This document summarizes a research study that analyzed the structure of acknowledgement sections in Persian and English theses and dissertations. The study aimed to verify findings from previous research indicating that acknowledgements written by native Persian speakers contain a "thanking God" move not found in English acknowledgements. The researchers analyzed acknowledgements from Persian and English theses using Hyland's model of acknowledgement moves and steps. They found the "thanking God" step was significantly more common in Persian acknowledgements compared to English ones. The study contributes additional data on cross-cultural differences in academic genre structures.
An Investigation Of Generic Structures Of Pakistani Doctoral Thesis Acknowled...Ashley Smith
This document summarizes previous research on the genre of acknowledgements sections in doctoral theses and discusses a study investigating the generic structures of acknowledgement sections in Pakistani theses. It reviews literature showing that acknowledgements have traditionally been a neglected genre but are important for expressing gratitude. The study analyzed 235 acknowledgements from Pakistani theses using genre analysis methods to identify seven moves and sub-units that reflect socio-cultural norms in Pakistani acknowledgement writing. Previous models of acknowledgement structure from other contexts did not fully capture patterns in Pakistani texts.
Analyzing Verbs In The Discussion Section Of Master S Theses Written By Irani...Jim Jimenez
This study analyzes the verbs used in the discussion section of 60 master's theses written by Iranian students studying English as a foreign language. The theses were categorized based on their research approach as quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods. The verbs were analyzed based on their reporting or nonreporting status, as well as their tense, aspect, and voice. The findings showed there were no differences in verb use across the different research approaches, except for a higher use of progressive aspect for reporting verbs in qualitative theses and passive voice for nonreporting verbs in mixed methods theses. The study aims to contribute to understanding of verb use in academic writing by non-native English speakers.
A STUDY OF ENGLISH ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS WRITTEN BY EFL THAI LEARNERSJennifer Daniel
This document discusses a study of acknowledgements written in English by Thai PhD students. It begins with an abstract that summarizes the study, which analyzed 70 acknowledgements and found they generally have 3 moves: thanking, announcing, and signing-off. The introduction provides background on acknowledgements and discusses how little guidance Thai students receive in writing them. The literature review summarizes previous research on acknowledgement structure and linguistic patterns, including studies of acknowledgements in different languages and contexts. The remainder of the document provides context and rationale for analyzing English acknowledgements written by Thai students.
A GENRE ANALYSIS ON THE DISCUSSION SECTION OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RE...Jeff Nelson
This document discusses a study that analyzed the discussion sections of quantitative and qualitative research articles in English language teaching and linguistics. The study aimed to investigate the moves and steps in the discussion sections, as well as the rhetorical structure patterns. It analyzed 20 qualitative and 20 quantitative research articles using Yang and Allison's framework. The study found that all moves from the framework were present in both types of articles, though the frequency differed. It also found two main patterns - repetitive and organized - though there was some variation within each. The study provides evidence on the generic structure of discussion sections and insights for move analysis in this field.
An Exploratory Study On Authorial (In)Visibilty Across Postgraduate Academic ...Sabrina Ball
This document summarizes a research study that analyzed how postgraduate students from Turkey, Britain, and Turkish students writing in English establish their authorial presence in discussion sections of dissertations. The study analyzed 90 dissertations total from the three groups, looking at both explicit mentions using first-person pronouns and implicit mentions using passive voice and impersonal constructions. The quantitative analysis found that Turkish students and Turkish students writing in English preferred implicit mentions to create a more impersonal impression, while British students used more explicit mentions for a more self-prominent academic prose. The qualitative analysis provided some evidence that all three groups used explicit and implicit mentions to accomplish common discourse functions in discussion sections.
Attribution And Authorial (Dis) Endorsement In High- And Low-Rated Undergradu...Zaara Jensen
This document summarizes a research study that analyzed how undergraduate ESL students of varying writing abilities used attribution and authorial endorsement in their persuasive academic essays. The study examined essays from high-rated and low-rated students to identify differences in their use of linguistic resources that convey attribution and stance toward sources. The research found that high-rated essays used evaluative language and positioned themselves in relation to sources more successfully. This indicates an important pedagogical area for instructing ESL students on interpersonal language skills needed for academic writing.
Academic Vocabulary In Tourism Research Articles A Corpus-Based StudyRichard Hogue
This document discusses a study that analyzed a corpus of tourism research articles to develop a Tourism Academic Word List (TAWL). The study aimed to identify the most frequently used academic vocabulary across tourism sub-disciplines and determine how words in the TAWL compare to words in existing word lists like the General Service List and Academic Word List. The analysis of a 3.7-million word tourism research article corpus found that words from the Academic Word List accounted for 12.34% of words. Most high frequency words fit within the first two sub-lists of the Academic Word List. The TAWL captures important vocabulary for tourism research articles and can help students' exposure to academic vocabulary in this field.
An Analysis Of Dissertation Abstracts In Terms Of Translation Errors And Acad...Karla Adamson
This study analyzes English abstracts of Turkish MA and PhD dissertations to identify translation errors and issues with academic style and discourse. The study examines 90 dissertation abstracts from both Turkish and English-speaking researchers. The findings show that Turkish researchers rely on their translation skills in writing English abstracts, which can lead to errors. However, the analysis of rhetorical moves in the abstracts did not reveal large differences, suggesting universally accepted structures in dissertation abstracts. The study aims to evaluate how effectively Turkish researchers communicate their knowledge in English in terms of language competence and adherence to academic discourse conventions.
An Investigation Of Generic Structures Of Pakistani Doctoral Thesis Acknowled...Ashley Smith
This document summarizes previous research on the genre of acknowledgements sections in doctoral theses and discusses a study investigating the generic structures of acknowledgement sections in Pakistani theses. It reviews literature showing that acknowledgements have traditionally been a neglected genre but are important for expressing gratitude. The study analyzed 235 acknowledgements from Pakistani theses using genre analysis methods to identify seven moves and sub-units that reflect socio-cultural norms in Pakistani acknowledgement writing. Previous models of acknowledgement structure from other contexts did not fully capture patterns in Pakistani texts.
Analyzing Verbs In The Discussion Section Of Master S Theses Written By Irani...Jim Jimenez
This study analyzes the verbs used in the discussion section of 60 master's theses written by Iranian students studying English as a foreign language. The theses were categorized based on their research approach as quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods. The verbs were analyzed based on their reporting or nonreporting status, as well as their tense, aspect, and voice. The findings showed there were no differences in verb use across the different research approaches, except for a higher use of progressive aspect for reporting verbs in qualitative theses and passive voice for nonreporting verbs in mixed methods theses. The study aims to contribute to understanding of verb use in academic writing by non-native English speakers.
A STUDY OF ENGLISH ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS WRITTEN BY EFL THAI LEARNERSJennifer Daniel
This document discusses a study of acknowledgements written in English by Thai PhD students. It begins with an abstract that summarizes the study, which analyzed 70 acknowledgements and found they generally have 3 moves: thanking, announcing, and signing-off. The introduction provides background on acknowledgements and discusses how little guidance Thai students receive in writing them. The literature review summarizes previous research on acknowledgement structure and linguistic patterns, including studies of acknowledgements in different languages and contexts. The remainder of the document provides context and rationale for analyzing English acknowledgements written by Thai students.
A GENRE ANALYSIS ON THE DISCUSSION SECTION OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RE...Jeff Nelson
This document discusses a study that analyzed the discussion sections of quantitative and qualitative research articles in English language teaching and linguistics. The study aimed to investigate the moves and steps in the discussion sections, as well as the rhetorical structure patterns. It analyzed 20 qualitative and 20 quantitative research articles using Yang and Allison's framework. The study found that all moves from the framework were present in both types of articles, though the frequency differed. It also found two main patterns - repetitive and organized - though there was some variation within each. The study provides evidence on the generic structure of discussion sections and insights for move analysis in this field.
