it is an idea of language [and

genres] as a basis for sharing and holding in common” (p. 320). A key aspect the passage

contains is “the relationship of identity to discourse communities.” (p.320). When looking at the

discourse communities I am involved in, my identity to a discourse community is seen through

my involvement in the Pre-Dental Association at UCF (PDSA). The Pre-Dental Association at

UCF is based on collaboration among the members and other professional discourse

communities such as dental offices in order to accumulate new knowledge and social skills. As

an active member of PDSA, I want to raise awareness towards the need for implementation of

more pre-professional clubs like PDSA in universities and college campuses. Furthermore, I

want to fill in the gap of research that hasn’t been touched upon, that being how these clubs

make one aware of genres and effectively use writing and rhetoric to communicate with their

members. With this in mind, I want to focus on how these clubs make one form an identity as

well. Numerous studies have analyzed the benefits of pre-professional school clubs, primarily

being that these clubs promote human development/self-identity, communication, and contain

necessary literacy strategies reflecting writing and rhetoric. These concepts led me to develop my

overarching themes in my synthesis matrix which will help me in turn build my research from

the sources I have used.

Taking the Ferrara, M. et al. (2018) and Cave (2004) pieces for example, these two pieces

expand on the concept of self-identity through studies done in school clubs. Cave’s piece

researches six different Japanese school clubs while Ferrara, M. et al piece researches five STEM

clubs. Both conclude that self-identity is a positive outcome and almost always results with a

student’s development due to an individual’s tie to that specific discourse community. In other
 3

words, the idea of self-identity comes from one’s focus on the passion behind what they are

engaging in. This perfectly reflects John’s (2019) article in which he states “the relationship of

identity to discourse communities.” While the Foreman, E., & Retallick, M. (2016) article

doesn’t explicitly state self-identity like the three other sources, it expands on the concept of

leadership in clubs and the values associated with it. Leadership is linked with self-identity and

Johns talks about it in her article as well where she mentions how one can “gain authority in the

classroom or over texts” (p. 335).

Similarly, Alvermann, D. et al. (1999) and Casey (2012) examine the benefits of school

clubs as well but they aim their research towards finding what literacy strategies are used in these

school clubs. Alvermann, D. et al. (1999) assess that communal activity plays a big part in these

clubs and defines this term as “the interactions that occur as adolescents negotiate, reinvent, and

jointly create their lifeworlds with others of their own age and with the adults who share their

world.” Casey focuses on visual representation of text in a pre-professional club setting and

concludes with the “importance of individual and collective engagement” in these types of

discourse communities.

Beach, R., & Yussen, S. (2011) articles pays attention to the practices that contribute to

productive discussions in book clubs. Specific lexis goes hand-in-hand with this because every

club has a certain speech/language which members follow to interact with one another. Gee’s

(1989) article does well explaining this by stating in the text that “people construct meaning

through texts and language, and texts construct meaning as people use them” (p.275).

Based on these research articles, one can conclude that there is enough evidence showing

why pre-professional clubs are a necessary part to be implemented in schools and universities but

as mentioned previously, there is a gap to be filled when it comes to answering the question of
 4

how exactly rhetoric and writing act as a foundation for this type of discourse community.

Researching this topic is important because communication, one of the major themes found

across all the articles researched, relies heavily on the basis of rhetoric and writing.

Methods

My primary research is based on two of the ten possible methods discussed. The first

primary research method I focused on is textual analysis, which defined in EasyWriter is “the

breaking down of a particular text in order to ascertain its underlying themes, motivations,

purposes, and rhetorical impact.” (p. R-8) The texts I broke down were the following: PDSA

powerpoints, PDSA pamphlets, and the notes I took during the meetings and workshops. When

looking at these texts I analyzed each rhetorically and saw if there was a repetition of certain

genres, lexus, and writing patterns used. To connect these three resources to writing and rhetoric

in the discourse community, I related to the Learning the Language passage by Perri Klass in

