scholarly journals An Exploration of Hedging and Boosting Devices Used in Academic Discourse Focusing on English Theses at the University of Namibia

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Naftal K.T. Haufiku ◽  
Jairos Kangira
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Academic Discourse ◽  
Contrastive Rhetoric ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
English Studies ◽  
Unequal Distribution ◽  
Master Of Arts ◽  
The University ◽  
Type 3

<p><em>This paper explored the application of hedges and boosters in all ten theses of the Master of Arts in English Studies submitted and examined at the University of Namibia between 2014 and 2015. A mixed research approach was chosen because of the descriptive nature of this study. This method also gave an in-depth understanding of issues such as why research writers prefer some types of hedging and boosting devices over the others, and why some theses chapters have certain types of hedges and boosters. The study only examined three chapters of the theses: the Introduction, Discussion, and Conclusion. Hyland’s (2004) taxonomy of hedges and boosters was used to analyse the types of hedges and boosters used. Kaplan’s (1997) Contrastive Rhetoric Theory was used to explain how researchers use hedges and boosters to express their uncertainties and certainties respectively. The study revealed that writers prefer Type 3 of hedges and boosters in all the three chapters. It further revealed that there is an unequal distribution of hedges and boosters among writers. Finally, the paper concluded that the preference of Type 3 may have been caused by the fact that since Type 3 does not have boosting devices writers find it less threatening to employ it in order to conform to the accepted academic writing style. The unequal distribution may also suggest that writers in academic discourse are not proficient in the English language.</em></p>

scholarly journals Using Genre Theory for teaching writing at tertiary level: a practical example of teaching to write effective recounts

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 59 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Martínez-Lirola
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Genre Theory ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Teaching Writing ◽  
English Studies ◽  
Text Types ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The University

<p><span lang="EN-GB">The study reported in this paper focuses on the use of Genre Theory as an appropriate framework for English L2 writing in the subject English Language III of the degree course in English Studies. We analysed 115 recounts written by students on this course at the University of Alicante (Spain) after they had studied different text types following Genre Theory. </span><span lang="EN-GB">This Theory was applied in order to increase students’ literacy skills through the study of text types and specific grammatical characteristics that appear in these texts. This study will show that using the Theory of Genre as a framework to teach academic writing helped students to improve their writing skills.<strong> </strong>The results of the texts analysed suggest that exposing students to good models of different text types, paying special attention to recounts, and asking them to write texts based on these models, improves students’ texts from the grammatical and the textual point of view.</span></p>

scholarly journals Students’ Perspectives on Academic Writing in European Higher Education (Based on 2019 Erasmus Teaching Experience in Slovak and Hungarian University)

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 87-102
Author(s):  
Olena Hundarenko ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
English Language Acquisition ◽  
Writing Assignments ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
European Universities ◽  
Writing Instructions ◽  
English Academic Writing ◽  
The University

Although studies on the approaches and methods of teaching Academic Writing in university classroom are extensive, comparative studies on students’ evaluation of the classroom strategies and techniques applied are still scant. Therefore, this research implies a quantitative study based on comparative analysis of Slovak and Hungarian EFL learners’ responses on a special questionnaire in English Academic Writing. The objective of the study was to explore senior university students’ attitude to the academic writing tasks, specificity of a writing program at the university, its advantages and disadvantages; to evaluate their own writing abilities and provide recommendations concerning feedback and writing instructions in class along with the ways of their improvement. It accords to the area of study on effective writing assignments, techniques and methods involved in everyday practice in Central European universities, which can make academic writing both a productive and joyful tool in English language acquisition process.

scholarly journals An overview of undergraduate students’ perceptions on content-based lessons taught in English

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (29) ◽  
pp. 65-78
Author(s):  
Diego Ortega-Auquilla ◽  
Paul Sigüenza-Garzón ◽  
Sara Cherres-Fajardo ◽  
Andrés Bonilla-Marchán
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Instructional Process ◽  
Learning Content ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Participation Motivation ◽  
The University

Currently, the English language has both an important role in university studies and professional careers. With that in mind, the present study employed an exploratory research approach to determine university students’ perceptions with regard to learning course content on curriculum and education-related topics through the implementation of content-based lessons taught in the English language. A survey was administered to 171 students in different majors from one public university in Ecuador. The close-ended questions focused on learning about the respondents’ perceptions concerning varied statements, such as the importance and suitability of the use of English for the learning-teaching process of university subjects, the helpfulness and impact of learning content through the implementation of class sessions taught in English. Furthermore, an open-ended question was put forward to find out in what ways the learning of university subjects taught in English may help the study participants in the future. The findings showed that a large number of respondents had positive attitudes towards learning content-based lessons about the education-related subject matter in English, as they found this instructional process helpful in terms of class participation, motivation, critical thinking, and other aspects. It was concluded that students could better learn the English language in a more genuine manner by means of lessons directed by CLIL, as they complete essential undergraduate courses from their field of study at the university level.

