-
A corpus-based study of academic vocabulary in chemistry research articles
Item Type Journal Article Author Leila Valipouri Author Hossein Nassaji Abstract This corpus-based study had two main aims: a) to develop a list of academic words used frequently in chemistry research articles (RAs) for EFL chemistry students, and b) to compare the word list with the distribution of high frequency words in Coxhead’s (2000) Academic
Word List (AWL) and West’s (1953) General Service List (GSL) to determine their coverage within the RAs. We compiled and analyzed a corpus of 1185 chemistry RAs (hereafter CRAC) including 4 million words from 4 main chemistry subject areas (analytical, organic, inorganic, and
physical/theoretical chemistry). We identified 1400 academic word families used with high frequency in the corpus. This constituted what we called the Chemistry Academic Word List (CAWL). Our analysis revealed that, of the 570 word families in AWL, 327 occurred frequently in CRAC and that this provided a coverage of 9.60% of the tokens in our corpus. Furthermore, a large number of word families (n = 390) found to be used
frequently in CRAC had not been listed in GSL and AWL. This accounted for 27.85% of the word families in CAWL and more than 7% of the word tokens in the corpus. The implications of the findings for students with specialized vocabulary needs will be discussed.Date 2013 Extra Citation Key: valipouriCorpusbasedStudyAcademic2013 Volume 12 Pages 248–263 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2013.07.001 Issue 4 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Tags:
-
A phraseological exploration of recent mathematics research articles through key phrase frames
Item Type Journal Article Author Kelly J. Cunningham Abstract While a wealth of resources is available for teaching research writing of traditional IMRD research papers, instructors have little to draw on when working with graduate students in mathematics. The present study offers insight into recent mathematical research articles through an exploration guided by phrase-frames, recurring multiword units with a variable slot or blank. The paper introduces the concept of key phrase-frames. In doing so, the potential of phrase-frames for understanding subregisters and for teaching is shown. The starting point of this exploration is a 2,289,670-word corpus of 128 recent mathematics research articles collected from eight scholarly mathematics journals. Five- and six-gram phrase-frames were generated in KfNgram. Key phrase frames are identified as those with an occurrence of at least 20 per million words, occurring across 75% of journals and with a sMAPE of 1.95 cut off or higher when compared to the academic section of the Corpus of Contemporary American English as a reference. The 180 resulting frames were coded for open slot position and common pattern before being consolidated and functionally grouped. Core functions related to the aboutness, coherence and moves of the text. The discussion centers on how these groups reveal different aspects of mathematical texts. Date 2017 Extra Citation Key: cunninghamPhraseologicalExplorationRecent2017 Volume 25 Pages 71–83 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2016.11.005 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:00 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:00 Tags:
-
A specialized vocabulary list from an original corpus of digital science resources for middle school learners
Item Type Journal Article Author Rebeca Arndt Abstract A digital science corpus from middle school resources was
assembled. The corpus consists of approximately 2.7 million tokens. A type-based specialized list was extracted using three instruments and seven inclusion criteria. The lexical coverage of the lists was compared with the lexical coverage of four other secondary science lists. The list could be used as a tool for specialized vocabulary learning in science classrooms where digital science resources are used.Date 2022 Extra Citation Key: arndtSpecializedVocabularyList2022 Volume 60 Pages 101187 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2022.101187 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:00 Modified 23/09/2024, 21:10:09 Tags:
-
An investigation of source use in the results and the closing sections of empirical articles in Information Systems: In search of a functional-semantic citation typology for pedagogical purposes
Item Type Journal Article Author Becky Siu Chu Kwan Author Hang Chan Abstract This paper presents an analysis of how behavioral science researchers from the soft domain of Information Systems (IS) engage prior knowledge of the field to construct research claims in journal articles. Data was drawn from the Results and the Discussion sections of 40 IS research articles published in one research journal (MIS Quarterly, N = 20) and one applied-research journal (Information Management, N = 20). To perform the analysis, the Results and the Discussion sections of the articles were first parsed into moves, and citations in each of the moves were classified according to their rhetorical functions and the types of knowledge cited (semantic content). Based on the classification, a functional-semantic citation typology was developed. Counts of the citations in each category represented in the typology were then subjected to a series of statistical analyses to examine their distribution across the two journals as well as the two target sections. The results reveal that while all the citation categories in the typology were present in both journals, they appeared only sparingly in the IM articles, and cross-sectional differences in their distribution were statistically significant in the MIS Quarterly corpus only. Pedagogical implications will be presented. Date 2014 Extra Citation Key: kwanInvestigationSourceUse2014 Volume 14 Pages 29–47 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2013.11.004 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Tags:
-
Aspects of theme in the method and discussion sections of biology journal articles in English
Item Type Journal Article Author Iliana A. Martı́nez Abstract This paper analyses the thematic structure of the Method and Discussion section of biology research articles. A corpus of 30 journal articles was analysed using the categories of Systemic Functional Linguistics and a semantic categorisation for unmarked themes realised by subject. The study revealed differences in the thematic construction of the sections. The Method section was dominated by simple themes, realised by subjects that predominantly represented objects of research. The few textual themes found were mainly temporal external themes. The simple themes of the Discussion were mainly realised by subjects that represented abstractions, particularly epistemic concepts. In this section, there was an important proportion of textual and interpersonal themes. The differences found may be attributed to the different rhetorical purposes of the sections, which materialise in descriptive texts in the Method section and in argumentative texts in the Discussion section. The information provided by this research may contribute a tool for teachers to help learners construct sentences that are appropriate for the genre. Date 2003 Extra Citation Key: martinezAspectsThemeMethod2003 Volume 2 Pages 103–123 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/S1475-1585(03)00003-1 Issue 2 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Modified 23/09/2024, 21:15:10 Tags:
-
Building consensus in science: Resources for intertextual dialog in biology research articles
Item Type Journal Article Author Iliana A. Martínez Abstract This paper reports on the way article writers bring prior texts into biology research articles. It studies the functional moves in which citations occur and their formal features, providing a better understanding of the linguistic resources that are used to construct intertextuality in science. The results show the functions of citations were strongly associated with the rhetorical moves in which they occurred and with particular sections of the research article, although citations providing background information occurred in all the sections. The study also found that integral citations were preferred in the more argumentative moves. Self citations occurred in all moves, suggesting the relevance of networking not only with otherś research but also with the authors’ own previous studies. These findings may be useful in academic writing courses addressed to non-native English speakers, who need to be made aware of the specific language resources available for the construction of consensus in science to become successful writers. Date 2008 Extra Citation Key: martinezBuildingConsensusScience2008 Volume 7 Pages 268–276 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2008.10.011 Issue 4 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Tags:
-
Collocation and technicality in EAP engineering
