David Corson
Biographic Data
| ID | 739734 |
|---|---|
| NAME | David Corson |
| GIVEN NAMES | David |
| FAMILY NAME | Corson |
| SIGNATURE | CORSON D |
| AFFILIATIONS | Massey University |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 33 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 70 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 30 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 3 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1982 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Encyclopedia of Language and Education: Second Language Education
Encyclopedia of Language and Education: Knowledge about Language
Bilingual Education
Language Policy in Schools: A Resource for Teachers and Administrators
Encyclopedia of Language and Education
Language and education are two enormous areas of inquiry, so to tackle both fields in a fair and comprehensive manner, even within a multivolume encyclopedia, is a daunting task. Corson, the general editor of this eight-volume publication, has bravely accepted this challenge in the Encyclopedia of Language and Education. Each volume is hardbound, handsomely printed, and coedited by a scholar whose specialty is the focus of that particular issue. …
Community-based Education for Indigenous Cultures
The recent tendency of governments to view their educational policies in terms of the market-place, with an implied preference for homogeneity and centralisation, has created further obstacles to the education of minority students generally, and indigenous students in particular. The paper presents and develops the notion of community-based education as a means of combating this tendency. Some examples of indigenous community-based education are …
Critical Realism: An Emancipatory Philosophy for Applied Linguistics?
Applied linguistics goes beyond ideal matters of linguistic meaning and into the real world of human interaction It relates theory (and theories) to practice So its concerns reach into questions of ‘being’ itself The influential philosophy of the human sciences, critical realism, begins with questions of being It views the non-human properties of the social world as real entities, especially the reasons and accounts that people offer to interpret…
Reclaiming reality: Laying the ideology of cultural compatibility
Social Justice and Language Policy in Education: The Canadian Research
The Learning and Use of Academic English Words
This article examines the learning and use of academic English words by students who differ socioculturally. It argues that the Graeco-Latin vocabulary of English, which dominates the language's academic vocabulary, offers various levels of potential difficulty for students from different class, cultural, or linguistic social factions. It presents the evidence for this conclusion by integrating work from discursive psychology, the sociology of la…
Discourse and Power in Educational Organizations
World view, cultural values and discourse norms: The cycle of cultural reproduction
Rom Harré & Grant Gillett, The discursive mind. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1994, Pp. viii, 192
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
"Norway's "Sámi Language Act: Emancipatory implications for the world's aboriginal peoples
The Sámi (formerly called Lapps) are the indigenous people of Arctic Scandinavia and northwest Russia. Legislation giving major language and cultural rights to Norway's Sámi people was enacted in 1992. As an introduction to discussion of the impact of the Sámi Language Act on Norwegian education, this article begins with an outline of the schooling system in Norway. Its review of the act itself covers the following topics: the Sámi culture and th…
Language, Minority Education and Gender: Linking Social Justice and Power
Discursive bias and ideology in the administration of minority group interests
This study suggests how easily distorted communication can arise in formal administrative discourse when the interests of those with some stake in the matter under discussion are not represented among the participants. After discussing the nature of power and its exercise in administrative settings, the article presents three episodes of discourse analysis. Members of a Board of Trustees were highly successful in debating and reaching suitable co…
Language, Gender and Education: A critical review linking social justice and power
Since the mid‐1970s studies of language and gender have been increasingly concerned with social justice issues. One aim of these studies has been to identify the role that language plays in the location and maintenance of women in a disadvantageous position in society. This article looks at the role that education plays in creating unjust gender arrangements in society through its language policies and the discursive practices that it legitimates…
Bilingual education policy and social justice
A critical policy decision to be made in a school system is the choice of the language that is to be used as the medium of instruction for children. This article examines the evidence to suggest that policies of bilingual education are desirable on social justice grounds in pluralist societies. It also examines several specific justice‐related issues in the bilingual education policy area. As recently as the early 1980s the conventional policy in…
Educational Research and Bhaskar's Conception of Discovery
Bhaskar's Critical Realism and Educational Knowledge