An Exploratory Study On Authorial (In)Visibilty Across Postgraduate Academic ...Sabrina Ball
This document summarizes a research study that analyzed how postgraduate students from Turkey, Britain, and Turkish students writing in English establish their authorial presence in discussion sections of dissertations. The study analyzed 90 dissertations total from the three groups, looking at both explicit mentions using first-person pronouns and implicit mentions using passive voice and impersonal constructions. The quantitative analysis found that Turkish students and Turkish students writing in English preferred implicit mentions to create a more impersonal impression, while British students used more explicit mentions for a more self-prominent academic prose. The qualitative analysis provided some evidence that all three groups used explicit and implicit mentions to accomplish common discourse functions in discussion sections.
Attribution And Authorial (Dis) Endorsement In High- And Low-Rated Undergradu...Zaara Jensen
This document summarizes a research study that analyzed how undergraduate ESL students of varying writing abilities used attribution and authorial endorsement in their persuasive academic essays. The study examined essays from high-rated and low-rated students to identify differences in their use of linguistic resources that convey attribution and stance toward sources. The research found that high-rated essays used evaluative language and positioned themselves in relation to sources more successfully. This indicates an important pedagogical area for instructing ESL students on interpersonal language skills needed for academic writing.
Academic Vocabulary In Tourism Research Articles A Corpus-Based StudyRichard Hogue
This document discusses a study that analyzed a corpus of tourism research articles to develop a Tourism Academic Word List (TAWL). The study aimed to identify the most frequently used academic vocabulary across tourism sub-disciplines and determine how words in the TAWL compare to words in existing word lists like the General Service List and Academic Word List. The analysis of a 3.7-million word tourism research article corpus found that words from the Academic Word List accounted for 12.34% of words. Most high frequency words fit within the first two sub-lists of the Academic Word List. The TAWL captures important vocabulary for tourism research articles and can help students' exposure to academic vocabulary in this field.
An Analysis Of Dissertation Abstracts In Terms Of Translation Errors And Acad...Karla Adamson
This study analyzes English abstracts of Turkish MA and PhD dissertations to identify translation errors and issues with academic style and discourse. The study examines 90 dissertation abstracts from both Turkish and English-speaking researchers. The findings show that Turkish researchers rely on their translation skills in writing English abstracts, which can lead to errors. However, the analysis of rhetorical moves in the abstracts did not reveal large differences, suggesting universally accepted structures in dissertation abstracts. The study aims to evaluate how effectively Turkish researchers communicate their knowledge in English in terms of language competence and adherence to academic discourse conventions.
A Genre Analysis Of Research Article Findings And Discussion Sections Writt...Courtney Esco
- The document analyzes the rhetorical moves in the findings and discussion sections of 113 unpublished research articles written by Indonesian undergraduate EFL students.
- It finds that most sections included the four main moves of providing background information, reporting results, summarizing results, and commenting on results. However, some sections lacked detailed information in steps like explaining findings or highlighting significance.
- Randomized rhetorical patterns were also dominant, which can reduce clarity and rigor. Despite this, linguistic realizations like tense and voice mostly conformed to conventions.
A Comparative Study Of Headings In Theses And Research Articles In Applied Li...Luisa Polanco
This study examined headings in 110 theses and 500 research articles in applied linguistics to compare functional and conventional heading styles between the two genres. Headings were analyzed based on frequency, length, syntactic structure, and textual features. The study found a higher frequency of functional headings in both genres, particularly in research articles. Virtually all functional and conventional syntactic options used in headings were significantly different between the genres. The higher use of functional headings in research articles may enhance their chances of publication in prestigious journals. The study aims to assist style guide writers and help novice writers gain recognition in academia.
Advanced Academic Literacy And The Role Of Academic Editors In Research WritingLisa Riley
This document discusses the role of academic editors in graduate student research writing. It begins by providing the author's credentials and experience as an academic editor assisting international graduate students. It then outlines some key requirements for research writing at the graduate level, including clarity, intertextuality, evidence, discipline-specific conventions, and combining text and other elements. The rest of the paper will describe the author's approach to editing, common student challenges, and implications for academic editors, literacy, and supervision.
This document summarizes and compares three academic writing genres: opinion, discussion, and argumentative essays. It finds that opinion essays are the weakest at persuading readers, while argumentative essays are the strongest. Discussion essays take a neutral position. The document also examines the generic structures and language features of each genre, finding they differ in their point of view, organization, and tone. The goal is to clarify the differences between these genres to help both students and teachers understand and apply them effectively.
A Comparative Analysis Of Self-Mentions In Applied Linguistics PhD Dissertati...Sabrina Baloi
This document analyzes a study that compared the use of self-mentions in applied linguistics PhD dissertations written by native English writers versus non-native English writers. The study analyzed 40 dissertations (20 from each group) and found that native English writers used more first-person pronouns and possessive adjectives (self-mentions) in the introductions and discussions sections. The findings suggest that non-native writers may take a more impersonal style compared to native writers. It is recommended that non-native writers incorporate more authorial presence and stance in their academic writing.
Attitude In Students Argumentative Writing A Contrastive PerspectiveSara Alvarez
This article reports on a case study that analyzed the use of evaluative language in one Chinese EFL student's argumentative writing in both English and Chinese. It focuses on the subsystem of "attitude" from appraisal theory. The study found similar patterns in the use of "appreciation" items but differences in "affect" and "judgement" between the student's English and Chinese essays. It proposes that understanding EFL/ESL students' use of evaluative language requires considering both linguistic and socio-cultural perspectives.
A Cross-Linguistic Study On The Reflection Of Metadiscourse Markers In The Ac...Fiona Phillips
The document is a research paper that analyzes metadiscourse markers used in dissertation acknowledgements written by Iranian and native English authors. It explores the extent to which interactive and interactional metadiscourse features are employed based on Hyland's model of metadiscourse. The study analyzed 90 dissertation acknowledgements (45 Iranian, 45 native English). It found that while Iranian and native English authors both followed the standard rhetorical moves, Iranians used fewer attitude markers. Otherwise, no significant differences were found in the use of interactive metadiscourse features between the two groups. The results provide insights into how Iranian researchers can improve their acknowledgement writing.
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention (IJHSSI) is an international journal intended for professionals and researchers in all fields of Humanities and Social Science. IJHSSI publishes research articles and reviews within the whole field Humanities and Social Science, new teaching methods, assessment, validation and the impact of new technologies and it will continue to provide information on the latest trends and developments in this ever-expanding subject. The publications of papers are selected through double peer reviewed to ensure originality, relevance, and readability. The articles published in our journal can be accessed online.
A Genre Analysis Study Of Iranian EFL Learners Master Theses With A Focus On...Jennifer Daniel
This document summarizes a study that analyzed the rhetorical structure of introduction sections in 40 master's theses written by Iranian EFL students. The study found that most of the rhetorical structures and moves approved by experts in the field occurred at a high frequency in the theses introductions. Understanding genre and rhetorical structures is important for academic writing. The results may help improve teaching of academic writing and help students structure their theses introductions according to conventions.
An Investigation Of Abstract And Discussion Sections In Master S DissertationsNat Rice
This document summarizes an article that investigates differences in academic writing between Master's students from universities in urban and rural areas of Pakistan. It analyzes the abstract and discussion sections of students' dissertations using Swales' CARS model. The study finds that rural students more frequently used certain moves, while urban students more often used hedges. This confirms perceptions that rural universities lag behind urban ones in teaching academic writing conventions. The document also reviews literature on analyzing academic writing moves and differences between native and non-native English speakers. It discusses the CARS model for analyzing rhetorical moves in research articles.
