Research Overview of Department (2017)
The Department of Communication and Development Studies at the Papua New Guinea University of Technology is a department that blends three broad academic strands (Language and Communication Studies, Sociology, and Communication for Development). Through its individual members of staff, research is conducted in under general umbrellas (Linguistics and Culture, English for Academic Purposes/EAP, English for Special Purposes/ESP, Sociology, and Communication for Development). General and sub-topics include:
In Linguistics and Culture, focus is given to PNG national languages, comparative linguistics, and the interface between society and language across time. In EAP or ESP, research topics include: classroom research, EAP/ESP methodology, course design, material design, genre analysis, rights analysis, critical EAP/ESP, reading and writing, testing and evaluation, computer-mediated language learning, EAP/ESP research, and socio-linguistic influences on the teaching and learning of EAP/ESP.
In the general area of Sociology, research foci include fieldwork, health, corrections, communication theory and practice, media studies, critical-cultural studies, and comparative higher education studies. Another thread is concerned with the problems of youth in society, especially on topics such as integration, sex education, and social behavior.
In the Communication for Development (C4D) area, the sub-topics of interest include: communication in education, communication and gender, communication in resource management, conflict resolution, negotiation skills, partnership building, communicating development in such sectoral contexts as economic industries, healthcare, agriculture, and so forth. democracy and human rights, and HIV/AIDS.
Both empirical (quantitative) or qualitative approaches to relevant topics are employed by our academics, with trans-disciplinary innovations (such as action research) encouraged.
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