Item Type Journal Article Author Jeremy Ward Abstract This article explores how collocation relates to lexical technicality, and how the relationship can be exploited for teaching EAP to second-year engineering students. First, corpus data are presented to show that complex noun phrase formation is a ubiquitous feature of engineering text, and that these phrases (or collocations) are highly discipline-specific in a way that individual words are not. Next it is shown that these collocations as a class may be seen as a kind of threshold to specialised engineering discourse at the undergraduate level, and as such can be used as a basis for an EAP reading programme which is appropriate both in terms of difficulty and specialisation. Date 2007 Extra Citation Key: wardCollocationTechnicalityEAP2007 Volume 6 Pages 18–35 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2006.10.001 Issue 1 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Tags:
-
Discipline-specific use of language patterns in engineering: A comparison of published pedagogical materials
Item Type Journal Article Author Tatiana M. Nekrasova-Beker Abstract In an effort to provide college students with exposure to authentic language patterns specific to their area of study, empirical research on discipline-specific discourse has targeted a plethora of features, including vocabulary, academic literacy conventions, and structural features of academic genres in a number of disciplines (e.g., Hyland, 2008; Kanoksilapatham, 2015; Ward, 2007; Wood & Appel, 2014). To contribute to the line of research that investigates discourse practices in engineering, the present study examined a unique type of language construction – a phrase-frame – a recurrent multiword construction with a variable slot, by addressing the following research question: What are the structural and functional characteristics of phrase-frames identified in published pedagogical materials used in undergraduate lower-division engineering courses? The results indicated that there was considerable overlap among the corpora of teaching materials from five engineering disciplines in terms of the position of the variable slot in a phrase-frame, the general structural characteristics of the phrase-frames, as well as the primary discourse functions performed by these constructions. At the same time, the phrase-frames employed across the five corpora varied in terms of slot productivity, with the majority of frames showing high levels of variability. Date 2019 Extra Citation Key: nekrasova-bekerDisciplinespecificUseLanguage2019 Volume 41 Pages 100774 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2019.100774 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Tags:
-
Discourses of professional identities and linguistic capital formation of international STEM faculty
Item Type Journal Article Author Bal Krishna Sharma Author Ibtesam Hussein Abstract This article investigates the discourses of professional identities and linguistic capital formation communicated by international scholars in the STEM disciplines in the US university context. In so doing, the study examines interviews of 17 such individuals and identifies two key discursive processes: the formation of a marketable self and the enactment of the legitimacy of World Englishes. The first discursive process is used by the professionals to position themselves as novice scholars needing to build necessary linguistic capital for employment and communication in the instructional setting. The second version of their discursive positioning, which was formed later in their career, demonstrates a competent self that legitimizes their existing linguistic capital and the ownership of non-Inner Circle Englishes for academic communication. As the participants position their identities vis-à-vis their profession, they claim transformation of the self in defining their linguistic capital and competence across time and space. The findings overall show that the (re-)formation and conversion of international STEM scholars’ linguistic capital are variously shaped by relations of power influenced by the linguistic market and their respective disciplinary communities. Date 2021 Extra Citation Key: sharmaDiscoursesProfessionalIdentities2021 Volume 52 Pages 100997 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2021.100997 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Tags:
-
EAP reading and lexis for Thai engineering undergraduates
Item Type Journal Article Author Jeremy Ward Abstract EAP programmes typically aim to enable students to read their academic textbooks. In Thailand this has become a matter of policy for both the government and the university, and has implications well beyond the need for students (especially undergraduate students) to graduate. This study presents evidence that this aim is an ideal which cannot in present circumstances be attained. The study estimates average student vocabulary knowledge to cover only half the General Service Word List, and less than half of a foundation engineering word list – way below the level necessary for effective reading. Suggestions are made for dealing with the problem. Date 2009 Extra Citation Key: wardEAPReadingLexis2009 Volume 8 Pages 294–301 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2009.10.002 Issue 4 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Tags:
-
English-medium masters’ programmes at an Austrian university of applied sciences: Attitudes, experiences and challenges
Item Type Journal Article Author Dietmar Tatzl Abstract English-medium instruction has become a common approach to increase the internationalisation opportunities of European universities and the global employability of their graduates. This article presents the results of a questionnaire survey (n = 8 lecturers and 66 students) and lecturer interviews (n = 8) at three established business and engineering masters’ degree programmes at the FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences, Graz, Austria. The purpose of the research was to identify stakeholders’ attitudes, experiences and challenges regarding English-medium higher education in order to propose measures that facilitate the implementation of English-taught masters’ programmes. The results showed that in principle lecturers and students favour English-medium instruction. The perceived need for support measures was lower than expected but challenges exist and might be alleviated by a range of concentrated efforts. Major areas of concern are reciprocal feelings of dissatisfaction among stakeholders, student workload, different levels of students’ prior knowledge and a reduction in the amount of content that can be taught. The article confirms the significance of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) instruction in the curriculum for students and recommends the provision of accompanying measures and resources fostering teacher development based on voluntary participation and reward schemes. Date 2011 Extra Citation Key: tatzlEnglishmediumMastersProgrammes2011 Volume 10 Pages 252–270 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2011.08.003 Issue 4 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Tags:
-
Epistemic stance and the construction of knowledge in science writing: A diachronic corpus study
Item Type Journal Article Author Robert Poole Author Andrew Gnann Author Gus Hahn-Powell Abstract This study investigates the use of epistemic stance features within a specialized, diachronic corpus of biochemical research pertaining to the motility of bacterial cells in a process referred to as chemotaxis. The corpus constructed for the investigation includes 328 open access research articles citing the seminal 1972 publication, “Chemotaxis in Escherichia coli analyzed by three-dimensional tracking” in the peer-reviewed journal Nature by Drs. Howard Berg and Douglas Brown. For the investigation, the corpus was segmented into sub-corpora representing five time periods and the trends in use of epistemic stance markers were analyzed. Over the period covered by the corpus (1972–2017), the overall use of modal auxiliaries and non-modal hedges decreased while the frequency of boosters increased. Additionally, epistemic stance markers indexing greater degrees of certainty increased while epistemic stance markers reflecting doubt and uncertainty decreased. These findings are noteworthy as they contrast with previous studies investigating diachronic change in epistemic stance use in both academic and science writing and add to our understanding of the use of epistemic stance in the formation of knowledge. Date 2019 Extra Citation Key: pooleEpistemicStanceConstruction2019 Volume 42 Pages 100784 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2019.100784 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Tags:
-
Examining the theory/practice relation in a high school science register: A functional linguistic perspective