As a critical realist Bhaskar is concerned with 'emancipatory social practice'. For him the world cannot be changed rationally unless it is interpreted adequately and this interpretation has as its prerequisite the philosophical idea of the independent existence of the natural and the social world; he extends his ideas from the sciences directly into the social sciences. His organising theme is: the nature of, and the prospects for, human emancip…
Realities of teaching in a multiethnic school
Applying the Stages of a Social Epistemology to School Policy Making
Applying the stages of a social epistemology to school policy making
Three curriculum and organisational responses to cultural pluralism in New Zealand schooling
This article looks at three educational responses to cultural diversity that are now operating alongside one another in New Zealand schooling. The first response is the minimum now recommended for government schools: the incorporation of programmes in taha Maori ('things Maori') within the mainstream curriculum of schools; the second response is the organisational and curricular modification of existing schools to take account of Maori student pr…
Old and New Conceptions of Discovery in Education
Community-based Education for Indigenous Cultures
The recent tendency of governments to view their educational policies in terms of the market-place, with an implied preference for homogeneity and centralisation, has created further obstacles to the education of minority students generally, and indigenous students in particular. The paper presents and develops the notion of community-based education as a means of combating this tendency. Some examples of indigenous community-based education are …
Bhaskar's Critical Realism and Educational Knowledge
As a critical realist Bhaskar is concerned with 'emancipatory social practice'. For him the world cannot be changed rationally unless it is interpreted adequately and this interpretation has as its prerequisite the philosophical idea of the independent existence of the natural and the social world; he extends his ideas from the sciences directly into the social sciences. His organising theme is: the nature of, and the prospects for, human emancip…
The Learning and Use of Academic English Words
This article examines the learning and use of academic English words by students who differ socioculturally. It argues that the Graeco-Latin vocabulary of English, which dominates the language's academic vocabulary, offers various levels of potential difficulty for students from different class, cultural, or linguistic social factions. It presents the evidence for this conclusion by integrating work from discursive psychology, the sociology of la…
Language, Minority Education and Gender: Linking Social Justice and Power
World view, cultural values and discourse norms: The cycle of cultural reproduction
"Norway's "Sámi Language Act: Emancipatory implications for the world's aboriginal peoples
The Sámi (formerly called Lapps) are the indigenous people of Arctic Scandinavia and northwest Russia. Legislation giving major language and cultural rights to Norway's Sámi people was enacted in 1992. As an introduction to discussion of the impact of the Sámi Language Act on Norwegian education, this article begins with an outline of the schooling system in Norway. Its review of the act itself covers the following topics: the Sámi culture and th…
Foreign Language Policy at School Level: FLT and Cultural Studies Across the Curriculum
This article is written with two audiences in view: the teacher of foreign languages who is interested in the relationship between the foreign language curriculum on the one hand and matters of school administration, policy and management on the othec and the school administrator or policy maker who is interested in the role and place of the foreign language curriculum in policy and planning at the school level. The article includes: an introduct…
Education for work: Reflections towards a theory of vocational education
Realities of teaching in a multiethnic school
Policy in social context: A collapse of holistic planning in education
This article examines the impact of 'extra‐educational' factors on a holistic policy initiative in education: the collapse of the further education policy in the Australian state of Tasmania, an initiative which sought to integrate technical education, adult education and senior secondary colleges into one new organization. The article introduces a 'phenomenological' methodology which attempts to give credence to the diverse views of 'organizatio…
The Graeco-Latin (G-L) Instrument: A New Measure of Semantic Complexity in Oral and Written English
This article introduces a new and much-needed measure of levels of semantic complexity in oral and written English language texts. Reference is made to the research programme within which this Graeco-Latin (G—L) Instrument was developed. Evidence is extracted from that research to validate the claim that the instrument does measure levels of lexical abstraction and overall levels of textual semantic complexity in English. Some limitations and cau…
Discursive bias and ideology in the administration of minority group interests
This study suggests how easily distorted communication can arise in formal administrative discourse when the interests of those with some stake in the matter under discussion are not represented among the participants. After discussing the nature of power and its exercise in administrative settings, the article presents three episodes of discourse analysis. Members of a Board of Trustees were highly successful in debating and reaching suitable co…
