Chinese MA Student Writers’ Identity Construction in Citation Practices1

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-385
Author(s):  
Qingrong Liu ◽  
Liming Deng
Keyword(s):  
Identity Construction ◽  
Academic English ◽  
Student Writers ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Disciplinary Identity ◽  
Authorial Identity ◽  
Citation Practices ◽  
Mixed Approach ◽  
Ma Thesis ◽  
Thesis Writing

Abstract Based on Burgess and Ivanič’s (2010) framework of the discoursal construction of writer identity, this paper explores the interaction between citation practices and identity construction in Chinese EFL learners’ MA thesis writing. A mixed approach of textual analysis and interviews was adopted to examine the citation features of MA theses and the identities Chinese EFL learners constructed through citation selection. It was found that students’ selection of citations reflects their linguistic identity, academic and disciplinary identity, as well as novice identity. Their citation practices project different discursive selves to readers. By adjusting the number and relevance of references, they intend to construct a knowledgeable and credible self. The use of ineffective citations and references not only projects an unfavorable impression on readers but reflects a lack of authorial identity. This study has significant implications for the teaching of academic English and the supervision of thesis writing.

scholarly journals Writer Identity Construction in EFL Doctoral Thesis Writing

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 16-36
Author(s):  
Daping Wu ◽  
Adcharawan Buripakdi
Keyword(s):  
Identity Formation ◽  
Identity Construction ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Written Narratives ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Writer Identity ◽  
Doctoral Thesis ◽  
Authorial Identity ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Thesis Writing

Research on EFL doctoral thesis writing is booming. The literature indicates a link between doctoral thesis writing and identity formation. Despite the call for scholarly attention on doctoral thesis writers, writers of doctoral theses in English as a Foreign language (EFL) settings have not been well represented in the previous studies. Moreover, although writer identity has been proposed as consisting of four aspects, most of the research has mainly adopted a corpus approach to discuss the discoursal self or authorial identity. To bridge these gaps, this study explored how multicultural writers at a university in Thailand constructed identity through EFL doctoral thesis writing and how their multiple aspects of writer identity interplayed. With the data triangulated from a questionnaire, written narratives, and semi-structured interviews, the study revealed that 1) multiple identities are developed through writers’ self-adjustment and social acculturation; 2) passive alignment to institutional conventions leads to an actual distancing from discoursal construction of writer identity; 3) self-marginalization as EFL learners, negative external voices, and the role of student writer most hinder the development and representation of the authorial self. The research recommends EFL learners should be explicitly informed of the notions of constructing an authorial voice in the writing of doctoral theses. Keywords writer identity; identity construction; EFL doctoral thesis writing; novice writer; non-native English-speaking context

Identity Construction in Academic Writing of Student Writers Who Use English as an Additional Language: A Literature Review1

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 506-524
Author(s):  
Fangzhi He
Keyword(s):  
Identity Construction ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Student Writers ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Authorial Identity ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Audience Awareness ◽  
Writer Identities

Abstract Academic writing is social interaction between writer and reader, during which writers can employ discursive and non-discursive features to construct their identities. However, many student writers who are users of English as an additional language (EAL) may find it challenging to construct their identities in academic writing. Properly constructed identity in academic writing can help EAL student writers develop a stronger sense of self, exercise their agency, and negotiate the academic discourse. Therefore, this paper reviews empirical studies on EAL student writers’ identity construction when they write in English to investigate the features of identities that EAL student writers construct in texts and the factors that influence their identity construction. The findings show that, compared with expert writers and native-English-speaking (NES) counterparts, EAL student writers tend to present a weak authorial identity. Furthermore, EAL student writers tend to be more engaged with texts than with readers and lack commitment to their claims. The identities that EAL student writers construct in academic writing are also interwoven with EAL students’ English proficiency levels, educational experience, disciplinary conventions, genre affordances, and audience awareness. The findings of this literature review can help teachers and educators raise EAL students’ identity awareness and facilitate students in strategically constructing writer identities in academic writing.

The academic English collocation list

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Lei ◽  
Dilin Liu
Keyword(s):  
Selection Method ◽  
Academic English ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Innovative Research ◽  
Step Selection ◽  
Large Corpus

Abstract The use of collocations plays an important role for the proficiency of ESL/EFL learners. Hence, educators and researchers have long tried to identify collocations typical of either academic or general English and the challenges involved in learning them. This paper proposes a comprehensive and type-balanced academic English collocation list (AECL). AECL is based on a large corpus of academic English and was created to cover the types of collocations that will be most useful to ESL/EFL learners. AECL is the result of an innovative research-based procedure that involves a five-step selection method. A comparison of the collocations on AECL with those found in well-known collocation dictionaries of general English and on three existing academic English collocation lists indicates that AECL indeed contains mainly academic rather than general English collocations. In addition, AECL is more comprehensive with regard to the types of collocations that are relevant to learners.

scholarly journals The Prevalence and Frequency of Authorial Identity among Undergraduate Students in Fiji

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 136
Author(s):  
Jasbir Karneil Singh ◽  
Ben K. Daniel
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
First Year ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Student Writers ◽  
Authorial Identity ◽  
National University ◽  
Authorial Voice

Expressing an authoritative voice is an essential part of academic writing at university. However, the performance of the authorial self in writing is complex yet fundamental to academic success as a large part of academic assessment involves writing to the academy. More specifically, the performance of the authorial self can be complex for English as a Second Language (ESL) student-writers. This research investigated the extent to which ESL first-year students at the Fiji National University perform their authorial voice using interactional metadiscourse in their academic writing. The study employed a quantitative analysis of corpus produced by 16 Fijian ESL undergraduate students enrolled in an EAP course. The research found that the ESL authorial voice was predominantly expressed through boosters and attitude markers, with relatively little usage of other interactional metadiscoursal elements such as hedges, engagement markers and self-mentions. Further, the research showed that this particular cohort expressed their authorial voice and identity through boosted arguments and avoiding language that directly mentions the authorial self. The study concludes that the ESL authorial self for this cohort manifests itself in a selected range of selected interactional metadiscoursal elements, requiring the need to raise the awareness of self-reflective expressions for ESL students. The study also encourages further exploration of ESL authorial identity construction in academic writing at undergraduate level and beyond.