Item Type Journal Article Author Bernard Mohan Author Tammy Slater Abstract Using a functional view of language and drawing on extensive classroom data, this article examines a high school science class to see how language was used to connect theory and practice in science register. The article tracks the teaching/learning paths from the introduction to the science topic and teaching of the theory (e.g., technical terms) to problem-solving activities (the practice) that necessitate the use of the terms. Research implications include (1) the value of a functional perspective which looks at science learning as a social practice for both a sharper understanding of issues of science language and content integration and a greater ability to analyze the role of language in learning science and (2) the significance of the theory–practice contrast for student learning. Assessment implications include the research potential for greater understanding of the development of scientific discourse in science classes as well as richer conceptions of the linguistic connections between students’ practical experience and theoretical understanding of science. Date 2006 Extra Citation Key: mohanExaminingTheoryPractice2006 Volume 5 Pages 302–316 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2006.08.004 Issue 4 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Tags:
-
Finding voice in biology: A diachronic analysis of self-mention in the discussions of an L2 scholar
Item Type Journal Article Author Frances Junnier Abstract A recent essay published in this journal by Swales (2019), calls for EAP genre analysts to pay more attention to (i) context and (ii) syntactic and phraseological patterns and uses. In this study, I address these two issues by taking a usage-based linguistics (UBL) approach to analyse how a molecular biologist, who writes in English as an additional language for research publication purposes, constructs representations of himself over a period of nine years through the use of self-mention. The analysis reveals that while the focal writer’s inventory of self-mention constructions becomes increasingly productive over time, his core frame of self-representation remains that of the `practical agent’. Closer analysis of these tokens of self-mention in the discourse context, however, reveals that over time he positions this practical agency in different ways thus realising a more or less self-promotional tenor. This case study approach highlights the historical embeddedness of the writer and the text and the ways in which voice features such as self-mention are contextually motivated. Date 2020 Extra Citation Key: junnierFindingVoiceBiology2020 Volume 47 Pages 100889 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2020.100889 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Tags:
-
From abstracts to “60-second science” podcasts: Reformulation of scientific discourse
Item Type Journal Article Author Yunping Ye Abstract This paper examines Scientific American’s 60-Second Science podcasts from a genre perspective to identify structural and linguistic strategies for reformulating scientific discourse for diversified audiences. Move analysis of 110 representative texts revealed a dominant structural pattern consisting of an engaging Orientation, a foregrounded Claim followed by the establishment of its Credibility, the conventional Introduction-Methods-Results-Discussion, and a distinctive Termination often flavored with witty humor. This pattern contains the essential components of academic abstracts, research presentations, and science news reports. However, despite some overlapping moves, 60-Second Science differs from any of these similar genres in terms of communicative purposes, target audiences, move sequences, and even types of move signals. Apart from common linguistic devices used in typical academic genres, other notable move signals include topic shifters, rhetorical questions, and voice shifts between the podcasters and researchers. Meanwhile, weaving researchers’ voices into the podcasters’, frequent use of engagement devices such as inclusive pronouns, reader pronouns, self-mentions, questions, and hedges result in a highly dialogic and interactional style. These structural and linguistic features may make 60-Second Science podcasts an authentic listening resource suitable for EFL students to acquire a basic awareness of academic spoken discourse and strengthen the interface between general and academic English. Date 2021 Extra Citation Key: yeAbstracts60secondScience2021 Volume 53 Pages 101025 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2021.101025 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Tags:
-
Generality in student and expert epistemic stance: A corpus analysis of first-year, upper-level, and published academic writing
Item Type Journal Article Author Laura L. Aull Author Dineth Bandarage Author Meredith Richardson Miller Abstract Research highlights the importance of stance in academic writing, and recent research shows increasing emphasis on stance in undergraduate writing. Most studies of student writing focus on epistemic stance in terms of certainty and not generality; yet instructional materials suggest that developing writers need to learn to limit generalizations. This study examines the use of certain indefinite pronouns and extreme amplifiers that help indicate generality as a part of stance in three corpora: new college writing, advanced student writing, and published academic writing. The study shows two specific and shared rhetorical uses of generalization markers, emphasizing the wide applicability of a claim and projecting shared ideas. The study also shows clear differences in the frequency of generalizations used and the breadth or scope of generalizations made. Published academic writing contains the fewest generalization markers, while new college writing shows the most generalizations as well as generalizations that span large groups and periods of time. The findings suggest that in non-discipline specific essay writing, new college students’ frequent use of generalization markers contrasts the more circumspect stance features in advanced student and published discipline-specific writing, posing questions for writing instruction as well as essay-based writing assessment. Date 2017 Extra Citation Key: aullGeneralityStudentExpert2017 Volume 26 Pages 29–41 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2017.01.005 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:00 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:00 Tags:
-
Genre and technicality in analogical explanations: Hong Kong’s English language textbooks for junior secondary science
Item Type Journal Article Author Corinne Maxwell-Reid Author Kwok-chi Lau Abstract This paper examines how a core topic from junior secondary science, the use of analogy to teach the electric circuit, is presented in three English-language textbooks commonly used in Hong Kong’s schools. Tools from systemic functional linguistics and semiotics were used in consultation with a science education specialist to compare the books’ treatment of the topic. The analysis considered four interlocking aspects: genre, the use of the analogy to introduce the target knowledge, the construction of scientific knowledge in language, and the relations between the language and associated images. Differences were found in all these areas, with textbooks varying in how much support they gave students in the construction of technical knowledge. A key difference was the use of explanation versus procedure and/or report genres, resulting in a focus on the workings versus the components of the electric circuit. The books also varied in the role of the analogy in the construction of technicality, and in the extent to which they relied on images to convey meaning. These differences suggest that in some cases the teacher may need to provide additional support to make the textbook material accessible to students. Date 2016 Extra Citation Key: maxwell-reidGenreTechnicalityAnalogical2016 Volume 23 Pages 31–46 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2016.05.005 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Tags:
-
“Good” and “acceptable” English in L2 research writing: Ideals and realities in history and computer science
Item Type Journal Article Author Niina Hynninen Author Maria Kuteeva Abstract In light of the recent developments on the international publishing scene, increasingly dominated by L2 writers of English, the question of what is considered to be “good” and “acceptable” English calls for further research. This paper examines in what ways researchers describe the English used for research writing in their field. Interview data were collected from historians and computer scientists working in Finland and Sweden. Our analysis points towards some differences in the way researchers perceive “good” writing in English in their field, and what they themselves report to practice as (co-)authors, readers/reviewers, and proofreaders. The discrepancy between the ideals and realities of research writing in English was clear in the case of the historians. Our findings suggest that in research writing for publication, there is a pull towards some form of standard norm. This standard can be jointly negotiated during the writing, reviewing, and proofreading process. It may also develop in different directions in different disciplines, but it is likely to be based on the principles of understandability and clarity. Date 2017 Extra Citation Key: hynninenGoodAcceptableEnglish2017 Volume 30 Pages 53–65 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2017.10.009 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Tags:
-
Grant proposal abstracts in science and engineering: A prototypical move-structure pattern and its variations
