A Multimodal analysis of physics explanations

Discourse Analysis in the classroom is a research line that can contribute with ideas, resources and ways of making meanings towards the improvement of the communicative competences of lecturers. In this work, we had an opportunity to study the theoretical framework of Perelman and Olbrechts and apply it to the discourse analysis of Physics Professors. This is a different context from the usual juridical or political contexts. The theoretical framework has proven to be effective in capturing key aspects of physics explanations from a rhetoric-argumentative perspective. In fact, it is useful in identifying the specific characteristics of the expositive discourse of physics professors and the resources they use when looking for the adhesion of students to the theses that are being presented, the communicative modes which they use and the functions they have in the coherent construction of scientific meanings. The goal of this research is to guide the results of discourse analysis towards the professional improvement of lecturers.