Writing about Writing in order to further understand how every text used linguistic trade-offs to

accomplish full involvement in this type of discourse community. The second primary research

method I used was multimodal text analysis which, similarly to textual analysis, is “the process

of textual analysis that questions how textual, visual, auditory, and other text elements operate to

deliver messages and meaning.” I broke down both the UCF PDSA website and instagram

profile and like the textual analysis I looked for themes in genres, writing, and lexes. The essay I

referred to when breaking down both multimodal texts was From Pencils to Pixels by Dennis

Baron in Writing about Writing. This passage primarily talks about how technology “is one of

the constraints which accompany all writing and rhetorical situations.” These two primary

research methods effectively helped me in answering my research question because by breaking

 5

down each textual resource I found the most successful writing and rhetoric pattern used in clubs

like PDSA to communicate to their members.

Results

Overall, my primary data revealed to me that all themes/codes mentioned in my coding

chart overlapped in each piece I analyzed.

Textual Analysis

PDSA Notes & PDSA Pamphlet

The PDSA notes I take during the meetings are not that in depth but carry the most

important information for me. My notes look something like this: bulleted notes of upcoming

events, short sentences include location of an event, date/time, and what to wear. Additionally,

any officer contact information is written down, and any new dental terms are written as well. (A

hand drawn picture is included if necessary.) The PDSA pamphlet, on the other hand, is a lot

more in depth and is given out during different events. The specific pamphlet I analyzed was

from a chairside assisting workshop. The features that stood out the most to me and from which I

could create themes from where the different dental diagrams included, a “Frequently used

dental terms” worksheet to complete with your own definition, a " SOAP Method of writing

notes” section. (Appendix C) These pieces of data can aid me in my research because Lexus is a

big aspect found in both. Dental terms are highlighted in both pieces showing that

communication among members is based off of the specific lexes used. Secondly, the PDSA

pamphlet exemplifies writing used in the Pre-Dental Association because a specific section on

“SOAP Methods of Writing” is included in which it talks about how a dental assistant writes a

patient’s charting notes. With this being found, I get a better understanding of how exactly

rhetoric ad writing is used in pre-professional clubs.

 6

Multi-model Analysis

General Body Meeting Powerpoints & Instagram Profile:

The first primary piece of data I chose to analyze was a General Body Meeting

Powerpoint. Overall, all general meeting powerpoints display similarities so I decided to stick to

fully analyzing one powerpoint which was the Spring 2020 powerpoint. As shown in Appendix

A, each slide consists of a header, at least one picture, and specific information related to what

each slide shows. The powerpoint included a “Members of the Month” slide which reflects my

coding chart’s theme of “member involvement.” With this slide, a picture of the member and

their name is included. Several slides highlighted the theme of “opportunities” as well. For

example, as seen in Appendix A, a “Dental Waxing Workshop” slide and a “Upcoming

Volunteering Events” slide is included each with a picture related to that opportunity and

information related to that event. When looking ay the Instagram profile, I could see that it is

easy for one to access information on almost everything related to the club. However, the page

seems to focus mostly around members engagements within the club. Similarly, to the

powerpoints, a “spotlight” section can be found where a picture of a “member of the month” is

included along with a short paragraph about the member. Another big on the instagram is

“events.” As mentioned previously, the club focuses a lot on member involvement so pictures of

either upcoming events or past events are uploaded with a short description and a hashtag related

to that event. Additionally, “Term Thursdays” posts are uploaded to inform members about new

dental terminology. (see Appendix B) These primary pieces of data aid me in helping answer my

research question because they reflect the benefits of pre-professional clubs and these

“opportunity” slides/post act as specific examples of some of the benefits.

