Authorial stance has attracted increasing attention in the study of second language writing. Many studies have focused on certainty in students’ academic writing, but little attention has been paid to generality in s...Authorial stance has attracted increasing attention in the study of second language writing. Many studies have focused on certainty in students’ academic writing, but little attention has been paid to generality in students’ academic stance. Employing a corpus-based approach, this study investigates features of generality in Chinese EFL students’ stance in academic writing through comparison with the writing of international scholars. Results show that the Chinese EFL students employed significantly more generalization markers than international scholars in their academic writing, while the international scholars used more qualified generalizations. Moreover, clear differences in the focus of generalization markers and in the distribution of qualified generalizations were found, though the two groups exhibit similar tendencies in the functions of these generalization features. The findings suggest that Chinese EFL students tend to generalize their claims to a larger scope in order to make their academic writing more persuasive, leaving an impression of exaggeration and overstatement, whereas international scholars are more likely to restrict the use of generality markers in their academic writing, making more circumscribed claims. The results have practical and pedagogical implications for second language academic writing instruction.展开更多
This study conducts an acquisition-based evaluation of four primary-school English textbook series used in China. The evaluation aims to determine whether the sequencing of grammatical structures in the series is comp...This study conducts an acquisition-based evaluation of four primary-school English textbook series used in China. The evaluation aims to determine whether the sequencing of grammatical structures in the series is compatible with the L2 learning sequence stipulated in Processability Theory (PT). The results show a partial agreement between the sequencing of structures as teaching objectives in the series and the PT-based processability hierarchy. The sequencing of structures in the initial stages is consistent with the learning sequence of L2 English stated in PT. However, several structures in the intermediate or high stages are taught in a deviant way against their sequencing in PT. The deviant grading of those structures is possibly associated with the theme-based guidelines adopted in the textbooks. It appears that concerns with the utility of grammatical structures in a given context take precedence over concerns for L2 development. A number of suggestions are offered to textbook writers in terms of the role of input, the learners, developmental readiness, and the issue of heterogeneity in L2 classrooms.展开更多
基金funded by the National Social Science Fund of China(No.19BYY229)
文摘Authorial stance has attracted increasing attention in the study of second language writing. Many studies have focused on certainty in students’ academic writing, but little attention has been paid to generality in students’ academic stance. Employing a corpus-based approach, this study investigates features of generality in Chinese EFL students’ stance in academic writing through comparison with the writing of international scholars. Results show that the Chinese EFL students employed significantly more generalization markers than international scholars in their academic writing, while the international scholars used more qualified generalizations. Moreover, clear differences in the focus of generalization markers and in the distribution of qualified generalizations were found, though the two groups exhibit similar tendencies in the functions of these generalization features. The findings suggest that Chinese EFL students tend to generalize their claims to a larger scope in order to make their academic writing more persuasive, leaving an impression of exaggeration and overstatement, whereas international scholars are more likely to restrict the use of generality markers in their academic writing, making more circumscribed claims. The results have practical and pedagogical implications for second language academic writing instruction.
基金supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(WUT:2018IVA078)the Teaching Research Funds of Wuhan University of Technology(w2018130)
文摘This study conducts an acquisition-based evaluation of four primary-school English textbook series used in China. The evaluation aims to determine whether the sequencing of grammatical structures in the series is compatible with the L2 learning sequence stipulated in Processability Theory (PT). The results show a partial agreement between the sequencing of structures as teaching objectives in the series and the PT-based processability hierarchy. The sequencing of structures in the initial stages is consistent with the learning sequence of L2 English stated in PT. However, several structures in the intermediate or high stages are taught in a deviant way against their sequencing in PT. The deviant grading of those structures is possibly associated with the theme-based guidelines adopted in the textbooks. It appears that concerns with the utility of grammatical structures in a given context take precedence over concerns for L2 development. A number of suggestions are offered to textbook writers in terms of the role of input, the learners, developmental readiness, and the issue of heterogeneity in L2 classrooms.
