ABSTRACT
Although the primary focus of this book is on enhancing the quality of document design research, I feel strongly about the potential implications of the theory and methodology developed here for practice and pedagogy in technical and scientific communication. As I noted in chapter 1, communicators would like to be able to support their professional opinions by referencing published research (Brooks, 1991, p. 83). In addition, technical and scientific communication education relies on the ability to teach general principles that can be used to diagnose rather than simply detect communication problems (Flower et al., 1986, p. 47). The theory developed here is one means of providing general principles that form a foundation for professional education and practice. The need for systematic, general principles in education is nicely illustrated by Riley's hypothetical example in which a teacher must respond to an English as a second language (ESL) student who writes, I will taking physics next semester. As Riley (1988b) explained:
The teacher who suggests a revision like “I will take” or “I will be taking” is providing accurate information, but only about this particular sentence. What the student needs is a more general principle that is both accurate and revealing: for example, “In an active sentence, the verb form following a modal (e.g., will) is always uninfected (e.g., take); the verb form following auxiliary be is always a present participle (e.g., taking).” (pp. 1–2)