Item Type Journal Article Author Pascal Patrick Matzler Abstract This study builds on existing genre analyses of research grant proposal abstracts by articulating a framework of move definitions that includes the sequencing and cycling of moves as well as their real-world or science orientation, and by exploring the tension between prototypicality and variation in these patterns. Two settings for national research grant competitions aimed at early-career scientists are introduced, namely the New Zealand Marsden award and the Chilean Fondecyt award. A framework of five constituent moves is formulated and 36 collected grant proposal abstracts are analyzed for their move-structure patterns and accompanying lexico-grammatical signals. A prototypical move-structure pattern is formulated and exemplified with abstracts from both settings and different disciplines, while key variations on this prototypical pattern are also described and analyzed. The findings suggest that a majority of abstracts are near-prototypical in structure (i.e., showing a single variation on a shared prototype) and therefore collectively maintain and reinforce this prototypical pattern as a common reference even as they individually diverge from it for their own rhetorical purposes. Date 2021 Extra Citation Key: matzlerGrantProposalAbstracts2021 Volume 49 Pages 100938 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2020.100938 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Tags:
-
Lexical complexity changes in 100 years’ academic writing: Evidence from Nature Biology Letters
Item Type Journal Article Author Xinye Zhou Author Yuan Gao Author Xiaofei Lu Abstract Previous diachronic studies of lexical changes in academic writing have focused on the evolution of specific sets or classes of words with specific grammatical or discourse functions, with no scholarly attention paid to diachronic changes in the overall lexical complexity of academic writing, a construct that has been shown to be closely related to text readability and writing quality. This study explores diachronic lexical complexity changes in academic writing based on a self-built corpus, the Corpus of Nature Biology Letters, comprised of 421 scientific letters sampled with ten-year intervals for 100 years (1929–2019). The corpus was analyzed for nine measures of lexical density, sophistication, and diversity to ascertain the trend and strength of lexical complexity changes. Our findings show that the patterns of diachronic changes in the lexical complexity of academic writing accord with the overall trends in academic writing towards greater compression and conventionalization. These findings add to our understanding of the evolution of the academic writing practices of the scientific community and may also have implications for academic writing pedagogy. Date 2023 Extra Citation Key: zhouLexicalComplexityChanges2023 Volume 64 Pages 101262 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2023.101262 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Tags:
-
Macrostructures and rhetorical moves in energy engineering research articles written by Chinese expert writers
Item Type Journal Article Author Yunping Ye Abstract Primarily motivated by the pedagogical question whether it is feasible to incorporate non-native English-speaking subject specialists’ support in China to address students’ research article (RA) publication difficulties, this paper investigates the extent to which Chinese expert writers’ RAs conform to the established conventions of international scientific communities in terms of macrostructure and rhetorical moves. The investigation uses a self-compiled corpus of representative energy engineering RAs published by authors on Elsevier’s 2016 list of “most cited Chinese researchers”. Results show that (i) 86% of the RAs choose the IM[RD]C macrostructure, although other variant forms of the standard IMRD structure are used; (ii) nine of the twelve moves identified are obligatory, with frequencies highly comparable to the results of previous research on science and engineering RAs; and (iii) most of the steps in the moves are optional or quasi-obligatory, indicating that the Chinese expert writers not only rigorously follow the established conventions of international scientific communities but also use rhetorical strategies flexibly. Therefore, they could justifiably play a role in addressing novice researcher writers’ publication challenges. The findings also throw light on the disciplinary culture of research writing in energy engineering, which could be taken into consideration by EAP practitioners. Date 2019 Extra Citation Key: yeMacrostructuresRhetoricalMoves2019 Volume 38 Pages 48–61 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2019.01.007 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Tags:
-
Multiword constructions in first year business and engineering university textbooks and EAP textbooks
Item Type Journal Article Author David C. Wood Author Randy Appel Abstract The body of research into formulaic language, multiword meaning and functional units, has shed light on their role in academic discourse. Some studies have examined which units might be of greatest utility for teaching English for academic purposes (EAP), dealing with corpora of academic language. The reality of most EAP programs is a focus on preparing students for first year university courses, in which textbooks play the key role. The present study uses a corpus analysis method focusing on units called multiword constructions (MWC), and addresses three hitherto unexplored key issues for EAP teachers and materials developers: What MWC exist in first year textbooks used in business and engineering, the most popular EAP student majors at a large Canadian university; whether the first year textbook MWCs are present in the reading texts in popular EAP textbooks; whether the EAP textbooks contain pedagogical treatment of MWC. The results show that the MWC are weakly present in the EAP materials, and that they are not dealt with pedagogically. This knowledge has important implications for EAP practitioners and materials developers. Date 2014 Extra Citation Key: woodMultiwordConstructionsFirst2014 Volume 15 Pages 1–13 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2014.03.002 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Tags:
-
PhD topic arrangement in `D’iscourse communities of engineers and social sciences/humanities
Item Type Journal Article Author Mostafa Hasrati Author Brian Street Abstract This article is the result of a grounded theory investigation into the ways PhD topics are assigned by supervisors in engineering and selected by students in the social sciences/humanities in UK universities, broadly referred to as `topic arrangement’, which can be regarded as one aspect of academic socialisation into academic Discourse communities. Interview data was collected from thirteen Iranian PhD students studying in different UK universities and six of their supervisors during 2000–2001. One further interview was conducted with a professor of sociology. The interviews were transcribed, thematically coded, and analysed using NUD.IST. The results show that PhD students themselves often select PhD topics in the social sciences/humanities, whereas PhD topics are often assigned to PhD students by engineering supervisors. The reason for this difference in practice between these two fields seems to stem from different ideologies on what constitutes a PhD across disciplines, as well as funded projects, which are more likely to be available to engineering supervisors and students. Throughout the paper, a modest attempt has been made to draw the attention of EAP practitioners to a redefinition of the concept of Discourse with a big `D’, which includes linguistic and non-linguistic aspects of advanced academic literacy. Date 2009 Extra Citation Key: hasratiPhDTopicArrangement2009 Volume 8 Pages 14–25 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2009.01.002 Issue 1 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:00 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:00 Tags:
-
Phrasal complexity in English argumentative writing: Variations
across Chinese STEM versus English majors’ production and EFL textbook
essaysItem Type Journal Article Author Zimeng Shao Author Hanbo Zhang Author Jiaqi Zhang Author Yuexin Zhong Author Xiaoyan Xu Abstract Phrasal complexity is one of the sub-constructs of syntactic complexity, which focuses on phrasal elaboration. This paper identifies the use of different types of phrasal elaboration demonstrated in Chinese college students’ argumentative writing, and investigates phrasal complexity in written production of Chinese EFL tertiary learners majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and English (EM), in comparison to sample essays written by expert writers collected from EFL textbooks (TB). A framework of indices of phrasal elaboration is first established in this study based on grammatical form and syntactic function of phrases. The study finds that the following grammatical forms appear significantly more in argumentative writing collected from textbooks or produced by proficient English majors (with no significant difference found between the two groups): noun phrases functioning as subjects/objects, prepositional phrases (as against to-infinitives, which are significantly fewer) functioning as adverbials, prepositional phrases as noun post-modifiers and their multiple embedding, multiple attributive embedding as pre-modifiers, and appositive phrases. Pedagogical implications for L2 English writing are provided. Date 2022 Extra Citation Key: shaoPhrasalComplexityEnglish2022 Volume 55 Pages 101070 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2021.101070 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Tags:
-
Problems of writing the doctoral dissertation discussion section:
Advisors’ and their doctoral students’ perspectives from natural and
applied sciences and social sciencesItem Type Journal Article Author Shih-Chieh Chien Author Wei-Yan Li Abstract As more and more literature shows, EFL doctoral students often encounter problems when writing the discussion section. The majority of past research on advisors’ or students’ perceptions centered on students’ problems when writing the dissertation on the whole. However, the problems of the discussion section were seldom addressed. Based on interviews with nine advisor-student pairs from natural and applied sciences and social sciences in Taiwan, this study explored the problems encountered by students in writing the doctoral dissertation discussion section. The results showed that (1) compared with their advisors, students’ overall understanding of the purposes of writing the discussion section was inadequate; (2) there was to some extent a gap between advisors and their students in terms of understanding students’ problems in writing the discussion section; (3) both advisors and students within/between each group (i.e., natural and applied sciences/social sciences) gave different explanations regarding students’ writing problems; and (4) the understanding of genre was enacted differently across disciplines. The implications are discussed. Date 2022 Extra Citation Key: chienProblemsWritingDoctoral2022 Volume 60 Pages 101183 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2022.101183 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:00 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:00 Tags:
-
Promoting reflection on science, technology, and society among engineering students through an EAP online learning environment
Item Type Journal Article Author Elisabet Arnó-Macià Author Carmen Rueda-Ramos Abstract With the new European framework, as EAP lecturers in an engineering college, we are reappraising our teaching and the position of our courses. From the perspective of engineering education in the 21st century, we believe that EAP teaching can focus not only on language and communication needs, but also on developing critical thinking about science and technology in its social context. Considering these premises, we present the rationale for the development of an online learning environment (Quantum LEAP, Learning English for Academic Purposes) which integrates EAP with interdisciplinary content, in order to encourage reflection on social, historical, economic and ethical issues related to science and technology. Through a pilot study of learners’ initial reactions, we present their perceptions of this tool for critical thinking on STS contents and for promoting lifelong learning. The implications for EAP course design are then discussed in the context of 21st century engineering education. In sum, this paper questions the position that for the integration of language and content, the EAP teacher can only teach language and that content has to be taught by specialist teachers. Rather, we argue that EAP teachers can address both academic communication and interdisciplinary content in order to engage students in critical thinking. Date 2011 Extra Citation Key: arno-maciaPromotingReflectionScience2011 Volume 10 Pages 19–31 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2010.12.004 Issue 1 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:00 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:00 Tags:
-
Publishing and learning writing for publication in English: Perspectives of NNES PhD students in science
Item Type Journal Article Author Ju Chuan Huang Abstract Publication in international journals has become a prerequisite to PhD graduation. This study thus provides a framework for understanding the learning of writing skills and publishing practices of nonnative English-speaking PhD students by investigating their perceptions of publishing and learning to write for publication. Findings show that these students regard themselves as disadvantaged due to their limited proficiency in English. However, many of them are not motivated to remedy the situation due to (1) their opinion that English plays only a secondary role in scientific research, (2) their lack of confidence in the writing curricula, and (3) their perspectives on the imbalanced power relations between them and their advisers. This framework offers an important insight: The nonnative English-speaking PhD students’ disinclination to learn to write for publication is influenced by many factors other than perceived language incompetence. To empower and motivate prospective NNES scholars, the study offers several suggestions to journal gatekeepers, EAP professionals, and academic advisers. Date 2010 Extra Citation Key: huangPublishingLearningWriting2010 Volume 9 Pages 33–44 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2009.10.001 Issue 1 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Tags:
-
Recounting and reflecting: The use of first person pronouns in Chinese, Greek and British students’ assignments in engineering
Item Type Journal Article Author Maria Leedham Author Maria Fernandez-Parra Abstract Chinese and Greek students are among the many international groups now studying at UK universities. While the written English of these groups has been extensively explored through the short argumentative essays comprising learner corpora, little research has been conducted on their assessed writing at undergraduate and Masters level. This paper reports on a study of Chinese, Greek and British student writing within the discipline of Engineering in five UK universities. Data is extracted primarily from the 6.5 million-word British Academic Written English corpus, supplemented by assignments from additional UK universities. The main aim of the study is to explore texts from students with different L1s and cultural backgrounds but within the same discipline and current educational system. First person pronouns were selected as a contained aspect of student writing for comparison, since these are a highly visible feature of a writer’s identity construction (e.g. Hyland, 2002b), yet it is often claimed that L2 English students `over use’ these pronouns to the detriment of their writing (Lee & Chen, 2009). Findings indicate that the Chinese and Greek students make greater use of we in their writing within Engineering than British students and the paper explores the various functions of both we and I. Date 2017 Extra Citation Key: leedhamRecountingReflectingUse2017 Volume 26 Pages 66–77 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2017.02.001 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Tags:
-
Rhetorical features of high-graded and low-graded engineering case study responses
Item Type Journal Article Author Jean Parkinson Author Craig Watterson Author Alexandre Sawczuk da Silva Author Erandi Kithulgoda Abstract Case study responses are a frequent assignment type in engineering degrees, where they aim to prepare students for professional practice. With the goal of supporting the teaching of engineering case responses, this study compares the use of rhetorical strategies in low-graded and high-graded case study responses. Using a corpus of 20 high-graded and 20 low-graded case responses, the article investigates quantitative and qualitative differences in use of rhetorical strategies. Faculty feedback on assignments was analysed to identify rhetorical features valued by instructors, and good alignment was found between features valued by instructors and the rhetorical strategies identified as important by our analysis. Findings were that low-graded assignments neglected to use key rhetorical strategies and used them less expertly. In contrast, high-graded assignments were skilful in using rhetorical strategies such as establishing the purpose and importance of the case, using course concepts and the findings of their analysis to support recommendations, discussing options, and providing reasons for recommendations to build strong arguments. Date 2023 Extra Citation Key: parkinsonRhetoricalFeaturesHighgraded2023 Volume 61 Pages 101206 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2022.101206 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Tags:
-
Rhetorical strategies in engineering research articles and research theses: Advanced academic literacy and relations of power