A Generic Analysis Of The Conclusion Section Of Research Articles In The Fiel...Andrea Porter
This document summarizes a study that analyzed the conclusion sections of 20 research articles in sociology written in English and Persian. The researchers used a genre analysis model to identify common moves and steps within the conclusion sections. They found both similarities and differences between the corpora. No constant move pattern was identified, but the moves formed a variably patterned cyclical structure. The results contribute to understanding research article conclusions and can help writing instructors guide students to write more effective conclusions.
This study was an assessment of authorial stance using engagement framework by Tanzanian EFL academic writers so as to reveal the linguistic resources that enable authors to present a stance toward the research they are reviewing and presenting. Specifically, the study sought to i) explore pattern of expanding and contracting in presenting authorial stance in the selected dissertations and theses, ii) assess the authors’ linguistic resources for expanding moves, and iii) assess the linguistic resources for contracting moves by the authors. The study adapted Martin and White (2005) engagement system framework focusing on heterogloss. The study was conducted at the Open University of Tanzania. We analyzed the engagement of 20 EFL post-graduate theses and 20 Dissertations at Master’s and Doctoral levels by the EFL candidates/authors and used document analysis as a sole tool of data gathering. In conducting analyses of these texts, each was first broken down into non-embedded clauses and analyzed based on the engagement system belonging to heterogloss categories then their respective sub-categories. Findings revealed that the dissertation/theses writers varied in their mode of registering their stances towards the subject matter and thence proven heteroglossic rather than monoglossic. In that way they were able to establish their authorial territory and claim their visibility or presence instead of being compilers or reporters of findings by others. It was further noted that author stance was more noticed in literature review and introduction chapters.
This document discusses the use of corpus approaches to analyze discourse. It begins by explaining the advantages of using large corpora to analyze language use from a discourse perspective. It then defines what a corpus is and discusses different types of corpora, including general corpora that aim to represent language broadly and specialized corpora focused on specific text types or genres. Several examples of specialized corpora are provided, including MICASE, BASE, BAWE, and TOEFL corpora. Key considerations for constructing corpora are outlined, such as what to include, size, sampling, and ensuring representativeness. The Longman Spoken and Written English Corpus is then discussed as an example that analyzed discourse characteristics of conversation.
A Contrastive Study Of Genric Organization Of Thesis Discussion Section Writt...Nat Rice
This document summarizes previous research on analyzing the generic structure and moves within discussion sections of academic theses and research articles. It discusses studies that have identified common moves within discussion sections in various disciplines like applied linguistics, sociology, business administration, and medicine. The document then describes a study that analyzed 60 discussion sections from TEFL and chemistry theses written by Iranian MA students to identify similarities and differences in move types and frequencies between the two fields, and to determine if they followed established models of discussion section structure. The results showed some differences between the fields but overall adherence to existing models, suggesting students orient themselves to generic structures when writing.
GENDER DIFFERENCES IN THE APPROPRIATENESS OF ADVICE-GIVING AMONG IRANIAN EFL ...Yasser Al-Shboul
This study investigates the differences in the perceptions of the appropriateness in advice giving
in English between Iranian Persian English as a foreign language (EFL) male and female
learners. Data were collected through an adopted version of a Multiple Choice Questionnaire
(MCQ) by Hinkel (1997). The questionnaire involves a series of questions with regard to advice
giving or opting out to a peer acquaintance (equal status) and an instructor (higher status). The
result of the study illustrated that both groups perceived the social distance in the situations with
peer acquaintance (equal status) and instructor (higher status) differently. The learners also
differed in the types of advice they used as the appropriate choice. For Iranian Persian EFL male
learners, in both situations (peer acquaintance and instructor) they preferred indirect advice rather
than the other three options which are hedge advice, direct advice and opting out. On the other
hand, for Iranian Persian EFL female learners, they selected hedge advice in both peer
acquaintance and instructor situations as compared to the other three options (direct advice,
indirect advice and opting out). The study concluded that Iranian Persian EFL learners should be
provided with programs that improve the awareness on different appropriate conversational
strategies in English language. The findings of this study are expected to be beneficial in crosscultural
and cross-gender comparison studies.
A Discourse Analysis Of College Admissions Essays In EnglishTracy Morgan
This document provides an introduction to a thesis titled "A Discourse Analysis of College Admissions Essays in English". The thesis was completed at the University of Danang in Vietnam under the supervision of Ton Nu My Nhat, Ph.D. to partially fulfill requirements for a Master of Arts degree in the English language. The introduction outlines the rationale, aims, objectives, scope, research questions, significance, and organization of the thesis, which analyzes the discourse structure and lexico-grammatical features of 40 accepted English college admissions essays using the theoretical framework of genre analysis.
Academic Tutors Beliefs About And Practices Of Giving Feedback On Students ...Suzanne Simmons
This document summarizes a journal article that discusses a case study of tutors providing feedback on student writing assignments at a New Zealand university. The study found that while tutors stated their belief that feedback should help students improve, their primary concern in practice was justifying the grades awarded. The study used multiple methods, including surveys, interviews and focus groups, to understand the gap between tutors' stated beliefs and actual practices in feedback. Understanding feedback in context is important, as tutors must balance supporting learning with fair assessment within institutional constraints like large class sizes.
Acknowledgement Patterns In Annals Of Library And Information Studies 1999-2012Becky Gilbert
This document analyzes acknowledgements in research articles published in the Annals of Library and Information Studies journal from 1999-2012. It discusses previous research that has examined acknowledgement patterns. The present study analyzes the frequency of acknowledgements, types of acknowledgements, number of acknowledgements per article, most commonly acknowledged individuals, and affiliation of acknowledged individuals in the Annals of Library and Information Studies over the 14-year period.
Academic Literacies A Critical Lens On Writing And Reading In The AcademyJeff Nelson
This document provides an overview of the field of Academic Literacies, which explores academic reading and writing as social practices. It emerged in the 1990s in response to increasing student diversity in higher education. Academic Literacies views academic literacy practices as situated within institutional structures and power relations rather than as autonomous, transferable skills. It combines empirical study of academic conventions with a critical perspective on making these practices more equitable. The document discusses the historical context and key theoretical influences, and examines connections and divergences between Academic Literacies and English for Academic Purposes.
Writing Paper Background - Crumpled Writing Paper BAmber Ford
Writing Paper Background - Crumpled Writing Paper B
The document provides instructions for creating an account and submitting a request for writing assistance on the HelpWriting.net site. It outlines a 5 step process: 1) Create an account with email and password; 2) Complete a 10 minute order form with instructions, sources, and deadline; 3) Review bids from writers and choose one based on qualifications; 4) Review the completed paper and authorize payment if satisfied; 5) Request revisions until fully satisfied, with a refund option for plagiarized content. The document encourages choosing the site for original, high-quality writing assistance.
022 Essay Example Page 4 Narrative ThatsnotusAmber Ford
The document discusses Baron Montesquieu and his idea of separating government powers. It states that Montesquieu established the separation of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches in his work "De l'Esprit des Lois" in 1748. The separation of powers has been an integral part of constitutions. However, the separation of powers was never formally part of the framework of Britain's unwritten constitution.
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- The document analyzes the rhetorical moves in the findings and discussion sections of 113 unpublished research articles written by Indonesian undergraduate EFL students.
- It finds that most sections included the four main moves of providing background information, reporting results, summarizing results, and commenting on results. However, some sections lacked detailed information in steps like explaining findings or highlighting significance.
- Randomized rhetorical patterns were also dominant, which can reduce clarity and rigor. Despite this, linguistic realizations like tense and voice mostly conformed to conventions.
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This article reports on a case study that analyzed the use of evaluative language in one Chinese EFL student's argumentative writing in both English and Chinese. It focuses on the subsystem of "attitude" from appraisal theory. The study found similar patterns in the use of "appreciation" items but differences in "affect" and "judgement" between the student's English and Chinese essays. It proposes that understanding EFL/ESL students' use of evaluative language requires considering both linguistic and socio-cultural perspectives.
