A Corpus‐based Study of Textual Metaphor in English Academic Writing

The article discusses the features of academic writing in English based on the recommendations from the British Council in Ukraine in the framework of the “Researcher Connect” project, aiming to facilitate the transition to academic standards of English and improve the academic discourse produced by non-native language users. The authors outline major tendencies in the modern English language as pertains to written discourse and provide recommendations for rendering academic writing persuasive. It is a well-established fact that academic writing in English possesses unique features, which must be respected and taken into account. Hence, a transfer of academic norms from a person's mother tongue to English can be a challenge, which may impair the quality of academic writing. Presenting the research results without consideration of academic norms, grammar, and lexical features of English academic writing can lead to mistakes and misunderstanding, and result in a written work of poor quality, even if the research findings are valid. The mechanisms of improving the academic writing skills during the study of English for Academic Communication with due account for relevant grammar and lexical peculiarities have been explored. Therefore, the major challenge for researchers is the difficulty in transition to academic standards of a foreign language. The article discusses the surface and the deeper purposes in any academic writing; the significance of understanding one’s audience; the concepts of persuasion, clarity, and conciseness, as well as grammar and lexical means for achieving them. Developing the communication skills of Ukrainian scientists is crucial for successful international communication and cooperation. The study of potential difficulties, which the Ukrainian medical professionals may face in the process of academic writing in English, is important for developing the guidelines to eliminate possible mistakes and avoid misunderstanding in a medical setting. Further study of the peculiarities of academic writing in English will contribute to the optimization of international professional communication, the expansion of inter-institutional dialogue, and the integration of Ukraine into the world community.

Download Full-text

Proposed Model to Assist Saudi Postgraduate Students in their English Academic Writing

Arab World English Journal ◽

10.24093/awej/vol12no1.34 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 527-542

Author(s):

Noof Saleh Alharbi

Keyword(s):

Academic Writing ◽

Written Feedback ◽

Mixed Methods Design ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Postgraduate Students ◽

Sequential Mixed Methods ◽

Proposed Model ◽

Underlying Causes ◽

English Academic Writing ◽

Qualitative Phase

This current research forms part of a broader investigation into the problems Saudi postgraduate students face in English academic writing. The study used the interpretive paradigm to investigate and interpret the perceptions of Saudi postgraduate students and their supervisors in relation to the difficulties they encountered regarding academic writing in English. Therefore, the study adopted a sequential mixed-methods design. The quantitative phase of the research employed a questionnaire whereas the qualitative phase employed semi-structured interviews and document analysis. In total, 275 students completed the prepared questionnaire whilst 15 students, both male and female, and 9 supervisors participated in the semi-structured interviews. The research also used ten samples of written feedback students had received from their supervisors. SPSS descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data quantitatively, and MAXQDA software was used to analyse the data qualitatively. The study identified that Saudi postgraduates encounter a range of difficulties in their academic writing, which were due to several underlying causes. Therefore, to address this issue and to contribute to knowledge in the field, the author of this study devised a theoretical model to assist Saudi postgraduate students overcome their difficulties with English academic writing. The main focus of the current study is to explain this model in detail.

Download Full-text

Toward an Intercultural Rhetoric: Improving Chinese EFL Students’ Essay Writing through Outline Writing

Journal of Language Teaching and Research ◽

10.17507/jltr.1001.10 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 83

Author(s):

Fang Li ◽

Yingqin Liu

Keyword(s):

Academic Writing ◽

Translation Studies ◽

Target Language ◽

Essay Writing ◽

Intercultural Rhetoric ◽

Efl Students ◽

Main Ideas ◽

English Academic Writing ◽

Chinese And English

This study explores the effects of teaching EFL students to use an outline in their English essays. The researchers maintain that using outlines can raise students’ awareness of different audience expectations embedded in the rhetoric of the target language (English) and culture and can improve their English academic writing. The study was based on a four-week long case study at a university in Xi’an, China, in which 24 Chinese EFL students at the College of Translation Studies participated. A discourse analysis was conducted by comparing the Chinese EFL students’ English essays produced at the beginning of the study with those produced at the end of the study after learning and practicing outlining for writing the English essays. Email inquiries were used for understanding the participants’ viewpoints on learning how to write English essay outlines. The findings reveal that teaching EFL students to use outlining in their English essays is an effective way to help them improve their essay writing. Not only can it enhance the students’ understanding about using the English thesis statements, but it can also help improve the use of related, logical, and specific detailed examples to support the main ideas in their essays. The email inquiries also revealed that the students believe that outline learning helped them to understand the differences between Chinese and English essay writing. The implications of the study for intercultural rhetoric are also discussed.

