This study examines how and if threshold concepts enable expansive learning and generalization. Expansive learning and generalization are part of the highly contested conceptions of transfer, and these specific conceptions offer a more complex conception of transfer that deals with knowledge transformation (Tuomi-Gr?hn and Engestr?m, Beach). One way that we can see expansive learning and generalization transform knowledge is through the teaching of threshold concepts. In the last decade, there has been a movement toward using threshold concepts in FYC*s that take up writing studies as their curricula (Wardle and Downs, Dew). Even though using threshold concepts seems to be one interesting way of specifically studying expansive learning and generalization, we have no studies examining whether or not teaching threshold concepts encourages expansive learning. The studies we do have do not seem to offer any methodologies that would enable us to study threshold concepts and generalization. Past methods, such as case studies, interviews, and surveys have included small sample sizes to collect their data from (Wardle, Dively and Nelms, Nowacek). A lot of the transfer data does not actually focus on the writing or the texts themselves or the reoccurring moves that students use in those texts. Linguistic discourse analysis offers a promising avenue for examining the generalization of threshold concepts. Using research methods like linguistic discourse analysis in marriage with the best qualitative methods of transfer, like case studies or interviews, could allow for a larger sample size of data collection and allows for us to see how students use these threshold concepts in their writing. Through linguistic discourse analysis and interviews, this study suggests that students* perceptions of writing change after being introduced to some threshold concepts from the Writing About Writing curriculum. The threshold concepts that students are presented to in the Writing About Writing curriculum at UCF tackles misconceptions and helps students change how they view writing. Once they can change this view, they are able to generalize the knowledge they have into their own writing. If students do not use the exact terminology from the curriculum, they are able to generalize those threshold concepts through using their own language or even through analogies.

Dans notre thèse, nous analysons les représentations sociales de la Neustadt, l’ancien quartier impérial de Strasbourg, par la population locale. Depuis 2010, le "quartier allemand" fait l’objet d’une médiatisation croissante, déclenchée par la candidature de la Communauté urbaine de Strasbourg, qui prévoit le classement de la Neustadt au patrimoine mondial de l’Unesco. La valorisation portée à cet espace urbain ne semble, en revanche, pas converger avec les représentations des habitants de Strasbourg. Nous proposons une approche interdisciplinaire et discursive pour analyser les représentations sociales de la Neustadt à partir de questionnaires et d’entretiens. Nous exploitons le potentiel de deux dispositifs psychosociaux – la "théorie du noyau central" et de l’hypothèse de la "zone muette" – dans le cadre d’une analyse linguistique de discours qui est d’orientation sémantico-cognitive. Des méthodes lexicométriques et des cadres sémantiques (en tant que catégories cognitives d’analyse) sont appliquées afin d’analyser le contenu, la structure, la distribution, la dynamique et les interconnexions des représentations sociales dans le discours. / In our thesis, we analyse the social representations of the Neustadt, former German imperial district in Strasbourg, by the local population. Since 2010, the "German district" is an object of increasing media coverage, provoked by the candidature of the city of Strasbourg, which aims at the inscription of the Neustadt on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The valorisation of this urban space, however, seems to disagree with the perception of the Neustadt by the inhabitants of the city. We propose an interdisciplinary and discursive approach to the analysis of the social representations of the Neustadt on the basis of questionnaires and interviews. We use and exploit the potential of two psychosocial concepts – the "theory of the central core" and the "hypothesis of the silent zone" – in the context of a linguistic discourse analysis and a cognitive semantics approach. We apply lexicometric methods and semantic frames (as cognitive categories for analysis) in order to analyse the content, the structure, the distribution, the dynamics and the interconnections of social representations inside the discourse. / In der Dissertation untersuchen wir die sozialen Repräsentationen und die Wahrnehmung der Neustadt, des ehemaligen kaiserlichen Viertels in Straßburg, durch die lokale Bevölkerung. Seit 2010 wird das ‚deutsche Viertel‘ in der lokalen Presse zunehmend thematisiert, was auf die Bewerbung der Stadt Straßburg zurückzuführen ist, mit der die Einschreibung der Neustadt auf die Liste des UNESCO-Weltkulturerbes angestrebt wird. Die aktuelle Wertschätzung der Neustadt scheint allerdings nicht mit der Wahrnehmung durch die Bewohner Straßburgs übereinzustimmen. Wir entwickeln einen interdisziplinären, diskursanalytischen Ansatz und untersuchen die sozialen Repräsentationen der Neustadt anhand von Fragebögen und Interviews. Dabei werden zwei sozialpsychologische Konzepte – die ‚Theorie des zentralen Kerns‘ und die ‚Hypothese der zone muette‘ – in einen kognitiv inspirierten, diskurslinguistischen Ansatz eingebettet. Lexikometrische Verfahren und semantische Frames (kognitive Analysekategorien) werden eingesetzt, um Inhalt, Struktur, Distribution, Dynamik und die Vernetzung sozialer Repräsentationen im Diskurs zu erforschen.

