SPA 2023 - Disambiguating the "Right" Voice from the "White Voice" when Teaching Report Writing

Abstract

Traditionally, the writing of assessment reports has followed a structured format that uses language that the field has historically deemed professional -- that is it uses not only technical, psychological-based language but also a style of Standardized English that conveys authority and competence. As psychology as a field seeks to broaden the base of practitioners to look more like the world, a question arises: how do we convey content authority without also reinscribing other constructs of power in our writing? This panel will examine the tension which arises between the necessity of teaching the technical aspects of report writing and the ways in which requiring students to learn and implement the accepted “voice” replicates colonialism, ableism, and the cishet white patriarchy, rather than encouraging a range of diverse competent voices.

Speakers

Katherine Marshal Woods | George Washington University

Helen DeVinney | George Washington University

Kara Adams | George Washington University

Bryan Becerra | George Washington University

Coordinator

Sarah Hedlund | George Washington University