Item Type Journal Article Author Dimitra Koutsantoni Abstract Research articles and research theses constitute two key genres used by scientific communities for the dissemination and ratification of knowledge. Both genres are produced at advanced stages of individuals’ enculturation in disciplinary communities present original research aim to persuade the academic community to accept new knowledge claims, and are the result of social negotiations between authors and disciplinary gatekeepers. However, despite their similarities, these two academic genres differ as regards the status of their authors in academic discourse communities and the power asymmetries between themselves and disciplinary gatekeepers. Awareness of these differences in relations of power and of the social forces behind the formation of genres, which are constituents of advanced academic literacy, defines the rhetorical strategies used by the authors of these two genres. This is revealed by a comparison of 17 research articles and nine samples of research theses from the fields of electronic and chemical engineering. The analysis of the texts focuses on the density and function of hedges and, in particular, discourse-based strategic hedges and of their personal or impersonal expression. The analysis indicates that students hedge more than expert authors and virtually wholly refrain from taking personal responsibility for their claims. Expert authors, on the other hand, hedge less than the students and often use personally attributed hedges. The comparison additionally indicates differences in the frequency of certain types of strategic hedges between RA authors and students. Date 2006 Extra Citation Key: koutsantoniRhetoricalStrategiesEngineering2006 Volume 5 Pages 19–36 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2005.11.002 Issue 1 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Tags:
-
Salient language features in explanation texts that students encounter in secondary school chemistry textbooks
Item Type Journal Article Author Jack K. H. Pun Abstract This study examines language features that students are likely to encounter in chemistry textbooks in EMI classrooms. In consultation with teachers, the presentation of science knowledge was examined in three chemistry textbooks commonly used in Hong Kong secondary English Medium Instruction (EMI) classrooms. Student textbooks were collected from eight Grade 10–12 chemistry classrooms. Adopting a functional linguistic approach (e.g., Veel’s (1997) framework of text taxonomy), analyses showed that explanation is the most common text type in the three chemistry textbooks, and the five subtypes of explanations represented in the textbooks are causal (40%), factorial (24%), sequential (15%), consequential (13%) and theoretical (8%). The distribution of these different types of explanation texts and their features were examined to reveal the kind of language that students in EMI classrooms are likely to encounter when learning chemistry. The results show that explanation texts served as a primary linguistic reservoir for EMI students to learn the language of science. The analysis of the language features of these texts could be used to inform future pedagogies aiming at making these textbooks more accessible to students learning in English and facilitating both their science learning and control of scientific English. Date 2019 Extra Citation Key: punSalientLanguageFeatures2019 Volume 42 Pages 100781 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2019.100781 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Tags:
-
Scaffolding academic literacy with indigenous health sciences students: An evaluative study
Item Type Journal Article Author David Rose Author Miranda Rose Author Sally Farrington Author Susan Page Abstract We report on an action research project that explored the use of an innovative pedagogy, known as Scaffolding Academic Literacy, to accelerate the learning of Indigenous undergraduate health science students at the University of Sydney. The pedagogy encompasses a set of teaching strategies that enable all students to read high level academic texts and successfully use what they learn from reading in their writing. The context of Indigenous adults entering tertiary study and their literacy needs are first outlined, the Scaffolding Academic Literacy pedagogy and its implementation is described, and results of students’ literacy development are measured using an assessment tool that combines qualitative analysis with a numerical score to track and compare progress. Results indicate that integrating reading and writing academic skills into the curriculum using the pedagogy accelerated students’ academic literacy at above expected rates of development, measured against standard secondary school progression rates, at the same time it enabled students to develop a more thorough understanding of their field of study (The term `field’ is used here both in a general sense as the entire field of activity and knowledge of an academic discipline, and in a specific sense as the elements of the academic field that are realised in a particular text. Crucially an academic field exists only in the texts in which it is realised (spoken and written), see Halliday, M.A.K. (1978). Language as a social semiotic: The social interpretation of language and meaning. London: Edward Arnold and Martin J.R & Rose, D (2007b). Working with discourse: Meaning beyond the clause (2nd ed.). London: Continuum). Date 2008 Extra Citation Key: roseScaffoldingAcademicLiteracy2008 Volume 7 Pages 165–179 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2008.05.004 Issue 3 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Tags:
-
Scientists say: Patterns of attribution in popular and professional science writing
Item Type Journal Article Author Jordan Batchelor Abstract The research article (RA) has held unparalleled importance in several fields of applied linguistics but is only one genre among many that researchers produce and readers consume. This study compares RAs with a related genre called `popular science.’ More linguistic-oriented research of popular science genres is needed to account for the growing body of contemporary popular science discourse. This study collected 400 matching professional and popular science articles published online to compare their use of three lexicogrammatical patterns that often function to perform attribution. Results showed that the popular science texts were denser with attribution, often named human authors within instances of attribution, and utilized reporting verbs with a neutral or positive evaluative stance. This study argues that, while the function of attribution in RAs is to build ethos and build an argument through identifying a gap in previous literature, attribution in science news articles functions to portray study authors as the main actors in research stories and portray popular science writers as objective, though at times supportive, reporters of recent news, highlighting the journalistic function of this variety of popular science. Date 2023 Extra Citation Key: batchelorScientistsSayPatterns2023 Volume 65 Pages 101273 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2023.101273 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:00 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:00 Tags:
-
Source-based writing in a health sciences essay: Year 1 students’ perceptions, abilities and strategies
Item Type Journal Article Author Rosemary Wette Abstract In recent years, research interest in writing using sources has broadened from a focus on plagiarism to studies of source based writing in academic settings and the challenges it presents for novice writers. While previous research has largely involved assignment writing or experimental tasks by L2 students in pre-sessional or adjunct EAP courses, this naturalistic study explored students’ source text use in the disciplines. It used a questionnaire, citation analysis and text-based interviews to examine the views, approaches and citing practices of a group of L1 and L2 students for an essay assignment in a first-year health sciences course. Citation analysis showed a reasonable degree of accuracy with regard to students’ paraphrases of source meanings; however, as revealed in textual analysis and interviews, these novices were still unskilled at conveying a clear stance on sources and their presence as authors. Their main citing strategy appeared to be efficient reformulation through attribution citations. Guidance from tutors and task instructions set modest expectations and helped students to understand disciplinary conventions for source text use, and it was evident that argument and understanding of core issues was much more important than citation quality in markers’ evaluations of their essays. Date 2018 Extra Citation Key: wetteSourcebasedWritingHealth2018 Volume 36 Pages 61–75 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2018.09.006 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Modified 23/09/2024, 21:13:00 Tags:
-
Specialized vocabulary in TED talks and TED-Ed animations: Implications for learning English for science and technology
