News discourse of teachers during the pandemic in Ireland and China: A Comparative Study

Abstract

This dissertation aims to comparatively analyse the news discourse of teachers during the pandemic in Irish and Chinese contexts under the theoretical framework of constructivism. The research objective lies in three dimensions- the comparison of the thematic characteristics and discursive constructions of two contexts and the social implications of the latter. Thus, a comparative study using thematic discourse analysis was employed. The comparison of the two contexts witnessed a great difference - except for the slight similarity of positive images and the lack of internationalisation. Differences appear in all aspects - thematic fragmentation, proximity to diplomacy, reactions to pandemics, responses to under-resourced situations, ICT education and contextual change. The differences in news discourse between Chinese and Irish contexts are rooted in social values, democratic views, ideology and statism.