Grammar Mistakes in English Written Academic Discourse

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
I Bakhov ◽  
◽  
L Lozynska ◽  
A Alyeva ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Academic Discourse ◽  
Sentence Structure ◽  
Modern Information Technology ◽  
Frequent Use ◽  
Grammatical Errors ◽  
Grammatical Error ◽  
The Right ◽  
English Academic Writing

Abstract. Grammar is an important component of written academic discourse. Knowing the grammatical basis of a sentence avoids grammatical errors. The purpose of the study is to reveal the peculiarities of making grammatical errors in English-language written academic discourse. Results of research. As practice shows, most often in English-language written academic discourse the following grammatical errors occur: errors that occur in the process of matching the subject and predicate in a sentence; errors that occur when using the right time in verbs and / or adverbs; errors that occur in the use of articles. The reasons for non-compliance with the requirements for the use of articles are: the use of the noun "author (s)" without the specified article; use of the specified article "the" without grounds; frequent neglect of the inability to use a computable noun in the singular without an article. Regarding the incorrect use of prepositions, in the phrase "practical research is aimed at the system" the preposition "at" should be used instead of the preposition "to". A grammatical error, which consists in using the adjective "own" without a possessive pronoun, occurs in the following phrases: "the search for directions of own activity", "formation of own strategy of activity". Grammatical error related to non-compliance with the requirements for the use of specific and temporal forms of the verb: in today's conditions, in order to solve personal problems, some people use illegal acts. There are cases when in the translation of the English text instead of the noun complex definitions or a number of such definitions are used. An example of incorrect construction of a sentence structure is the expression of a predicate in a sentence in the passive form of a verb. A compound noun is not used in English. In English, the error is quite common when the infinitive is used after the verb "allow". Also a grammatical error is the frequent use of the noun "readiness" in articles of psychological and pedagogical direction. According to the results of the research, the peculiarities of grammatical errors in the English-language written academic discourse are revealed; features of English-language written academic discourse in the context of the analysis of the programs of educational disciplines developed by the leading institutions of higher education of Ukraine are considered; the parameters according to which the evaluation of academic written texts is carried out are revealed; features of English-language academic writing are analyzed. It is noted that as an option to avoid grammatical errors in English written academic discourse, you need to use modern information technology, including programs to check English academic writing for grammatical errors. Based on the results obtained during the study, the prospects for further research are seen in a comprehensive study of the features of English-language academic discourse.

Credibility and Accountability in Academic Discourse: Increasing the Awareness of Ghanaian Graduate Students

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-244
Author(s):  
Gordon S. K. Adika
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Academic Discourse ◽  
Social Constructionist ◽  
Scholarly Writing ◽  
Communicative Practices ◽  
The University ◽  
University Of Ghana ◽  
Academic Discourses ◽  
Selection Of

AbstractDrawing from a social constructionist perspective to written scholarly communication, this paper argues that training in academic writing for students in higher education especially in second language contexts should go beyond emphasis on grammatical correctness and paragraphing strategies, and also focus on the rhetorical character of academic discourse together with the mastery of its communicative protocols. Using the University of Ghana as a reference point, the paper reviews a selection of Ghanaian graduate students’ awareness of the protocols that govern academic discourses in scholarly writing, and in consideration of their unique educational and socio-cultural circumstances, the paper proposes strategies, from the pedagogical and institutional standpoints, aimed at increasing students’ awareness of the relevant communicative practices that engender credibility and accountability.

scholarly journals Practical Aspects of Academic Literacy Development in Higher Education Institutions

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 117-127
Author(s):  
N. V. Ageenko ◽  
S. G. Menshenina ◽  
V. V. Dobrova ◽  
P. G. Labzina
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Literacy Development ◽  
English Language ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Academic Literacy ◽  
Academic Discourse ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Writing Courses ◽  
Academic Reading