Item Type Journal Article Author Chen-Yu Liu Abstract TED talks and TED-Ed animations have been widely used in English language courses to facilitate the learning of general and general academic English. However, little is known about their potential as resources for learning specific academic English. This study helps to fill this gap by examining, from a lexical perspective, their potential as learning materials for English for science and technology (EST). Specifically, it analyzes specialized vocabulary in two corpora, one of science and technology TED talks and the other, of science and technology TED-Ed animations. The results show that, given their high coverage of specialized vocabulary (comparable to that of science lectures), both these types of material may be useful in EST instruction. In particular, the TED talks may serve as bridging materials for EST beginners, while the TED-Ed animations may be more suitable for familiarizing students with specialized words that are infrequent in general English. Also, because TED-Ed animations are comparable to written science texts in terms of their coverage of specialized vocabulary, they may be especially useful as materials for EST vocabulary learning. Date 2023 Extra Citation Key: liuSpecializedVocabularyTED2023 Volume 65 Pages 101293 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2023.101293 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Tags:
-
Storytelling in L2 English-medium engineering lectures: A typology
Item Type Journal Article Author Francis Picavet Author Alice Henderson Author Erica de Vries Abstract This paper presents a framework for identifying and categorizing instances of storytelling in English lingua franca (ELF) higher education situations, based on a corpus of English Medium Instruction (EMI) engineering lectures in France. The lectures were delivered to international students at Master’s level, by L2-English lecturers of mixed nationalities. This research draws on previous studies of oral narratives in general, and in similar academic contexts, to analyze the 60 h of video and audio recordings of the corpus. The framework outlines the identification, categorization and description of stories, with transcribed extracts from the corpus illustrating the categories. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the role played by storytelling in EMI-ELF courses and could benefit lecturers themselves, but also students, institutions and their professional development policies. Date 2023 Extra Citation Key: picavetStorytellingL2Englishmedium2023 Volume 62 Pages 101214 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2022.101214 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Tags:
-
Suitability of science & technology documentaries for EAP and EST listening
Item Type Journal Article Author Milica Vuković-Stamatović Abstract Selecting English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and English for Science and Technology (EST) listening materials is a challenging task as many different criteria could inform that choice. This study examines the suitability of science and technology documentaries for EAP and EST listening based on a corpus of 100 such documentaries. Departing from the premise that criteria such as thematic suitability, appeal and visual support for the vocabulary presented, as well as the fact that they are delivered in standard English, might recommend science and technology documentaries for this purpose, we further explore their lexical profile, lexical density and speech rate, so as to pass a more informed judgement in this regard. The results obtained are compared against those for academic lectures in general and science lectures in particular. They show that science and technology documentaries may be reasonably followed with a vocabulary size of 3,000 to 4,000 words, similar to what is required for lectures. Additionally, this genre is a good source of academic and technical vocabulary. Its higher lexical density is compensated by its slower delivery than that of lectures. Based on this, we support the inclusion of science and documentary films as EAP and EST materials. Date 2022 Extra Citation Key: vukovic-stamatovicSuitabilityScienceTechnology2022 Volume 58 Pages 101137 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2022.101137 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Tags:
-
Syntactic complexity features of science research article introductions: Rhetorical-functional and disciplinary variation perspectives
Item Type Journal Article Author Wenhui Zhou Author Zhi Li Author Xiaofei Lu Abstract An increasing body of genre analysis research within English for Academic Purposes (EAP) has attended to the relationship between linguistic features and their rhetorical functions in academic writing. Previous studies along this line have focused primarily on lexical or phraseological features and less on syntactic complexity features, with few exceptions. This study contributes to this body of research by investigating the rhetorical functions of syntactically complex sentences in science research article (RA) introductions, using a corpus containing the introduction sections of 300 published RAs in six science disciplines. The corpus samples were annotated for rhetorical move-steps using an adapted version of the Create a Research Space model (Swales, 2004) and analyzed using five indices tapping into different aspects of syntactic complexity. Results showed that the syntactic complexity indices varied significantly among the rhetorical move-steps but remained stable across hard-pure and hard-applied disciplines. Furthermore, science RA writers employed different types of syntactic complexity features more often for achieving different rhetorical functions. The implications of our findings for academic writing research and pedagogy are discussed. Date 2023 Extra Citation Key: zhouSyntacticComplexityFeatures2023 Volume 61 Pages 101212 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2022.101212 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Tags:
-
Systemic Functional Linguistics for the EGAP module: Revisiting the common core
Item Type Journal Article Author Laetitia Monbec Abstract A Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL)-informed English for General Academic Purposes (EGAP) module is discussed in this paper. This approach offers a way to design a common core curriculum for EGAP which can go towards addressing disciplinary specificity. The theory is recontextualized in the EAP module through a pedagogical tool called the instantiation table which exploits the key SFL notions of stratification, metafunction and instantiation to teach a body of transferrable knowledge about language and disciplinary variation. Beyond providing general academic literacy support, the approach also aims to equip learners with an analytical lens to independently explore their future contexts of communication. The paper first explains the theoretical grounding of the table of instantiation, and how it is implemented in classroom practice. It then reports on a survey of the tutors and students’ perceptions of the intervention. Successes and challenges faced by tutors are analysed. The paper closes with a discussion of the challenges of recontextualization of SFL theory in an EGAP curriculum engaging the Legitimation Code Theory dimension of Semantics. Date 2020 Extra Citation Key: monbecSystemicFunctionalLinguistics2020 Volume 43 Pages 100794 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2019.100794 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Tags:
-
Teaching English for Research Publication Purposes to science
students in China: A case study of an experienced teacher in the
classroomItem Type Journal Article Author Yongyan Li Author John Flowerdew Author Margaret Cargill Abstract Within ESP/EAP, compared with the large volume of corpus-informed discourse analytic research, there is only limited literature featuring the actual classroom discourse, or more specifically, the ESP/EAP practitioners’ teaching itself. Such classroom-based research, however, can significantly inform the preparation of ESP/EAP teachers. In this paper, we address the research gap by presenting a case study of how an experienced, native-English-speaking English for Research Publication Purposes (ERPP) teacher went about teaching an ERPP course by invitation at a university in China. Data were collected through classroom observation with audio and video recordings and interviews. Our collaborative thematization process based on the dataset leads to eight themes which characterized the teaching strategies employed by the focal ERPP practitioner in teaching the focal course. Through this paper we thus present an example of good practice, while at the same time raising topics for discussion naturally arising from “observing” the teaching as reported in the paper. We believe both of these dimensions have the potential to inform novice (and more experienced) teachers of EAP/ERPP with regard to their practice. Date 2018 Extra Citation Key: liTeachingEnglishResearch2018 Volume 35 Pages 116–129 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2018.07.006 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Tags:
-
Teaching mathematics and science in English in Malaysian classrooms: The impact of teacher beliefs on classroom practices and student learning