Japanese student writers’ perspectives on anonymous peer review

ELT Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 296-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sugene Kim
Keyword(s):  
Peer Review ◽  
Asian Students ◽  
Writing Classroom ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Student Writers ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Japanese Student ◽  
Peer Reviewers

Abstract This article explores Japanese EFL learners’ perceptions of face-to-face vs. anonymous peer review in a writing classroom. Albeit few in number, some studies claim that Asian students exhibit difficulty in providing negative feedback because they tend to be hesitant for cultural reasons to criticize others’ work. To verify and extend such observations, this study collected data from 64 Japanese college students regarding their experiences and perspectives after they performed peer review in both conditions. Analysis of the data collected through a survey and semi-structured interviews did not support the previously held views that learners from non-Western cultural backgrounds are predisposed to be reluctant peer reviewers. Further, the findings indicated that Japanese EFL learners’ preference for a specific peer-review mode interacts closely with various factors. Possible pedagogical implications are discussed in relation to ways to better implement peer-review sessions.

A model of citation options

1997 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 51-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Buckingham ◽  
Maurice Nevile
Keyword(s):  
Academic Discourse ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Present Knowledge ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Detailed Understanding ◽  
Student Writers ◽  
Citation Practices ◽  
Verb Tense

The practice of citation is indicative of academic discourse. Over the last two decades, a number of papers have explored the language of citation, some directly motivated by concern about poor citation practices among student writers. This emerging interest has given us detailed understanding of specific aspects of citation language, for example verb tense, thematic choice, voice, and the name of the cited author (eg. Swales 1986, Thompson and Ye 1991, Shaw 1992, Thomas and Hawes 1994a, Thomas and Hawes 1994b). However, we do not yet have a tool for analysing citation in terms of the underlying intertextual understandings of academic writers. This paper proposes a model of citation options which relates variation in citation language forms to writers’ ability to control how they position themselves and their texts within a multi-member colloquy that is the academic community, past, present and future. Academic writers use variation in citation language to present knowledge as more or less negotiable, and in so doing control their readers’ engagement on points of controversy. The model is potentially valuable both pedagogically and for analysing specific discourse issues, within and across academic disciplines.

Exploring Citations in Chemical Engineering Literature Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasmin Hanafi Zaid ◽  
Sarimah Shamsudin ◽  
Hadina Habil
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Chemical Engineering ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Engineering Student ◽  
Student Writers ◽  
Academic Texts ◽  
Citation Practices ◽  
Research Students ◽  
Made In

Citation is considered as an essential part in any academic writing whereby it is one way for writers to support any claims or arguments made in their study with literature from previous research. Literature review is known as a chapter which provides background for research described in a thesis. However, relatively not many studies are done on literature review chapter of thesis which may be due to the extensive nature of the text. Writing academic texts such as a thesis requires an author to acknowledge other researchers’ work through proper use of citations. Learning the appropriate way to cite is important in any kinds of academic writing especially among research students who are writing their theses. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to investigate the citation practices in doctoral theses of Chemical Engineering. The purpose of this study is two folds; i) to identify the types of citations used in the corpus (using Swale's 1990 categorization) and ii) to examine the functions related to the citations used (using Thompson's 2001 framework). Three literature review chapters were analysed first to identify the types of citations used in the mini corpus and the functions related to the citations. The results of the study show that engineering student writers mostly used Non-integral citations as compared to Integral. The study concludes with a discussion on the skills of citing the literature which should be given more attention to raise the awareness level among students.

scholarly journals TYPES AND FUNCTIONS OF CITATIONS IN MASTER’S THESES ACROSS DISCIPLINES AND LANGUAGES

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raheleh Bahadofar ◽  
Javad Gholami
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Specific Focus ◽  
Text Types ◽  
Citation Practices ◽  
Thesis Writing ◽  
The Way

Citation is an essential and common feature of academic writing and is used by academicwriters to achieve different purposes. This study investigated disciplinary variationsin terms of citation practices in the genre of Master’s theses with a specific focus ondiscussions. To this end, sixty discussions produced by MA/MS students of two keyuniversities in Iran from both hard and soft disciplines were analyzed in terms of citationtypes and functions. The medium of writing whether English or Persian was also takeninto account for its probable influence on the employed citation practices. The resultsrevealed that integral citations were used more frequently by writers in soft knowledgefields, allowing them to make evaluations, whereas non-integral citations were mostlyused by hard discipline writers. As for rhetorical functions, Support and Comparison werethe dominant functions in these text types. However, there existed subtle differences bothin the degree and the way these writers draw intertextual links to their disciplines. Thefindings can be of considerable help to EAP instructors and thesis supervisors to raise theirstudents’ awareness and refine their understanding of citation strategies in thesis writing.

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