Bilingual education policy and social justice
A critical policy decision to be made in a school system is the choice of the language that is to be used as the medium of instruction for children. This article examines the evidence to suggest that policies of bilingual education are desirable on social justice grounds in pluralist societies. It also examines several specific justice‐related issues in the bilingual education policy area. As recently as the early 1980s the conventional policy in…
Three curriculum and organisational responses to cultural pluralism in New Zealand schooling
This article looks at three educational responses to cultural diversity that are now operating alongside one another in New Zealand schooling. The first response is the minimum now recommended for government schools: the incorporation of programmes in taha Maori ('things Maori') within the mainstream curriculum of schools; the second response is the organisational and curricular modification of existing schools to take account of Maori student pr…
The Corson Measure of Passive Vocabulary
This instrument for measuring passive vocabulary has its theoretical roots in the "use" theory of meaning: the understanding of an expression is manifested in the speaker's ability to use it in an identifiable mode of utterance. The Measure takes account of the notions conveyed by such phrases as "true semantic grasp," "extralinguistic context" and "motivated vocabulary." After describing the Measure's simple structure in outline, the paper exami…
Social dialect, the semantic barrier, and access to curricular knowledge
This paper introduces the theory of the lexical bar. It reports research studies conducted in England and Australia. A semantic barrier exists in the English lexicon that emerges from socio-historical factors and is reinforced by the socio-occupational orderings of contemporary society. This barrier separates the lexes of conservative peripheral social dialects from the lexes of dominant central dialects. It serves to produce differential attainm…
Reclaiming reality: Laying the ideology of cultural compatibility
Discourse and Power in Educational Organizations
Making the language of education policies more user‐friendly
The problem of making education policy documents more explicit is addressed in this paper. As a vehicle for discussion the paper examines a contemporary policy that has major shortcomings in the explicitness of its language: Australia's ‘Participation and Equity Program’, a policy directed at increasing access to education by post‐compulsory level students. Problems in making policies explicit are discussed. Policies are seen as complex messages …
The Graeco-Latin (G-L) Instrument: A New Measure of Semantic Complexity in Oral and Written English
This article introduces a new and much-needed measure of levels of semantic complexity in oral and written English language texts. Reference is made to the research programme within which this Graeco-Latin (G—L) Instrument was developed. Evidence is extracted from that research to validate the claim that the instrument does measure levels of lexical abstraction and overall levels of textual semantic complexity in English. Some limitations and cau…
The Corson Measure of Passive Vocabulary
This instrument for measuring passive vocabulary has its theoretical roots in the "use" theory of meaning: the understanding of an expression is manifested in the speaker's ability to use it in an identifiable mode of utterance. The Measure takes account of the notions conveyed by such phrases as "true semantic grasp," "extralinguistic context" and "motivated vocabulary." After describing the Measure's simple structure in outline, the paper exami…
Social dialect, the semantic barrier, and access to curricular knowledge
This paper introduces the theory of the lexical bar. It reports research studies conducted in England and Australia. A semantic barrier exists in the English lexicon that emerges from socio-historical factors and is reinforced by the socio-occupational orderings of contemporary society. This barrier separates the lexes of conservative peripheral social dialects from the lexes of dominant central dialects. It serves to produce differential attainm…
The Lexical Bar: Lexical change from 12 to 15 years measured by social class, region and ethnicity
Three measuring instruments are used in this study of 12‐ and 15‐year‐old children's passive vocabulary, active vocabulary and lexical diversity. Children are drawn from samples delimited by two social class backgrounds and by West Indian (Jamaican) background. Research was performed in north London and South Yorkshire. Highly significant differences are found in lexical access, by age, to semantic fields representative of knowledge categories of…
Education for work: Reflections towards a theory of vocational education
Policy in social context: A collapse of holistic planning in education
This article examines the impact of 'extra‐educational' factors on a holistic policy initiative in education: the collapse of the further education policy in the Australian state of Tasmania, an initiative which sought to integrate technical education, adult education and senior secondary colleges into one new organization. The article introduces a 'phenomenological' methodology which attempts to give credence to the diverse views of 'organizatio…
Making the language of education policies more user‐friendly
