ERIC Number: EJ1328851
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Mar
Pages: 30
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0895-9048
EISSN: N/A
A Rhetorical Analysis of Intermediary Organization Documents on College Completion Policy
Hammond, Lindsey; Adams, Philip; Rubin, Paul G.; Ness, Erik C.
Educational Policy, v36 n2 p377-406 Mar 2022
Intermediary organizations play an increasingly important role in public policy related to higher education, particularly related to the completion agenda. This study addresses strategies employed by intermediary organizations to communicate to policymakers regarding college completion. Using rhetorical analysis, we examine 72 documents to deconstruct their arguments. Findings show that intermediaries employ the rhetorical elements of ethos, pathos, delivery, and idiom to present information and advocate preferred policy solutions. Importantly, organizations communicate messages differently based on their orientation toward the researcher or policymaker communities. Intermediary organizations aligned more closely with researchers rely more on empirical evidence and neutral tones, whereas organizations aligned more closely with policymakers utilize more idiomatic language, visually engaging document design, and nonempirical sources of evidence. Rhetorical analysis can enable researchers, intermediaries, and policymakers all to work more clearly and carefully in the higher education policy arena and, in so doing, strengthen the bridge between the two communities.
Descriptors: Educational Policy, Educational Attainment, Higher Education, Policy Analysis, Discourse Analysis, Language Usage, Figurative Language, Advocacy, Researchers, Evidence, Layout (Publications), Information Sources, Policy Formation, Communication Strategies, Case Studies, Graduation Rate, Consortia, Role, National Organizations, Persuasive Discourse
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Tennessee; Georgia; North Carolina; South Carolina; Texas
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A