A Cross-Linguistic Study On The Reflection Of Metadiscourse Markers In The Ac...Fiona Phillips
The document is a research paper that analyzes metadiscourse markers used in dissertation acknowledgements written by Iranian and native English authors. It explores the extent to which interactive and interactional metadiscourse features are employed based on Hyland's model of metadiscourse. The study analyzed 90 dissertation acknowledgements (45 Iranian, 45 native English). It found that while Iranian and native English authors both followed the standard rhetorical moves, Iranians used fewer attitude markers. Otherwise, no significant differences were found in the use of interactive metadiscourse features between the two groups. The results provide insights into how Iranian researchers can improve their acknowledgement writing.
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention (IJHSSI) is an international journal intended for professionals and researchers in all fields of Humanities and Social Science. IJHSSI publishes research articles and reviews within the whole field Humanities and Social Science, new teaching methods, assessment, validation and the impact of new technologies and it will continue to provide information on the latest trends and developments in this ever-expanding subject. The publications of papers are selected through double peer reviewed to ensure originality, relevance, and readability. The articles published in our journal can be accessed online.
A Genre Analysis Study Of Iranian EFL Learners Master Theses With A Focus On...Jennifer Daniel
This document summarizes a study that analyzed the rhetorical structure of introduction sections in 40 master's theses written by Iranian EFL students. The study found that most of the rhetorical structures and moves approved by experts in the field occurred at a high frequency in the theses introductions. Understanding genre and rhetorical structures is important for academic writing. The results may help improve teaching of academic writing and help students structure their theses introductions according to conventions.
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This document summarizes an article that investigates differences in academic writing between Master's students from universities in urban and rural areas of Pakistan. It analyzes the abstract and discussion sections of students' dissertations using Swales' CARS model. The study finds that rural students more frequently used certain moves, while urban students more often used hedges. This confirms perceptions that rural universities lag behind urban ones in teaching academic writing conventions. The document also reviews literature on analyzing academic writing moves and differences between native and non-native English speakers. It discusses the CARS model for analyzing rhetorical moves in research articles.
A Generic Analysis Of The Conclusion Section Of Research Articles In The Fiel...Andrea Porter
This document summarizes a study that analyzed the conclusion sections of 20 research articles in sociology written in English and Persian. The researchers used a genre analysis model to identify common moves and steps within the conclusion sections. They found both similarities and differences between the corpora. No constant move pattern was identified, but the moves formed a variably patterned cyclical structure. The results contribute to understanding research article conclusions and can help writing instructors guide students to write more effective conclusions.
This study was an assessment of authorial stance using engagement framework by Tanzanian EFL academic writers so as to reveal the linguistic resources that enable authors to present a stance toward the research they are reviewing and presenting. Specifically, the study sought to i) explore pattern of expanding and contracting in presenting authorial stance in the selected dissertations and theses, ii) assess the authors’ linguistic resources for expanding moves, and iii) assess the linguistic resources for contracting moves by the authors. The study adapted Martin and White (2005) engagement system framework focusing on heterogloss. The study was conducted at the Open University of Tanzania. We analyzed the engagement of 20 EFL post-graduate theses and 20 Dissertations at Master’s and Doctoral levels by the EFL candidates/authors and used document analysis as a sole tool of data gathering. In conducting analyses of these texts, each was first broken down into non-embedded clauses and analyzed based on the engagement system belonging to heterogloss categories then their respective sub-categories. Findings revealed that the dissertation/theses writers varied in their mode of registering their stances towards the subject matter and thence proven heteroglossic rather than monoglossic. In that way they were able to establish their authorial territory and claim their visibility or presence instead of being compilers or reporters of findings by others. It was further noted that author stance was more noticed in literature review and introduction chapters.
This document discusses the use of corpus approaches to analyze discourse. It begins by explaining the advantages of using large corpora to analyze language use from a discourse perspective. It then defines what a corpus is and discusses different types of corpora, including general corpora that aim to represent language broadly and specialized corpora focused on specific text types or genres. Several examples of specialized corpora are provided, including MICASE, BASE, BAWE, and TOEFL corpora. Key considerations for constructing corpora are outlined, such as what to include, size, sampling, and ensuring representativeness. The Longman Spoken and Written English Corpus is then discussed as an example that analyzed discourse characteristics of conversation.
A Contrastive Study Of Genric Organization Of Thesis Discussion Section Writt...Nat Rice
This document summarizes previous research on analyzing the generic structure and moves within discussion sections of academic theses and research articles. It discusses studies that have identified common moves within discussion sections in various disciplines like applied linguistics, sociology, business administration, and medicine. The document then describes a study that analyzed 60 discussion sections from TEFL and chemistry theses written by Iranian MA students to identify similarities and differences in move types and frequencies between the two fields, and to determine if they followed established models of discussion section structure. The results showed some differences between the fields but overall adherence to existing models, suggesting students orient themselves to generic structures when writing.
GENDER DIFFERENCES IN THE APPROPRIATENESS OF ADVICE-GIVING AMONG IRANIAN EFL ...Yasser Al-Shboul
This study investigates the differences in the perceptions of the appropriateness in advice giving
in English between Iranian Persian English as a foreign language (EFL) male and female
learners. Data were collected through an adopted version of a Multiple Choice Questionnaire
(MCQ) by Hinkel (1997). The questionnaire involves a series of questions with regard to advice
giving or opting out to a peer acquaintance (equal status) and an instructor (higher status). The
result of the study illustrated that both groups perceived the social distance in the situations with
peer acquaintance (equal status) and instructor (higher status) differently. The learners also
differed in the types of advice they used as the appropriate choice. For Iranian Persian EFL male
learners, in both situations (peer acquaintance and instructor) they preferred indirect advice rather
than the other three options which are hedge advice, direct advice and opting out. On the other
hand, for Iranian Persian EFL female learners, they selected hedge advice in both peer
acquaintance and instructor situations as compared to the other three options (direct advice,
indirect advice and opting out). The study concluded that Iranian Persian EFL learners should be
provided with programs that improve the awareness on different appropriate conversational
strategies in English language. The findings of this study are expected to be beneficial in crosscultural
and cross-gender comparison studies.
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Acknowledgement Structure in Persian and English Theses and Dissertations A Contrastive Genre Analysis.pdf
1. 347
Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number 1. March 2019 Pp.347-360
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol10no1.29
Acknowledgement Structure in Persian and English Theses and Dissertations:
A Contrastive Genre Analysis
Abbas Zare-ee
English Department, Faculty of Foreign languages and Literature,
University of Kashan, Iran
S. Yahya Hejazi
English Department, Faculty of Foreign Languages & Literature,
University of Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Acknowledgement appears at the forefront of the high-stakes academic genre of thesis/dissertation writing.
Previous research shows the generic structure of acknowledgements written by native Persian postgraduate
students contains a ‘thanking-God move’, absent in native English speakers’ acknowledgements. In an
approximate replication of Hyland’s (2004) study of the generic structure of acknowledgments, we aimed
to verify the occurrence, frequency, and variation of moves and steps in three small corpora of
acknowledgments from six disciplines (applied linguistics, business management, computer science,
electrical engineering, microbial biotechnology, & biochemistry). Each corpus contained 200 sample
acknowledgements written in Persian or English. The authors were native Persian speakers and native
English speakers. Fifty acknowledgements (100-400 words) were randomly selected from each corpus and
analyzed using Hyland’s model. Two coders carefully, content-analyzed, and coded the acknowledgments.
Then the data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results confirmed findings of
previous research indicating that acknowledgements written by native Persian speakers (in Persian & in
English) contain all the moves and steps defined by Hyland plus a new step called ‘thanking-God’ step.