Download Full-text

Sustainability in English Academic Writing: The Binary Dilemma on Pronoun Utilization

Discourse and Communication for Sustainable Education ◽

10.2478/dcse-2018-0013 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 40-48

Author(s):

Erdogan Bada ◽

Bilal Genc

Keyword(s):

Academic Writing ◽

Language Use ◽

Conceptual System ◽

Intellectual Activity ◽

English Academic Writing

Abstract Discussion on sexism regarding language focuses on how women are discriminated against in our daily language and in academic writing. Although we are against any kind of discrimination, when it comes to dealing with this phenomenon in language and language use, we should be more careful. Language is not only a symbolic means whereby humans interact, it is also a product of human intellectual activity imbued with various experiences of our past and recent ancestors. Thus, it is also a reflection of our society’s conceptual system through which we interpret physical and mental phenomena. In this paper, we have analyzed views regarding sexism and language; tried to display how improving the so-called injustices in language would result in some dire situations which may have never been foreseen. We finally put forth our own solutions to overcome the problems of sexism in academic writing.

Download Full-text

Students’ Metacognitive Strategy Pattern in English Academic Writing Learning Using Zoom

AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan ◽

10.35445/alishlah.v13i1.477 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 610-616

Author(s):

Euis Meinawati ◽

Prapti Wigati Purwaningrum ◽

Herlin Widasiwi Setianingrum ◽

Sufi Alawiyah ◽

Lia Nurmalia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Academic Writing ◽

Pattern Analysis ◽

Learning Strategy ◽

Writing Process ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Metacognitive Strategy ◽

World Knowledge ◽

English Academic Writing ◽

English Program ◽

Strategy Pattern

Students have a different pattern in using the learning strategy. It is seen in their activity when they do the writing. The objective of this research was to observe the students’ pattern using metacognitive strategy in English Academic Writing learning through an online zoom application. The method used descriptive qualitative research. The data is taken from observation and survey from 20 participants who got the English academic writing subject in 2019/2020 academic years at English Program Study Universitas Bina Sarana Informatika. Analysis procedures include observation of activity patterns, identifying learning strategy patterns, categorizing, and strategy learning pattern analysis. The results showed that the students used metacognitive strategy in the academic writing process with different patterns. It can see from activity steps of the metacognitive strategy that is implemented in the class. Students’ activity pattern is planning, identifying, correcting errors, revising, rereading, monitoring, and evaluating. Metacognitive strategies had used by students to consciously control the writing activity because each segment of one’s stored world knowledge help students to create the story. The study's implication is managing students’ activity patterns when the teacher used the strategy learning. It has to be appropriate to students’ needs.

Download Full-text

A Discourse Analysis: Cohesion of the Introduction Section of Research Article

Journal of English Language Teaching and Linguistics ◽

10.21462/jeltl.v4i1.173 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 1

Author(s):

Anis Firdatul Rochma ◽

Sulis Triyono

Keyword(s):

Undergraduate Students ◽

Academic Writing ◽

English Language ◽

English Language Teaching ◽

Research Articles ◽

Semantic Meaning ◽

Lexical Cohesion ◽

Research Article ◽

English Academic Writing ◽

Writing Competence

<em>As an effort to give contribution to the existing knowledge, it is expected for the undergraduate students to compose an engaging research article in order to convince the readers about the importance of the research article. However, there is only a little attention given to the articles written by the undergraduate students although it is considered very critical to examine whether the exposure of English academic writing has significantly enhances the writing competence of the students. Furthermore, as it is also very crucial to build a meaningful semantic meaning among the sentences in order to disclose the worthiness of the research article, it is essential to analyze the cohesion of the research article written by the undergraduate students. Henceforth, the present research is projected to investigate the cohesion of the research articles written by the undergraduate students of English Language Teaching. As the introduction section of research article is likely to be an area to portray the logical explanation of the research, the present research solely focuses on examining the cohesion of the introduction section of research article. By adopting a qualitative design and involving several steps to analyze the introduction section, it is revealed that the grammatical cohesion is considered to be the most utilized type of cohesion in writing the introduction section. Still, the lexical cohesion is also necessary to build an eloquent semantic meaning about the topic as well the importance of the research article.</em>

Download Full-text