The concept of "family" has undergone major changes over the past 50 years. This thesis examines changes in attitudes and values that can be detected in German and Swedish during this time. In order to investigate these changes in the concept of "family" I have analyzed how the German focus word Familie and the Swedish focus word familj are used in newspaper articles from the 1960s, 1980s and early 2000s. The empirical data consists of German and Swedish newspaper corpora from the three different periods. The theoretical point of departure is a social constructionist perspective, where family is considered to be something constructed and negotiated in language use. The method is corpus linguistic discourse analysis: compound words, collocations and multi-word patterns that include the focus words are analyzed using large text corpora. The study is both about changes in HOW the words familj and Familie are used and WHAT is said about the family in public language use. The thesis shows changes in both Swedish and German language use. I conclude that two different sub-concepts are being constructed and negotiated: the family as a GROUP OF PERSONS and family as a WAY OF LIVING TOGETHER. As regards the family as a group of persons this sub-concept has undergone major changes during the period studied. Differences in Swedish and German language use indicate more and sometimes earlier changes in the Swedish concept of family. The sub-concept of family as a way of living together is more constant. The observed changes can also be seen against a background of Swedish and German conceptual norms of family that do not change to the same extent. New family structures such as nätverksfamiljer (reconstituted families) and regnbågsfamiljer (rainbow families) are partly constructed as deviations from these conceptual norms. The thesis also shows that the sub-concept of family as a group of persons has become even more complex, especially in Swedish language use and particularly in so-called bio boxes, where pets are mentioned as family members and couples without children label themselves as familj. / Begreppet ”familj” har genomgått stora förändringar de senaste 50 åren. I den här avhandlingen studeras vilka förändringar i synsätt och värderingar som kan upptäckas i det tyska och det svenska språkbruket under denna tid. För att undersöka dessa förändringar i begreppet ”familj” analyseras hur det tyska fokusordet Familie och det svenska fokusordet familj används i tidningstext från 1960-talet, 1980-talet och början av 2000-talet. Det empiriska materialet består av tyska och svenska tidningskorpusar från de tre olika perioderna. Den teoretiska utgångspunkten är ett socialkonstruktivistiskt perspektiv, där familj betraktas som någonting som konstrueras och förhandlas i språkanvändning. Metoden är korpuslingvistisk diskursanalys: med hjälp av stora textkorpusar analyseras sammansatta ord, kollokationer och flerordsmönster där fokusorden ingår. Det handlar här både om förändringar i HUR orden familj och Familie används och i VAD som sägs om familj i offentligt språkbruk. Avhandlingen visar på förändringar i både den svenska och den tyska språkanvändningen. Jag kommer fram till att två olika delbegrepp konstrueras och förhandlas: familj som PERSONGRUPP och familj som SAMLEVNADSFORM. När det gäller familj som persongrupp genomgår det delbegreppet stora förändringar under den studerade tidsperioden. Förändringarna visar sig vara större och ibland tidigare i det svenska materialet än i det tyska materialet. Delbegreppet familj som samlevnadsform är mer konstant. De förändringar som kan observeras sker också mot en bakgrund av svenska och tyska normbilder av familj, som inte förändras i samma grad. Nya familjebildningar som nätverksfamiljer och regnbågsfamiljer konstrueras delvis som avvikelser från dessa normbilder. Avhandlingen visar också att delbegreppet familj som persongrupp blir allt mer mångfacetterat, särskilt i svenskt språkbruk och i synnerhet i s.k. faktarutor, där även husdjur nämns som familjemedlemmar och par utan barn får etiketten familj.