The use of this step was significantly different across Persian and English (84% in English & 100% in
Persian; X2
= 1.63, p≤ 0.05) and across writers (84% Persian & 34% English; X2
= 28.17, p≤.05). ‘Accepting
responsibility’ and ‘dedicating the thesis’ were used least frequently by all writers, while ‘thanking move’
and ‘reflecting move’ were used most frequently. Pedagogical and conceptual implications are discussed.
Keywords: acknowledgment, genre analysis, M.A. thesis, move analysis, Ph.D. dissertation
Cite as: Zare-ee, A., & Hejazi, S. Y (2019). Acknowledgement Structure in Persian and English Theses
and Dissertations: A Contrastive Genre Analysis.. Arab World English Journal, 10 (1) 347
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol10no1.29
2. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number 1. March 2019
Acknowledgement Structure in Persian and English Theses and Dissertations Zare-ee & Hejazi
Arab World English Journal
www.awej.org
ISSN: 2229-9327
348
Introduction and Background
One of the major responsibilities of postgraduate learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) is to
master ‘academic discourse’. “English academic discourse is a clearly defined entity distinguished by a
series of identifiable characteristics” (Bennet, 2009, p. 44). This type of discourse, as Bennet (2009)
observes, is governed by certain principles including general principles (e.g., clarity, economy, objectivity,
argumentative techniques, & caution about claims), text structure principles (e.g., planning, text structure,
paragraph organization, coherence, & cohesion), grammatical issues (e.g., coordination & subordination,
active/passive, tense usage, & modality), lexical features (e.g., diction & technical jargon), and other
features (e.g., citation, plagiarism, & data presentation). To succeed as members of academic communities,
postgraduate EFL learners need the strategically vital familiarity with English academic discourse including
the different parts of theses and dissertations.
Recent instruction of and research on English academic discourse has been greatly informed and
influenced by developments in Bakhtinian genre analysis. Scholars working in this tradition (e.g., Giannoni,
2002; Swales, 1990) define academic discourse as a particular genre system used by academic communities
for distinct communicative purposes. This genre system includes a variety of text types used in academic
communities. Based on Giannoni’s (2002) summary, there are three major categories in the academic genre
system:
1) primary genres (research article, journal abstract, conference abstract, oral presentation, thesis,
dissertation, book, monograph, chapter, case report, review, & review article),
2) secondary genres (lecture, textbook, introductory text, post-introductory text, tutorial, & course
description), and
3) occluded genres (grant proposal, recommendation letter, request letter for material/advice,
application letter, submission letter, cover letter, research proposal, evaluation letter for
tenure/promotion, referees’ review of book/article, referees’ grant proposal review, memo to
dissertation committee, & editorial correspondence) (p. 3)
The present study looks at the genre of theses and dissertations, both of which fall under the category of
primary academic genres. The terms thesis and dissertation are not internationally used in the same way.
Whereas the terms dissertation and thesis are used for the final research work of M.A. and Ph.D. students
in the British convention, respectively, it is the reverse in the American convention. In this study, we
consider acknowledgments written by both M.A. and Ph.D. students in their final research projects. Located
on the highest point of the ‘academic genre ladder’ (Swales & Feak, 2000), the dissertation is a high-stakes
genre and probably the most important piece of writing which students perform in their academic studies
(Hyland, 2004). Written academic discourse including theses and dissertations are used not only to produce
texts representing an external reality but also to establish and maintain social relations (Hyland, 2003).
Apart from the function of transmitting information about the research carried out by authors, thesis and
dissertation acknowledgments also help establish interpersonal relations between students, supervisors,
scholars, and readers. In fact, the acknowledgment section in theses/dissertations is a section where various
manifestations of academic relationships can be observed and studied. Dating back to “a time when the
benevolence and generosity of those in authority were a prerequisite for publication” (Giannoni, 2002, p.
4), acknowledging contributions of others has now become an essential feature of academic communication
and writing, in general, and theses and dissertations, in particular (Hyland & Tse, 2004).
The acknowledgment genre is a significant academic genre particularly appreciated “by its positional
prominence, by survey data, and by its widespread use in a range of forums” (Hyland & Tse, 2004, p. 259).
Acknowledgments provide students with “a unique rhetorical space to both convey their genuine gratitude
for the assistance and promote a capable academic and social identity” (p. 259). They “allow students to
3. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number 1. March 2019
Acknowledgement Structure in Persian and English Theses and Dissertations Zare-ee & Hejazi
Arab World English Journal
www.awej.org
ISSN: 2229-9327
349
demonstrate their awareness of some central academic values such as modesty and gratitude, establish their
credibility, recognize debts, and achieve a sense of closure at the end of what is often a long and demanding
research process” (Hyland, 2004, p. 304). As Ben-Ari (1987) argues, acknowledgements are important from
a professional point of view since they enable the writer to not only manage his/her relationship with various
individuals involved in the research project such as supervisors, families, colleagues, etc. but also build
authorial credibility. Acknowledgments “support the research publication process but are not themselves
part of the research record” (Swales, 1996, p. 45). Thus, acknowledgments do not simply contain a list of
individuals to be thanked (Chan, 2015) but are “sophisticated and complex textual constructs which bridge
the personal and the public, the social and the professional, and the academic and the lay” (Hyland, 2003,
p. 265).
Research evidence on the genre structure of acknowledgments in different cultures is not yet inclusive
to clarify possible cross-cultural generic variations in this area. For example, some studies (e.g., Alemi &
Rezanejad, 2016; Abdollahian & Hashemi, 2013) have shown that Persian EFL writers consistently thank
God in their theses acknowledgments, a step claimed to be totally absent in academic acknowledgements
in other cultures. Since evidence supporting this claim is scanty, the present study methodologically
replicated Hyland’s (2004) analysis of the moves and steps of acknowledgments for further verification of
this finding on the structure of thesis/dissertation acknowledgments. The study aimed to not only verify this
previous finding but also add to the wealth of the available data.
To this end, in the current study, the frequency of moves and steps in English and Persian
acknowledgment sections of theses/dissertations written by native Persian-speaking writers were analyzed
and compared with those written by native speakers of English using Hyland’s (2004) model. Since
acknowledgments are not completely personal but reflect the writers’ linguistic and cultural background
leading them to write with different thought patterns, (Cheng, 2012), this cross-linguistic/cultural
examination of genre structure can be illuminating.
Review of Literature
Whereas a growing body of literature exists on genre analysis of thesis/dissertation introductions (e.g.,
Samraj, 2008; Soler-Monreal, Carbonell-Olivares, & Gil-Salom, 2011), abstracts (e.g., Friginal & Mustafa,
2017; Lorés, 2004; Martin, 2003, Samraj, 2005; Tanko, 2017), research article introductions (Bhatia, 1993;
Lim, 2012; Samraj, 2002), titles (Haggan, 2004; Jalilifar, 2010), method (Cotos et al., 2017; Lim, 2011,
2017), results (Atai & Falah, 2005; Lim, 2010; Williams, 1999), discussion (Basturkmen, 2012; Holmes,
1997; Lim, 2008), and conclusion (Bunton, 2002; Loi, Lim, & Wharton, 2016), there is not considerable
in-depth research on thesis/dissertation acknowledgements. A few studies have focused on different
academic features used to establish and maintain such scholarly identity and academic relationships (e.g.,
Hyland, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005; Kuo, 1999; Thompson, 2001). However, there is scanty research on
possible cross-cultural variations in the generic structure of acknowledgment sections of these/dissertations.
More specifically, based on expert views, “little is known of the ways other language groups or English L1
writers express thanks, the boundaries of personal choice, or of the influence of situational and personal
factors” (Hyland & Tse, 2004, p. 274). The latest retrieved studies, addressing a single language, are less
than two decades old (e.g., Giannoni, 2002; Hyland, 2003, 2004; Hyland & Tse, 2004). Moreover, not much
is known about possible cross-cultural variations in acknowledgement sections of theses/dissertations in
various international academic contexts.