 7

Discussion

Opportunities as a Foundation

After breaking down these pieces of primary data, I have realized that there is a trend that

each piece follows. All pieces focus on communicating opportunities to their members so that

individuals can get the most out of each event. The focus of communicating different

opportunities to members is seen to reflect an individual’s future in the career associated with the

club. Furthermore, the different opportunities act a foundation to a member’s future career. After

analyzing my primary data, the theme of “opportunities” was seen mostly through the visuals in

the PowerPoint and Instagram profile and while it wasn’t directly found in my PDSA notes or

pamphlet, these two pieces contained necessary information that went hand-in-hand with the

different opportunities (workshops, patient charts, seminars, etc.) This research supports some of

my secondary sources as both confirm the benefits to one’s future that pre-professional clubs

hold. For example, Alvermann, D. et al. (1999) concludes that “the interactions that occur as

adolescents negotiate, reinvent, and jointly create their lifeworlds with others of their own age

and with the adults who share their world.” (Alvermann, D. et al., 1999) Additionally, Casey

(2012) states the “importance of individual and collective engagement” as reflection of an

individual’s success. (Casey,2012)

Language and Visuals

The multi-model analysis pieces successfully use rhetoric by using specific dental

terminology to pull in members to try new events as well as writing short descriptions about how

these opportunities will be useful when it comes to the dental field. Additionally, “members of

the month” are posted to encourage students to participate in more events as an opportunity to be
 8

picked as the next “member of the month.” The textual analysis pieces also use dental

terminology and even had shown what writing in dental setting looks like by adding a “SOAP

Method of Writing” notes in the PDSA pamphlet. I have concluded that visuals are a key aspect.

The club uses lots of diagrams and pictures to go more in depth when explaining something. I

found that the most effective way members communicate in a pre-professional club like PDSA is

through the lexus used, more specifically that being the dental terminology. Almost everything in

the clubs shadows a specific lexus and if someone outside of the club was to listen to the

different terminology used, they wouldn’t be able to quite understand it. My secondary source

supports this. While the Beach, R., & Yussen, S. (2011) articles doesn’t directly talk about pre-

professional clubs it does however discuss the practices that contribute to productive discussions

in book clubs in which lexis is linked. The article mentions that every club has a certain

speech/language which members follow to interact with one another. Gee’s (1989) article does

well explaining this by stating in the text that “people construct meaning through texts and

language, and texts construct meaning as people use them” (p.275).

Conclusion:

Ultimately, this data helps me to answer my research question because a link is seen

between students engaging in these opportunities and reflecting the skills they have adapted in

these events to their future careers. This data in fact supports the research findings in my

secondary sources as they both display the benefits of joining a pre-professional organization. On

the other hand, my secondary sources were limited when it came to discussing how rhetoric and

writing is used in this type of discourse community. My primary research data expands on

exactly how rhetoric and writing is used as well as the type of rhetoric and writing used in order

to communicate to members. I have concluded that a successful pre-professional organization

 9

strives to use specific lexes as the basis of communication among members. A successful pre-

professional organization also uses social media where visuals are key to spread the most

relevant and up-to-date information on the club. My findings show that pre-professional

organizations target members to join through the opportunities and benefits offered that will

shape an individual’s pathway to a successful career. After analyzing all my data, some questions

that have been raised is how exactly (in number/percentage form) are these pieces successful

when it comes to the number of students joining/coming out to these events? In other words,

after seeing all these primary pieces of data how many individuals proceed to enroll in the

opportunities given? I believe that these questions are possibilities for future research and that

future research could consist of coming up with a survey of how many members sign up for the

opportunities provided based on the powerpoint and instagram. Also, what posts and slides stand

out the most to members when signing up for events. By researching this, the Pre-Dental

Association could focus on posting only certain types of slides and photos and use specified

rhetoric to attract the most individuals.

 10

Works Cited :

Alvermann, D., Young, J., Green, C., & Wisenbaker, J. (1999). Adolescents' perceptions and

negotiations of literacy practices in after-school read and talk clubs. American

Educational Research Journal, 36(2), 221-264. Retrieved February 26, 2020, from

www.jstor.org/stable/1163539.

