S2 describes the lecturers and tutors at the Institute as “really chatty and friendly and not all academic” (Interview with S2) and L2 agrees with her by saying that her “classes are less formal” (Interview with L2). L3, on the other hand, sees himself “as a little bit more academic orientated” than this collegues (Interview with L3). What is interesting to see is that the two tutors define their degree of formality by different criteria: While L2 believes that her use of easy, non-academic language is the reason for her not sounding “like an academic” (Class 1: Tutorial 03/09/2015), L3 names evidence and supported arguments as defining features of academic formality (Interview with L3). His assumption that someone who is less academic does not use supported arguments, gives informality a rather negative connotation. This stands in contrast with L2’s idea of the issue who positively argues that informally written autobiographies, for example, might be easier to read than “an academic article ‘with all those disgusting words in it’” (Class 1: Tutorial 29/10/2015).

S2’s description of the staff as “really chatty and friendly” (Interview with S2) has a clearly positive connotation which depicts the connection between informality and a positive learning environment. It facilitates the establishment of a relationship between lecturers and tutors.

For a full list of all quotes relating to informal vs. academic, please click here.

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