Acknowledgments, as our review of the related literature shows, are used to perform a variety of
functions. According to Hyland (2003), acknowledgments serve “as a means of demonstrating academic
credibility, recognizing debts, and achieving a sense of closure at the end of a long and demanding research
process” (p. 343). The role played by acknowledgments is related to both EFL learners and teachers.
4. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number 1. March 2019
Acknowledgement Structure in Persian and English Theses and Dissertations Zare-ee & Hejazi
Arab World English Journal
www.awej.org
ISSN: 2229-9327
350
Learners can show truths about the path that they took to complete one of their most serious academic
journeys, i.e., that of writing their thesis or dissertation. “For teachers, the fact that acknowledgments allow
learners to both formally record gratitude and construct a credible and sympathetic identity located in
networks of association suggests that this is a genre deserving of pedagogic attention” (Hyland & Tse, 2004,
p. 261). Acknowledgments provide student writers with an opportunity to appreciate the intellectual
guidance, support, inspiration, moral care, and research offered to them by different agents including
institutions, supervisors, informants, research committees, family members, etc. They bring authors into
legitimate discourse communities and guide them for future academic interactions (see Martin & Rose,
2003). In short, the literature shows that thesis/dissertation acknowledgments play very valuable roles, not
probably proportionately reflected in the volume of research devoted to them.
Seminal works on acknowledgments have attempted to explore their formal properties and show their
common linguistic and socio-communicative patterns including the analysis of their moves and steps in the
genre tradition. Dating back to 1972, one of the earliest attempts to explore the structure of
acknowledgments was the work of Mackintosh who investigated the structure of acknowledgments and
found that they were written to appreciate the help of different persons, access to data, and facilities (Tiew
& Sen, 2002). Much more recently, Hyland (2003) studied the way acknowledgments are textualized and
observed that they show rhetorical selections shaped by socio-cultural attributes. He identified both the
persons (professors, friends, family, etc.) and the activities (scholastic assistance, moral care, specialized
help, etc.) that were acknowledged in theses/dissertations at both M.A. and Ph.D. levels. He showed that
‘professors’ and ‘scholastic assistance’ were the most acknowledged ones comprising about half of the
acknowledgments. In 2004, Hyland developed a content-based framework for acknowledgments by
proposing three distinctive moves: Reflective Move (comment on the author’s experiences), Thanking Move
(appreciation of academic help, resources, family, and friends), and Announcing Move (acceptance of
responsibilities for flaws and the dedication).
Following these valuable attempts, another group of researchers have attempted to study the
acknowledging behavior of native speakers of different languages mostly based on the move and step
analysis carried out by Hyland (2004). Focusing on texts written in a particular language, this group of
researchers have not considered any cross-cultural comparisons. Examples include studies on
thesis/dissertation acknowledgments in English (Ben-Ari, 1987; Gesuato, 2008) and in other languages like
Arabic and Chinese (Al-Ali, 2009, 2010; Cheng, 2012; Cheng & Kuo, 2011; Lasaky, 2011; Zhang, 2012;
Zhao & Jiang, 2010).
Studies comparing cross-cultural variations in acknowledgements written by native and nonnative
speakers of English are very rare in the literature. Because of the academic identity roles associated with
acknowledgments, it is expected that there should be notable differences across languages and cultures in
the way people write the acknowledgements. To us, there can even be individual differences: in a very
strange case (probably aimed at showing journal gate-keepers’ and reviewers’ lack of due attention to the
acknowledgment sections of research articles submitted for publication), Beni, Koochi, and Abadyan
(2010) decided to write a very funny, totally meaningless acknowledgment that went unnoticed and was
publishedi
! Generally speaking, expression and arrangement of acknowledgments are related to several
different factors such as “socio-cultural values, social norms, discourse communities, relationships between
acknowledgers and thanked addressees, identity and authorial credibility construction, and strategic career
choices” (Chan, 2015, p. 178).
Finally, some studies have shown that there are even inter-disciplinary variations in acknowledging
contributions to research. For example, research has shown that acknowledgements in soft sciences are
significantly more elaborate than those in hard sciences (Giannoni, 2002). Acknowledgements are
5. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number 1. March 2019
Acknowledgement Structure in Persian and English Theses and Dissertations Zare-ee & Hejazi
Arab World English Journal
www.awej.org
ISSN: 2229-9327
351
reportedly indicative of disciplinary practices in that scholars in hard sciences, compared with those in soft
sciences, use more acknowledgements, which might be due to the greater financial and institutional support
they receive (Cronin, McKenzie, & Rubio. 1993). Afful (2016) also found variations in acknowledgements
written by students in the English and Entomology and Wild-Life departments of a Ghanaian university.
In addition to the above studies, the related literature includes some studies that particularly look at
acknowledgments written by Persian EFL writers. Abdollahian and Hashemi (2013) used Hyland’s (2004)
model to analyze the acknowledgement sections of Ph.D. dissertations written by native Persian speakers
in English and Persian in several soft science majors. They found no statistically significant differences
between the generic structures used by these two groups. However, their analysis revealed two additional
steps, namely, thanking God and opening, used by native Persian Ph.D. students. Twenty-five percent of
the acknowledgements written in Persian included, in what was called the opening step, a Quranic verse, a
prophetic saying, prayers on the prophet, and an invocation followed by the expression and then, bringing
the author to the main acknowledgement body. Also, they reported the use of another move, i.e. thanking
God, through which the dissertation writers expressed their appreciation for God’s help. Their study,
however, does not make use of acknowledgements written in English by native English writers.
Mohammadi (2013) also used Hyland’s (2004) model to compare the generic move structures of
Ph.D. dissertation acknowledgements written by native Persian and English speakers in a wide variety of
fields including literature, translation studies, applied linguistics, history, sociology, library sciences,
theology, and philosophy. He discovered the thanking God step used by a large number of native Persian
speakers. It is noteworthy that he did not consider acknowledgements written in English by native Persian
writers, providing no basis for direct comparison of acknowledgements written in English and Persian by
native Persian writers. In a similar study (seemingly a replication of Mohammadi’s work), Lasaky (2011)
established a small corpus comprising acknowledgements written in English in applied linguistics and
found the new thanking God step reported to be used in a statistically significant way by native English and
native Persian writers.
In a later work with a remarkably similar methodology to Mohammadi (2013), Jalilifar and
Mohammadi (2014) studied 140 doctoral dissertation acknowledgments written in Persian by native
speakers of Persian and in English by native speakers of English in 7 soft science disciplines. They found
four moves with some constituting steps and reported both qualitative and quantitative variations between
the Persian and English texts. Their focus was on the role of beliefs in God in forming the structure of
acknowledgements written by Muslims including Iranians. It should be noted that their study did not focus
on English acknowledgements written by native Persian writers.
Alemi and Rezanejad (2016) analyzed the generic structure of dissertation acknowledgements
written in Persian from various disciplines in both hard and soft sciences. The results of their work revealed
that Iranian students use three main moves including ‘framing’, ‘thanking’, and ‘closing’ moves with six,
eleven, and four steps, respectively. They found some minute differences between acknowledgments
written in hard and soft sciences. Focusing on only Persian acknowledgments, their study does not provide
a good platform for any cross-linguistic comparisons.
Finally, Kuhi and Rezaei (2014) carried out an analysis of the generic features of acknowledgments
in applied linguistics written by native English writers and native Persian writers. They found that the use
of thanking God step by native Persian writers was the main difference between these acknowledgements.
To contribute to this body of research, the current study attempted to analyze acknowledgement
sections in dissertations and theses based on the descriptions of common moves and steps provided by
6. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number 1. March 2019
Acknowledgement Structure in Persian and English Theses and Dissertations Zare-ee & Hejazi
Arab World English Journal
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ISSN: 2229-9327
352
Hyland (2003) and explore cross-linguistic variations between Persian and English. More specifically, the
present study was guided by the following research questions:
1. In terms of frequencies of moves and steps, do thesis/dissertation acknowledgements written
by native Persian writers in English differ significantly from those written by native Persian writers in
Persian?