Item Type Journal Article Author May Tan Author Ong Saw Lan Abstract In 2003, after more than thirty years of using Bahasa Malaysia (BM) as the medium of instruction for all subjects, the Malaysian educational system switched to using English to teach Mathematics and the Sciences in its schools. This new policy is known by its BM acronym, PPSMI. To ease transition, bilingual high-stakes exit exams are being used as an accommodation measure, with the objective of eventually having English-only exams. This paper examines the perceptions and beliefs of upper secondary Math and Science teachers (MST) whose students are the first and second cohorts to learn Mathematics and Science in English. Results from surveys, teacher interviews and classroom observations illustrate how MST perceptions and beliefs influence classroom practices. The data shows that exam policy, teacher perceptions and their beliefs interact to encourage the use of translation and an emphasis on keywords during teaching. These practices enhance the learning of academically and linguistically strong students but negatively impact the content and language development of weaker students. These methods may also increase the content comprehension of students over the short term, but limit the development of their speaking and writing abilities. In closing, measures to improve students’ learning of EAP are proposed. Date 2011 Extra Citation Key: tanTeachingMathematicsScience2011 Volume 10 Pages 5–18 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2010.11.001 Issue 1 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Tags:
-
The pronoun this as a cohesive encapsulator in engineering semi-popularization articles written in English
Item Type Journal Article Author Malena Padula Author Carolina Panza Author Verónica L. Muñoz Abstract The purpose of this study is to analyse the use of the pronoun this as a cohesive encapsulator in a corpus of 130 engineering semi-popularization articles written in English. Three stages were followed to carry out the study: first analysis of the corpus, identification of cases to analyse, and quantitative and qualitative syntactic analysis of the textual segments encapsulated by the pronoun this. The results obtained in the first two stages of analysis revealed that this had a high frequency in the corpus of engineering semi-popularization articles, the majority of the cases being used as encapsulating cohesive pronouns in sentence-initial position. The syntactic analysis of the encapsulated segments showed that the sentence was the most frequent structure condensed by the demonstrative pronoun this. The second most frequent syntactic category was the clause. Taken together, these findings provide evidence for the description and understanding of engineering semi-popularization articles in English and shed light on the cohesive phenomenon of encapsulation to inform pedagogic practices in engineering undergraduate ESP reading courses. Date 2020 Extra Citation Key: padulaPronounThisCohesive2020 Volume 44 Pages 100828 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2019.100828 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Tags:
-
The relationship between syntactic complexity and rhetorical
move-steps in research article introductions: Variation among four
social science and engineering disciplinesItem Type Journal Article Author Xiaofei Lu Author J. Elliott Casal Author Yingying Liu Author Olesya Kisselev Author Jungwan Yoon Abstract This study investigates disciplinary variation in the relationship between syntactic complexity and rhetorical move-steps in research article (RA) introductions. Our data consisted of the introduction sections of 400 published RAs in two core social science disciplines, Anthropology and Sociology, and two core engineering disciplines, Chemical Engineering and Electrical Engineering. Each sample was manually annotated for rhetorical move-steps using an adapted version of Swales’ (2004) revised Create a Research Space model and assessed for syntactic complexity using multiple measures of global complexity, finite subordination, clausal elaboration, and phrasal complexity. Our results revealed significant disciplinary variation in terms of the syntactic complexity of sentences realizing each of six rhetorical move-steps commonly found in RA introductions. Our findings contribute to the emerging understanding of disciplinary variation in function-form mappings in RA writing and have useful implications for genre-based academic writing research and pedagogy. Date 2021 Extra Citation Key: luRelationshipSyntacticComplexity2021 Volume 52 Pages 101006 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2021.101006 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Tags:
-
The use of we in a learner corpus of reports written by EFL Engineering students
Item Type Journal Article Author María José Luzón Abstract First person pronouns are a rhetorical strategy which allows researchers to perform different discourse functions in the text, through which they construct a convincing argument that persuades readers of the validity and novelty of their claims and of their own competence. In this paper I explore how Spanish EFL Engineering students use first person plural pronouns in multi-authored report writing. The paper examines the discourse functions of the pronoun we in a corpus of 55 reports written by Spanish students. The analysis shows that these students fail to understand how expert writers use these pronouns to construct their authorial identities as knowledgeable members of the community. Students are unaware of the conventionalised use of phraseological patterns involving we to perform specific functions in academic genres. The results clearly suggest the need for an approach to academic writing in higher education which combines genre analysis, expert corpora and learner corpora. Date 2009 Extra Citation Key: luzonUseWeLearner2009 Volume 8 Pages 192–206 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2009.04.001 Issue 3 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:01 Tags:
-
Variability and functions of lexical bundles in research articles of applied linguistics and pharmaceutical sciences
Item Type Journal Article Author Junqiang Ren Abstract Lexical bundles perform discourse functions and present differing levels of variability, with some slots replaceable by optional words. Incorporating both function and formulaicity perspectives is a promising approach to uncover certain features of these recurrent language patterns. Based on the variability measurement and functional taxonomy proposed by Biber (2009) and Biber et al. (2004), this study compared the extent to which the lexical bundles from research articles of applied linguistics and pharmaceutical sciences are fixed. Thereafter, the lexical bundles were examined across the discourse functions to explore the possible interaction between function and variability. The results indicate that variability shows disciplinary variation, with bundles from applied linguistics articles as a whole being relatively less fixed. In addition, discourse functions are found to be closely associated with variability. These findings shed light on the question of whether lexical bundles are prefabricated patterns and may facilitate the teaching of academic writing at the graduate level. Date 2021 Extra Citation Key: renVariabilityFunctionsLexical2021 Volume 50 Pages 100968 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2021.100968 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Tags:
-
When a bug is not a bug: An introduction to the computer science academic vocabulary list
Item Type Journal Article Author David Roesler Abstract Chinese and Greek students are among the many international groups now studying at UK universities. While the written English of these groups has been extensively explored through the short argumentative essays comprising learner corpora, little research has been conducted on their assessed writing at undergraduate and Masters level. This paper reports on a study of Chinese, Greek and British student writing within the discipline of Engineering in five UK universities. Data is extracted primarily from the 6.5 million-word British Academic Written English corpus, supplemented by assignments from additional UK universities. The main aim of the study is to explore texts from students with different L1s and cultural backgrounds but within the same discipline and current educational system. First person pronouns were selected as a contained aspect of student writing for comparison, since these are a highly visible feature of a writer’s identity construction (e.g. Hyland, 2002b), yet it is often claimed that L2 English students `over use’ these pronouns to the detriment of their writing (Lee & Chen, 2009). Findings indicate that the Chinese and Greek students make greater use of we in their writing within Engineering than British students and the paper explores the various functions of both we and I. Date 2021 Extra Citation Key: roeslerWhenBugNot2021 Volume 54 Pages 101044 Publication Journal of English for Academic Purposes DOI 10.1016/j.jeap.2021.101044 ISSN 1475-1585 Date Added 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Modified 23/09/2024, 20:51:02 Tags:
For EAP practitioners working in STEM