EXAMINING DISCOURSE COMMUNITIES: TEEN PREGNANCY PROGRAMS 1

Carla Egan

RWS 1301

The University of Texas at El Paso

February 5, 2017
EXAMINING DISCOURSE COMMUNITIES: TEEN PREGNANCY PROGRAMS 2

Introduction

Do pregnant teens have many resources or programs to go to for help? There are several

discourse communities that we can choose from that bring people together in their own way.

Discourse communities require characteristics that allow them to become one themselves. For

my assignment, I decided to focus on pregnant teens and the programs that are allowed for them

to use and get help from. When most pregnant teenagers find out that they are going to have a

baby, they do not know who to go to because they do want to either upset their parents or they do

not know if they want to continue the idea of having the child. Most teenagers do not know that

there are many programs and individuals that they can talk to pertaining the situation they are

going through. Some programs that might help are womens centers such as Eastside Womens

Healthcare Center, Del Sol Women & Teen Center, Novoa Women & Teen Center, and much

more. Not only can you contact the programs by visiting them but you can also contact them

through phone o through email. These programs have each their personal and public goals that

will help themselves and their patients, build and become a better community as one.

Methods

In this assignment, I had to choose a topic relating to my major that might or might not be

a discourse community. I decided to go over the six characteristics that make up a discourse

community by John Swales to determine if my topic was considered a discourse community.

Looking online for informative websites and also interviewing a close friend, Victor Serratos,

who is studying to become a nurse in that certain field asked him about his own personal goals

which helped me come to my conclusion. Getting information from him to determine if my

subject of pregnant teens was a discourse community or not was much easier because I got a
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different perspective from someone that is learning more and more about that day by day. John

Swales describes discourse communities in a higher manner which could become confusing but

with the help of this assignment, I understand it much easier.

Discussion

According to the Reproductive Health: Teen Pregnancy, teen pregnancies have been

decreasing as the years come mostly due to the fact of being advised for birth control. Yet, the

teen pregnancy rate is still higher in the United States which leads us to providing more help or

programs for teenagers. Not only is the rate higher, but Reproductive Health also states that due

to teen pregnancies, the high school drop-out rate becomes higher and about 50% of teen

mothers receive their high school diploma in their early 20s. With the help of many programs

and social workers who may or not be a discourse community, could provide more help in the

near future.

The first characteristic that Swales explains is, broadly agreed set of common public

goals. Programs for teen pregnancies has several public goals which consist from talking to

them to helping them prevent teen pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, or sexual risk

behaviors, (US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) TPP Evidence Review).

Their pubic goals are to help with the mindset of teen pregnancies and help them either move

forth with it or find the best solution for their situation. Having someone you are able to talk to is

a big part of this program because it helps calm the patient down and it helps them clear their

mind from any negativity. Not only does having a conversation with one another help them but if

they continue with the pregnancy, to help them stay healthy and take care of themselves and the

baby. So the public goals that these programs have for others is to help them get through with

whichever decision they choose, as long as they are happy and healthy. Not only do they have
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public goals, but they also had some personal goals. My goals are to help the teens make the

best decision they can possibly make to help them have a good and healthy pregnancy, Victor

Serratos had told me during the interview. Even though the public and personal goals may seem

alike, they all try their best to help those in need and to make a difference in any individual lives.

The second characteristic that Swales talks about is, discourse community has

mechanisms of intercommunications among its members which means the language that they

use with one another. Since they are professionals at what they do, they have their own way of

communicating amongst each other and to understand what they are talking about, they must

learn the terms. Victor Serratos told me that the language that they communicate in is called

medical terminology. This way the nurses or doctors may speak to each other in a larger

vocabulary yet they both understand what one another is talking about. Whenever the nurses or

doctors communicate with their patients with that terminology, it may be a bit more difficult to

understand because they are not used to that language that this certain community has to learn.

Nurses and doctors break down the information that they both will understand by either talking

to them in person, setting up meetings, or making a phone call to their patients.

The third characteristic is uses its participatory mechanisms primarily to provide

information and feedback which means, providing feedback to the patients. It is more or less

relating to the second characteristic but knowing where to look for information and where to

contact the nurse, doctor or social worker. Usually setting up meetings and talking in person is

recommended from the male I interviewed but if those options do not work well at the moment

with the patient, they can feel free to call them over the phone to notify them with anything that

has happened. You may also call them for any quick questions you may have, to receive their

feedback.
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The fourth characteristic that Swales has is utilizes and hence possesses one or more

genres in the communicative furtherance of its aims which also means, any additional

opportunities to become aware of the programs they have to offer. Some programs are introduced

to you at school in case of anything that may happen. Many presentations have been given to me

in the past years providing me with information and business cards that I may call or visit if I had

any more public or personal questions. Several commercials are also aired on the television

providing information to those who need it. There are many ways that these programs are being

advertised which are also called genres in the words of Swale.

The fifth characteristic is in addition to owning genres, it has acquired some specific

lexis. In other words, having specific techniques and instruments to use during the time they

have with their patient. If they go along with the pregnancy, the doctors use several machines to

help reassure the health of the baby and the mother is okay. They may also use different ways of

measuring the heart rates and taking out blood to check if there are any diseases to be found. This

characteristic involves the equipment they use and what they hold on to in order to maintain the

health of both humans.

The final characteristic is discourse community has a threshold level of members with a

suitable degree of relevant content and discoursal expertise which also means that there is a

sufficient amount of members participating in this community. To maintain a discourse

community, you have to reach a certain amount of members in your community in order to keep

it going. There are several nurses, doctors, social workers, and other people willing to help the

patient by answering any questions she may have. This pretty much refers to whoever is involved

in the program and what they do to partake in the situation. For instance, even if a certain
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individual does not interact with the patient, they still maintain an importance in the program one

wat or another.

Conclusion

In conclusion, during my research, on teen pregnancy and the programs that are

beneficial to teen moms or teen females themselves, I can conclude that my topic is a discourse

community. Teen pregnancy programs maintain all six characteristics which are needed to form a

discourse community. They have their own personal and public goals which are somewhat

relatable. Not only goals but they have their own techniques and ways of communicating

amongst each other that only their group would understand. In the end, they all come together as

one big community to make someone happy and to help the ones in need.
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References

About Teen Pregnancy. (2016, April 26). Retrieved February 06, 2017, from

https://www.cdc.gov/teenpregnancy/about/

Communitywide Initiatives. (2016, August 04). Retrieved February 06, 2017, from

https://www.cdc.gov/teenpregnancy/projects-initiaties/communitywide.html

Swales, John. The Concept of Discourse Community. Genre Analysis: English in Academic

and Research Settings. Boston: Cambridge UP, 1990. 21-32. Print.

Victor Serratos (Interviewed)