2. Is there any statistically significant difference between the frequencies of moves/steps in
thesis/dissertation acknowledgments written by native Persian writers in English and those in the
acknowledgments written by native Persian writers in Persian?
Methodology
The present contrastive genre analytic study focused on the description of moves and steps in
acknowledgment sections of theses and dissertations written by native and non-native speakers of English
following Hyland’s (2004) model in an approximate replication attempt. Methodological choices in the
current study described below were informed by available guidelines for the analysis of academic genres,
in general, and acknowledgment analysis, in particular (e.g. Hyland, 2003, 2004; Hyland & Tse, 2004;
Swales, 1990).
Corpus
Three small corpora of acknowledgements were constructed for the purposes of the study: 1) Thesis and
dissertation acknowledgments written in ‘Persian’ by native Persian postgraduate students; 2) Thesis and
dissertation acknowledgments written in ‘English’ by native Persian postgraduate students; and 3) Thesis
and dissertation acknowledgments written in ‘English’ by native speakers of English. Each corpus
contained 200 acknowledgements of varying lengths (100-400 words) from six disciplines, namely, applied
linguistics, business management, computer science, electrical engineering, microbial biotechnology, and
biochemistry. This original data were collected from two universities in Tabriz (for native Persian speakers)
and ProQuest (for native English speakers from the US, England, & Australia) from 2012 to 2016. It should
be noted that authors were considered native speakers of English or Persian based on names, affiliations,
and biographical notes, and online data.
Table 1. Distribution of acknowledgements selected for analysis
Words
Texts
Author
Language
4795
50
Native
English
5131
50
Non-Native
4989
50
Native
Persian
14915
150
Total
Fifty acknowledgements were randomly selected from each category as the final sample of texts considered
for analyses, making a total number of 150 thesis and dissertation acknowledgements. Table 1 summarizes
the distribution of the texts from each corpus. Each category of text type contained approximately 5000
words (Table 1).
Text Analysis
To analyze the selected texts, Hyland’s (2004) model of ‘move structure of dissertation acknowledgements’
was adopted, according to which there are three major moves in acknowledgment sections of
7. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number 1. March 2019
Acknowledgement Structure in Persian and English Theses and Dissertations Zare-ee & Hejazi
Arab World English Journal
www.awej.org
ISSN: 2229-9327
353
theses/dissertations: reflecting move, thanking move, and announcing the move. Definitions for these moves
and their constituent steps are provided in Table 2.
Table 2. Move structure of dissertation acknowledgements (Hyland, 2004, p. 308)
Moves/steps Description
1. Reflecting Move Introspective comment on the writer’s research experience
2. Thanking Move Mapping credit to individuals and institutions
2.1 Presenting participants Introducing those to be thanked
2.2 Thanking for academic
assistance
Thanks for intellectual support, ideas, analyses, and
feedback, etc.
2.3 Thanking for resources
Thanks for data access, clerical, technical, and financial
support
2.4 Thanking for moral support
Thanks for encouragement, friendship, sympathy,
patience, etc.
3. Announcing Move Public statement of responsibility and inspiration
3.1 Accepting responsibility An assertion of authorial responsibility for flaws and errors
3.2 Dedicating the thesis A formal dedication of the thesis to one or more individuals
Move/Step Identification Procedures
The main task in the analysis of the data was the identification of moves and sub-moves or steps. In genre
analysis, the unit of analysis is a rhetorical move, which may carry more specific communicative functions
as reflected in steps (Swales, 2004). Following Hyland (2003), we considered any text segment (varying in
size and shape), which was constrained by a specific discourse goal, as a move. In other words, the moves
in the texts were considered as a functional unit used for some identifiable discoursal objective (see Connor,
2000; Holmes, 1997). The researchers read the acknowledgments meticulously sentence by sentence,
paying attention to the communicative purpose of each sentence. Suggestions for this type of analysis have
also been made by Bhatia (1993) based on which sentences are chosen as the unit of analysis, and their
communicative purpose becomes the identifying feature of each move. The process of identification of
moves involved focusing on formal clues such as explicit lexemes and expressions, verb forms, markers,
and sentence functions. Based on the descriptions provided by Hyland (2004), the communicative function
of each fragment in acknowledgements was given priority in identifying the move. The move structure
model was discussed and applied by both researchers to code the texts, and an inter-coder agreement of
93% was achieved. When there were disagreements in coding, the discrepancies were resolved by
discussion. In sum, linguistic evidence, practices of previous scholars (e.g. Hyland 2003, 2004), and double-
check comprehension of the acknowledgement texts were the main guidelines in the coding process.
Data Analysis and Results
To address the first research question concerning the moves/steps common in native Persian speakers’
thesis and dissertation acknowledgments written in English and Persian, move analysis of acknowledgment
sections of theses/dissertations was carried out. The analysis revealed some interesting results: 1) the coding
and analysis of acknowledgements written by native Persian speakers (in Persian & in English) indicated
that they contained all the moves and steps defined by Hyland (2004), and 2) an additional step called
‘thanking-God’ was also discovered. In his move structure model, Hyland (2004) had suggested a four-
step thanking move. However, we needed to add a fifth step since a considerable number of the
acknowledgements written by native Persian speakers in English and Persian included strings that fulfilled
this function (N = 42, 84%: English; N = 50, 100%: Persian). Below are examples from the two types of
acknowledgements where the author’s communicative purpose was to thank God. These and other similar
instances in our sample could not be taken as academic or moral support, nor could they be coded as
8. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number 1. March 2019
Acknowledgement Structure in Persian and English Theses and Dissertations Zare-ee & Hejazi
Arab World English Journal
www.awej.org
ISSN: 2229-9327
354
thanking sources or participants directly involved in the research. Hence, they were coded as a new step,
i.e., ‘thanking-God’.
Corpus 1: Examples of acknowledgements written in English by Iranian writers
1) I thank God for helping me to complete my thesis.
2) First of all, I want to thank God for all the many blessings he has bestowed upon me, for giving me
the opportunity to begin and finish ….
3) My heartfelt thanks go to God for his ….
4) First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to God: I thank God for all the
wisdom and perseverance.
5) Thanks God for supporting me all the time.
Corpus 2: Examples of acknowledgements written in Persian by Iranian writers
1) .ننمود دریغ من از را کرانش بی الطاف که را منان ایزد سپاس
(I thank the holy God who did not withdraw His great favors from me.)
2) .بود یارا پژوهشی پروژه این انجام در مرا که را خداوند ستایش و حمد
(Praise and thanks go to God who helped me complete this research project.)
3) .دارم تعالی باری خداوند از را خود سپاس نهایت ،ابتدا در
(First of all, I would like to express my unending thanks to the great God.)
4) ر پایان به موانع تمام وجود با نامه پایان این ،منان ایزد لطف به که اکنون
است سیده
...
(In spite of all limitations, this thesis has now come to an end because of the mercy of our
great God…)
Table 3. Frequencies of the moves/steps used by native Persian speakers in English and Persian
Chi-Square
Frequency (Percentage)
Moves/steps
Sig.