Global tendencies in all scientific spheres require developed academic literacy of the researcher for effective international communication. Foreign language communication in a professional academic environment implies proficiency in the language of academic discourse. For academic discourse, as a component of academic literacy, development of academic writing skills is crucial. Higher educational institutions realize the necessity to design academic writing courses, and determine their place in the curriculum. Following the challenges of the time and academic community demands, SSTU English Language instructors designed an academic writing course to increase the methodological and academic literacy of students and young researchers. We believe that the development of the key educational and communicative foreign language competencies for academic and professional interaction can contribute to successful integration into the international scientific environment. Course design considered foreign experience, methods and curricula in the field of academic writing and academic reading.

scholarly journals Multimodal Teaching Proposal in an English as a Foreign Language Subject

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
María Martínez Lirola
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
English Language ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
English Studies ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Power Point ◽  
The University ◽  
University Classrooms ◽  
Selection Of

<p>XXI century society has a multimodal nature and it is referred as 2.0 era, in which the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) is essential. This implies that tertiary education needs to be adapted to this context and, therefore it is necessary to highlight multimodal teaching in University classrooms thanks to <em>Power Point</em> or <em>Prezi</em> presentations, the use of videos or social networks such as <em>Facebook</em> or <em>Twitter</em>, the use of <em>google</em> tools, etc. This article describes some activities that promote multimodality used in the subject English Language V of the degree in English Studies at the University of Alicante. The selection of activities is determined not only for its multimodal nature but also because they contribute to the acquisition of competences that are essential for the labour market. In addition, a survey was prepared in order to know students’ opinions about a teaching proposal based on multimodality.</p>

scholarly journals The development of, and response to, an academic writing module for electrical engineers at the University of Bath

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miranda Armstrong ◽  
Jackie Dannatt ◽  
Adrian Evans
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Principal Direction ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Electrical Engineering ◽  
Electrical Engineers ◽  
The University

The academic writing module for electrical engineering students, offered at the University of Bath, is the result of collaboration between the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering (EEE) and the English Language Centre (ELC) and is currently designed to deliver academic writing support to undergraduate students embarking on their engineering studies at Bath. The need for the course arose from subject tutor recognition of the students’ lack of awareness of the genre within which they were expected to write, suggesting that not only the subject content but also the expression of that content needed input and support. This paper presents details of the academic writing input provided by the University of Bath English Language Centre, the background to the module and ongoing development based on feedback from students, academic staff and EAP (English for Academic Purposes) tutors. Feedback indicates that the course succeeds in supporting students in their writing. The principal direction for future development lies in tailoring the course to fit the modular nature of students’ degrees, addressing issues connected to language proficiency and the nature of assessment.

Local Linguists Mastering Academic Writing in English

2017 ◽  
pp. 143-163
Author(s):  
Irina Khoutyz
Keyword(s):  
Identity Construction ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Academic Discourse ◽  
Research Articles ◽  
Contrastive Rhetoric ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Structural Differences ◽  
Reader Engagement ◽  
Sociocultural Contexts

This chapter describes the differences in how scholars present their findings in Research Articles (RA) in international journals in English and in local journals in Russian. It also attempts to present the reasons for these differences, seeking explanations in the sociocultural contexts in which these RAs were written. To achieve this aim, six RAs in English and six RAs in Russian, published in peer reviewed international and local journals, were examined. The analysis draws upon the theory of contrastive rhetoric, which stresses the necessity of studying texts in the contexts of society. The methodology used to unveil discursive conventions of RAs relies on a contrastive approach, which identified the structural differences and linguistic features of RAs in both English and Russian. The conclusion is made that the RAs differ in terms of writer / reader responsibility, form / content orientation, and reader engagement level. These differences are a result of sociocultural environments that affect the process of identity construction in academic discourse.

scholarly journals Students of Today Changing English Language Studies of Yesterday

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-189
Author(s):  
Irena Vodopija-Krstanović ◽  
Maja Brala Vukanović
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Bologna Process ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
English Studies ◽  
English Language Education ◽  
Language Studies ◽  
Economic Trends ◽  
The University ◽  
The Bologna Process

In recent times, concern has been expressed as to whether English Language Studies are in tune with the wider social, political, technological and economic trends, and the latest developments in applied linguistics and English language education. In line with these views, the aim of this study is to explore – by means of interviews with 25 English majors from the University of Rijeka – the students’ expectations with respect to the skills and competencies (to be) developed in their course of English studies, their relevance to the job market, as well as the teaching approaches and methods used to reach these learning outcomes. By comparing and contrasting the emerging educational trends triggered by the Bologna Process with primary data collected in our interviews, we focus on the implications that our results might have in terms of introducing changes to traditional English Language Studies educational paradigms.

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