Beach, R., & Yussen, S. (2011). Practices of productive adult book clubs. Journal of Adolescent

& Adult Literacy, 55(2), 121-131. Retrieved March 9, 2020, from

www.jstor.org/stable/41309667

Casey, H. (2012). Multimodal learning clubs: students in multimodal learning clubs use a variety

of texts to learn important content. Middle School Journal, 44(2), 39-48. Retrieved

February 26, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/41763118.

Cave, P. (2004). "Bukatsudō": the educational role of Japanese school clubs. Journal of

Japanese Studies, 30(2), 383-415. Retrieved February 26, 2020, from

www.jstor.org/stable/25064493.

Ferrara, M., Talbot, R., Mason, H., Wee, B., Rorrer, R., Jacobson, M., & Gallagher, D. (2018).

Enriching undergraduate experiences with outreach in school STEM clubs. Journal of

College Science Teaching, 47(6), 74-82. Retrieved February 26, 2020, from

www.jstor.org/stable/44840705.
 11

Foreman, E., & Retallick, M. (2016). The Effect of Undergraduate Extracurricular Involvement

and Leadership Activities on Community Values of the Social Change Model. NACTA

Journal,60(1), 86-92. doi:10.2307/nactajournal.60.1.86

Gee, J. (1989). Literacy, discourse, and linguistics. In E. Wardle & D. Downs (3rd). Writing

about writing: A college reader (pp.274-295). Bedford/St. Martins

Johns, A. (1997). Discourse communities and communities of practice. In E. Wardle & D.

Downs (3rd). Writing about writing: A college reader (pp.319-339). Bedford/St. Martins
 12

Coding Chart:

General Body Instagram Profile PDSA Notes PDSA Pamphlet

Meeting (given at events)
Powerpoints
Member “Members of the “Spotlight” highlight on IG None None
Involvement Month” slide with profile with picture of
pictures of members chosen member and a short But the hands-on
paragraph about the workshops are
member. member
involvement.

Opportunities Slides of upcoming Posts of PAST workshops, Bulleted notes of Knowledge

workshops, fundraisers, volunteering upcoming events; gained, skills
fundraisers, events, and Dental school short sentences learned, any new
volunteering events, visits to give members an include location of terminology
and Dental school idea of what occurred an event, acquired during a
visits. during that specific date/time, and specific event is
opportunity. what to wear. considered.
Each opportunity
slide gives A short caption under each Hands-on
information about picture that gives a workshops.
the location of the description of the event and
event, date/time, and what took place.
what to wear.

Officers Each member has a “Keeping up with Alumni” Contact None

set of slides they highlights a profile where information of
talk about when the stories (videos/pictures with PDSA officers. (if
powerpoint is descriptions) are posted in needed)
presented at each that section to show how
general body the alumni of the club are
meeting. participating in the dental
In the beginning of community.
each set of slides, a
picture of them and Election posts: show a
their name is shown. picture of each member
running for an officer
position.
 13

Visual Slides have photos Photos of members, action Drawn pictures to Diagram of the
of members, photos shots of members learning go along with a tooth numbering
of dental schools, new skills. dental term. system.
photos of dental
equipment, IG profile page overview: Positions of the
motivational quotes, Quote: “Motivate. Educate. tooth.
or gifs with written Inspire. Feeding into the
information along future of dentistry, one pre- Treatment notes
with each photo. dent at a time!”
gives date of next SOAP Method of
Just enough info is meeting.PDSA website link writing notes
presented for an mentioned.
individual to get a Appendix B Patient chart and
good understanding dental
of what is going on examinations
in each slide.
Appendix A. x-ray charts

Lexis Dental terminology “Term Thursdays” weekly Written dental “Frequently used
such as scrubs, posts which show a diagram terms. dental terms”
cavity, crown, root or photo of dental term. worksheet to
canal etc. “Term of the complete with
Caption includes the dental week” your own
term and defines it. definition.

Hashtags None #ucfpdsa #termthursdays None None

#teamwork #workshop etc.
 14

Appendix A: Powerpoint Slide

 15

Appendix B: Instagram Profile

16
 17

Appendix C: PDSA Pamphlet