Value
Persian
English
.677
.78
28 (56%)
35 (70%)
1. Reflecting Move
1
.00
50 (100%)
50 (100%)
2. Thanking Move
.000
1.63
50 (100%)
42 (84%)
2.1 Thanking God
.774
.51
27 (54%)
22 (44%)
2.2 Presenting participants
.948
.18
45 (90%)
43 (86%)
2.3 Thanking for academic assistance
.584
1.07
31 (62%)
34 (68%)
2.4 Thanking for resources
.719
.66
29 (58%)
30 (60%)
2.5 Thanking for moral support
.692
.74
21 (42%)
18 (36%)
3. Announcing Move
.843
.34
14 (28%)
14 (28%)
3.1 Accepting responsibility
.646
.88
7 (14%)
4 (8%)
3.2 Dedicating the thesis
As can be seen from the results in Table 3, all native Persian speakers (100%) used the ‘thanking God’
step when writing in Persian, and 84% used this step when writing in English. In other words, native Persian
authors thanked God as an obligatory step in their writing in both their mother tongue and English. The
percentages of the use of this step (84% in English & 100% in Persian) were significantly different (X2
=
1.63, p≤ 0.05).
The second research question probed possible differences between the moves/steps used in the
acknowledgment sections written in English by native Persian speakers and those by native speakers of
English. To this end, move and step frequencies were tabulated, and Chi-square tests were run in SPSS
(version 22) to find any statistically significant differences. As Table 4 shows, ‘accepting responsibility’
9. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number 1. March 2019
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Arab World English Journal
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ISSN: 2229-9327
355
and ‘dedicating the thesis’ were the least frequently steps used by both native and nonnative writers, while
‘thanking move’ and ‘reflecting move’ were the most frequently used moves.
Table 4. Differences in frequencies of the moves/steps used by native Persian and native English
writers in English acknowledgements
Sig.
Chi-
square
Native
Persian
writers
Native
English
writers
Moves/Steps
.523
.407
35 (70%)
32 (64%)
1. Reflecting Move
--
--
50 (100%)
50 (100%)
2. Thanking Move
.000
28.17
42 (84%)
17 (34%)
2.1 Thanking God
.548
.361
22 (44%)
25 (50%)
2.2 Presenting participants
.799
.078
43 (86%)
42 (84%)
2.3 Thanking for academic assistance
.065
3.405
34 (68%)
26 (52%)
2.4 Thanking for resources
.147
2.102
30 (60%)
35 (70%)
2.5 Thanking for moral support
.677
.174
18 (36%)
17 (34%)
3. Announcing Move
.492
.457
14 (28%)
12 (24%)
3.1 Accepting responsibility
.727
.122
4 (8%)
5 (10%)
3.2 Dedicating the thesis
Moreover, Chi-square analyses indicated a statistically significant difference between native and
nonnative speakers of English in using the thanking God step (X2
= 28.17, p≤.05). More specifically, only
17 native English speakers (34%) thanked God while 42 native Persian speakers (84%) used this step.
Discussion
This study was an approximate replication of Hyland’s (2004) study of the generic structure of
acknowledgment sections of theses and dissertations. It explored the occurrence, frequency, and variation
of moves and steps in three groups of acknowledgments: those written in Persian by native Persian speakers,
those in English by native Persian speakers, and those in English by native English-speaking authors.
Hyland’s (2004) model, utilized for the contrastive genre analysis of acknowledgment texts, fitted the data
(except for a minor step) and adequately explained the generic organization and communicative functions
of strings in the selected acknowledgments. Strings which could not be assigned to any of the steps or
moves specified in Hyland’s model were classified as an additional step called thanking God based on their
content. These strings could not be considered as expressions of gratitude for the moral support received
from family and friends because they had already been mentioned as realizations of another step. Findings
confirms the results of similar research by Iranian scholars (e.g., Alemi & Rezanejad, 2016; Jalilifar &
Mohammadi, 2014; Kuhi & Rezaei, 2014).
This finding can best be explained in the light of cultural/ideological dimensions of genre. As Cheng
(2012) observes, authors of acknowledgment sections are highly influenced by their cultural backgrounds
in employing rhetorical devices to fulfill communicative functions and express their identities. Iranian
students can rarely be seen to start a viva session, an academic presentation, a term paper, or in this case, a
thesis/dissertation acknowledgement without mentioning and thanking God. This additional step is, to us,
a reflection of how authors’ ideology can alter an otherwise agreed-upon generic structure. Even though
English acknowledgments written by Iranians included the thanking God step significantly less than Persian
acknowledgments (84% versus 100%), the high frequency of the use of this step in both English and Persian
texts clearly indicates how genre features may be transferred across cultures/languages.
10. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number 1. March 2019
Acknowledgement Structure in Persian and English Theses and Dissertations Zare-ee & Hejazi
Arab World English Journal
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ISSN: 2229-9327
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Native Persian authors’ use of thanking God step reflects Fairclough’s (1995) view that the place of
text production and its situational and socio-cultural contexts highly affect its generic structure. Castleton
(2006) also confirms that social relations are regulated by religious percepts. To Castleton, such values are
indistinguishable from religious values, and communicative practices tend to be derived from an inner need
to satisfy religious beliefs. Individuals do not have to be either those who do favors or those who must
fulfill obligations for the thesis/dissertations writers to be acknowledged. They could be thanked because
of religious obligations, and in this context, the obligation to see God as present in man’s every act is very
noticeable.
Similarities between the moves and steps used by native Persian and native English writers can be
explained by a) possible similarities between the communicative purposes in the two contexts, and b) the
effect of instruction by professors and imitation of acknowledgements written by native English writers.
The findings of the study revealed that the most frequent moves in acknowledgments written in English
(by both native and nonnative speakers of English) were thanking and reflecting moves, while accepting
responsibility and dedicating steps were the least frequently used steps. The thanking-God move discovered
in the present analysis was not commonly used by native speakers of English. This finding also shows that
genres can vary across cultures. More specifically, some generic variations can assumably result from
writers’ authorial backgrounds as well as the requirements of the language in which the text is produced.
In other words, authors with different first languages write differently, and Iranian authors also write
differently when they compose texts in two different languages.
Conclusions and Suggestions
The findings of the current study not only confirm the generic structure of thesis/dissertation
acknowledgments described by Hyland (2004) but also show minor cross-linguistic and cross-cultural
variations in producing the same genre. Familiarity with these variations can be illuminating for both
research and pedagogy. As Hyland (2002) suggests, the mastery of genre knowledge would help students
in becoming members of their disciplinary community. Bhatia (1997) also confirms that genre analysis
provides novice writers with useful information about the conventions of a particular genre to enable them
to produce more complex texts. With the awareness of genre practices, novice writers can gain long-term
benefits from the explicit knowledge of genre conventions to ultimately produce more complex genres
based on genre exemplars (Loi & Evans, 2010).
Compared to the considerable amount of research on oral compliments across different cultural
settings, the literature on written acknowledgments is scanty. Future research in this area can shed more
light on the contrastive genre analysis of acknowledgements by collecting larger corpora from a wider range
of disciplines and first language backgrounds. This can provide opportunities to explore the effects of
nationality, linguistic and cultural background, and academic discipline on possible variations in composing
the acknowledgements.
Authors’ bio data
Abbas Zare-ee is associate professor in TEFL at the University of Kashan, Iran. He completed
his Ph.D. in Iran with research attatchemts at the University of Reading, University of Malaya,
and the University of Sheffield. His research interests are issues in SLA, L2 writing and
Teaching English language skills.
ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6140-9107
S. Yahya Hejazi is currently a research scholar at the Victoria University of Wellington (New
Zealand) and a PhD candidate of TEFL at the University of Tehran, Iran. He has taught several
11. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 10. Number 1. March 2019
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Arab World English Journal
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undergraduate and a few post-graduate courses as a visiting lecturer in the University of Tehran
and the University of Kashan for eight years. His main research interests are English for
specific/academic purposes, materials development and evaluation, and language skills.
ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4213-3659
i
“Authors are thankful to Majid Kachal-Sigari Ghablan, Majid kachal-bisigar Felan, Saeid Sabunat Aboo-Hamoom
Bar O Bach and Mohseni Marangoonii for their support of the investigations” (Beni, Koochi, & Abadyan, 2010, p.
987).
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Arab World English Journal
www.awej.org
ISSN: 2229-9327
360
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