Content

A Multigenre Research Project (MRP) was assigned as an alternative to a typical research paper. However, there is nothing typical about an MRP. So what is my MRP about? It’s a collection of genres (written works) that reflect my thoughts and feelings about people who have swallowing disorders and how their lives have changed. Each MRP is supposed to contain seven genres with the seventh genre being a unifier, which ties together all the other genres. By uniting all the genres together in my MRP, I have developed a finished product that will provide a glimpse of what its like to have a swallowing disorder.

The required genres include a webliography, poem, and powerpoint presentation. The other four genres that you will read are of my choosing. Therefore, I have decided to include a script for a support group meeting; brochure; e-mail exchange between Wanda Mae (Herbert’s wife, a man with a swallowing disorder) and a speech-language pathologist along with private journal entries by Herbert. I have endeavored to create a blend of works that I can be proud of.

In designing genres for this project it is essential that I represent three different points of view. However, I have decided to use more than the three required perspectives. In reading my genres, you will find I have used the voice of a man with a swallowing disorder; his wife; a speech-language pathologist; a support group leader and various group members. I feel like each genre that I have included is indispensable to my MRP.

It is also required that I include in my MRP a table of contents, references, preface, about the author, and acknowledgements. Hopefully you will enjoy reading my MRP and find it useful and credible.

Process

In the early stages of my multigenre research project (MRP) I had to develop an essential question. At first I really didn’t know where to begin. I sat and thought about what interested me for a long time. Then a thought came to me, it was a question that had been burning in my mind for a long time. I had always wondered, what is it about eating and chewing that makes our lives worth living. So my essential question became: “Why do people who can’t chew or swallow feel their lives have less meaning.” In completing my MRP, I have tried to convey as much information as possible while maintaining a realistic feel. Perhaps by reading my MRP you will develop a better understanding of how life can be changed by a disability.

When I first started my MRP, I didn’t have a clear-cut idea of which genres that I wanted to include. So I just started selecting them one at a time and I guess you can say it was a miracle that they managed to fit together so well. It definitely wasn’t a plan from the beginning because my imagination doesn’t stretch that far ahead. Since we had been informed to create the webliography first, this eliminated making a decision here. This was good because I had never created a webliography before. The voice in my webliography was already predetermined because I used my own and it was geared towards no specific audience. For my second genre, I decided to create a poem in the voice of a person with a swallowing disorder. I felt that by using a poem written in the voice of a man with a swallowing disorder, I could better express the gauntlet of emotions that can overwhelm your life. From there I used private journal entries in the voice of the client for my third genre. I did this because once again I wanted another piece in my MRP that would include self-reflection. Herbert’s journal entries are his private thoughts. I was beginning to develop a sense of direction after completing my third genre. I knew that I wanted my MRP to include my client’s voice as much as possible. In creating my fourth genre, I selected the brochure, which was written in the voice of a speech-language pathologist. The language in my brochure was written in the voice of a speech-language pathologist however; it was easy to read, as I was not going for the technical approach. I decided from the very beginning to leave that to the other girls who were also writing about swallowing disorders. I did a survey on my brochure, which included six people ranging in ages from 17 through 62, and the results were unanimous, it provided enough information and at the same time it was reader friendly. In doing my fifth genre, I delved a little deeper; I decided to center this genre (powerpoint presentation) on swallowing disorders and how they affect self-image by using the voice of a speech-language pathologist. By doing this I hope to inspire other student clinicians and professionals to consider the emotional impact a swallowing disorder can have on a client and their families. I was getting pretty close to the end and still hadn’t used the voice of a family member, so I decided to have Wanda Mae contact the speech-language pathologist by e-mail. Now I’m to my seventh genre and I’ve developed a mental block. How in the world was I going to tie all these genres together? In a meeting with Ms. McComas she used “The Christmas Story” as a metaphor. I love the movie, but I was still blank. Then a couple of days later I went to see her again and we talked. Still blank. However, on the drive home that evening I had a revelation. Why not use a support group meeting to provide the cohesive bond that I was looking for. So for my seventh genre, I have used a support group meeting. In doing this I was able to include various voices from group members, support group leader, my client and his wife. It worked out perfectly for me, as I was able to unite all my genres with ease.

Premise

At first, I was very apprehensive about doing an MRP. But my initial feelings were based on fear. Fear because I had never undertaken such a project. I didn’t know where to start, so I’m really glad that we were given three genres that had to be included. This provided me with a starting point. During the process of developing my MRP I determined my focus. Mine was to be on how swallowing disorders can affect your life. I chose to do this because I feel like a speech-language pathologist should be concerned with this aspect of a client’s life. From what I have read, this is an area that has been pretty much ignored until recently and I don’t know why. Most speech-language pathologist’s are caring and compassionate people, so why haven’t they addressed this area with the same importance? I don’t know, but from what I discovered there is a trend to move in this direction and I’m extremely glad.

When I began writing my MRP, I knew there were requirements and that was okay because at least I knew what was expected from me. It was when I was left to my own devices that I struggled. Maybe struggle is an exaggeration but I definitely had to find my way with a little nudging from Ms. McComas. I had a difficult time in the beginning because I’m not a wordy person, but a very brief person. However, during the semester I’ve realized, that the more you think, write, and talk about a topic, the more comfortable you become with it. Not only is the audience clearer about the information you are trying to convey on your topic, but you as a writer begin to gain a better perspective also. By thoroughly developing a topic this is where you get a feel for it, this is where you get to know your topic matter and this is why I loved doing the MRP. In doing a research paper you present the facts, but I don’t feel like you really know it. Oh sure you learn some interesting things about your topic in doing a research paper but its not the same as doing an MRP. I feel so much better about my MRP because I located this information and then, I created many different pieces of work from that information.

In doing an MRP, I’ve learned to become more of an independent thinker/worker. I say this because even though I had requirements to meet, an instructor to guide me and a peer group to review my work, I had to rely more on myself, not only for factual information but also technical components, designing and formatting. This is very different from a standard research paper where you represent the facts in a matter of fact way. In doing this MRP, I've become spoiled, because I never want to do another research paper in the traditional (boring) way again. For me, this project had life and I have become very protective of it. I’m not saying that I haven’t been able to take constructive criticism, because I can and have, but I’ve adopted a firm stance in my personal believes; I haven’t always made changes, even when it was suggested by my peers to do so, there are some things better left alone. This is true especially if you're trying to make a point.

So I guess my final thoughts would be, that I’ve become a thinker in doing this project. I’ve become more analytical in researching and I’ve learned how to present my facts in a much more interesting way. As a student this semester, I have learned and grown so much, actually more than any other semester. And I feel this class has made a huge impact (positive) on my growth.

Plans

The way that I can see computer technology integrated into my future work is, it’s an excellent tool to utilize for research not only in school but also in the professional setting as well. There’s a whole world out there and by using computer technology I can explore ideas that I have and I can also locate other ideas. So I’d be a fool not to use a computer in my work. If I want my work to progress, I need to progress, so I plan using computer technology in my future work.