The problem of making education policy documents more explicit is addressed in this paper. As a vehicle for discussion the paper examines a contemporary policy that has major shortcomings in the explicitness of its language: Australia's ‘Participation and Equity Program’, a policy directed at increasing access to education by post‐compulsory level students. Problems in making policies explicit are discussed. Policies are seen as complex messages …
Foreign Language Policy at School Level: FLT and Cultural Studies Across the Curriculum
This article is written with two audiences in view: the teacher of foreign languages who is interested in the relationship between the foreign language curriculum on the one hand and matters of school administration, policy and management on the othec and the school administrator or policy maker who is interested in the role and place of the foreign language curriculum in policy and planning at the school level. The article includes: an introduct…
Applying the Stages of a Social Epistemology to School Policy Making
Applying the stages of a social epistemology to school policy making
Three curriculum and organisational responses to cultural pluralism in New Zealand schooling
This article looks at three educational responses to cultural diversity that are now operating alongside one another in New Zealand schooling. The first response is the minimum now recommended for government schools: the incorporation of programmes in taha Maori ('things Maori') within the mainstream curriculum of schools; the second response is the organisational and curricular modification of existing schools to take account of Maori student pr…
Old and New Conceptions of Discovery in Education
Educational Research and Bhaskar's Conception of Discovery
Bhaskar's Critical Realism and Educational Knowledge
As a critical realist Bhaskar is concerned with 'emancipatory social practice'. For him the world cannot be changed rationally unless it is interpreted adequately and this interpretation has as its prerequisite the philosophical idea of the independent existence of the natural and the social world; he extends his ideas from the sciences directly into the social sciences. His organising theme is: the nature of, and the prospects for, human emancip…
Realities of teaching in a multiethnic school
Language, Gender and Education: A critical review linking social justice and power
Since the mid‐1970s studies of language and gender have been increasingly concerned with social justice issues. One aim of these studies has been to identify the role that language plays in the location and maintenance of women in a disadvantageous position in society. This article looks at the role that education plays in creating unjust gender arrangements in society through its language policies and the discursive practices that it legitimates…
Bilingual education policy and social justice
A critical policy decision to be made in a school system is the choice of the language that is to be used as the medium of instruction for children. This article examines the evidence to suggest that policies of bilingual education are desirable on social justice grounds in pluralist societies. It also examines several specific justice‐related issues in the bilingual education policy area. As recently as the early 1980s the conventional policy in…
Discursive bias and ideology in the administration of minority group interests
This study suggests how easily distorted communication can arise in formal administrative discourse when the interests of those with some stake in the matter under discussion are not represented among the participants. After discussing the nature of power and its exercise in administrative settings, the article presents three episodes of discourse analysis. Members of a Board of Trustees were highly successful in debating and reaching suitable co…
Language, Minority Education and Gender: Linking Social Justice and Power
World view, cultural values and discourse norms: The cycle of cultural reproduction
Rom Harré & Grant Gillett, The discursive mind. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1994, Pp. viii, 192
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
"Norway's "Sámi Language Act: Emancipatory implications for the world's aboriginal peoples
The Sámi (formerly called Lapps) are the indigenous people of Arctic Scandinavia and northwest Russia. Legislation giving major language and cultural rights to Norway's Sámi people was enacted in 1992. As an introduction to discussion of the impact of the Sámi Language Act on Norwegian education, this article begins with an outline of the schooling system in Norway. Its review of the act itself covers the following topics: the Sámi culture and th…
Discourse and Power in Educational Organizations
Critical Realism: An Emancipatory Philosophy for Applied Linguistics?
Applied linguistics goes beyond ideal matters of linguistic meaning and into the real world of human interaction It relates theory (and theories) to practice So its concerns reach into questions of ‘being’ itself The influential philosophy of the human sciences, critical realism, begins with questions of being It views the non-human properties of the social world as real entities, especially the reasons and accounts that people offer to interpret…
Reclaiming reality: Laying the ideology of cultural compatibility
Sociology (27 works) · Political science (17 works) · Psychology (16 works) · Pedagogy (15 works) · Linguistics (14 works) · Philosophy (13 works) · Second Language Learning and Teaching (12 works) · Multilingual Education and Policy (11 works) · Law (10 works) · Law (7 works)