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A move-based analysis of TESOL master’s thesis conclusion chapters by Vietnamese postgraduates
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Aug 1, 2016
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2016-08-01
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Abstract
Writing a thesis in English is challenging for non-native English speaking students, and it is not an exception for Vietnamese master’s (M.A.) students. Despite this challenge, English writing was not formally taught at their elementary, secondary and high school levels until 2008. In their postgraduate programs, these students have little or no formal instruction on how to write each part of a thesis; but are provided with the guidelines and then tailor their own theses. This paper, therefore, explores how 24 Vietnamese teachers of English wrote their thesis Conclusion chapters. By employing the revised framework for analyzing the Conclusion chapters in Applied Linguistics by Chen and Kuo (2012), the study found Deductions from the study (Move 4) is present in every chapter while the other three moves (Introducing the Conclusion chapter, Summarizing the study and Evaluating the study) are conventional. Moreover, a new move (Chapter summary) and an infrequent occurrence of Summarizing previous chapter and a cycle of next section introduction-each section summary were identified. These findings indicate not only a linear structure in composing the concluding chapters by this group of Vietnamese writers but also the rhetorical influence of Vietnamese written discourse on their English writing. The results from this study have some pedagogical implications for teaching novice Vietnamese writers on how to properly compose this genre.Â
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Nguyen, L. T. T., & Pramoolsook, I. (2016). A move-based analysis of TESOL master’s thesis conclusion chapters by Vietnamese postgraduates. Global Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 6(1), 02–12. https://doi.org/10.18844/gjflt.v6i1.222
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References
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Crookes, G. (1986). Towards a validated analysis of scientific text structure. Applied Linguistics, 7(1), 57-70.
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Hyland, K. (2004). Graduates' gratitude: The generic structure of dissertation acknowledgements. English for Specific Purposes, 23(3), 303-324. doi: 10.1016/s0889-4906(03)00051-6
Kanoksilapatham, B. (2005). Rhetorical structure of biochemistry research articles. English for Specific Purposes, 24(3), 269-292. doi: 10.1016/j.esp.2004.08.003
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Lim, J. M. H. (2006). Method sections of management research articles: A pedagogically motivated qualitative study. English for Specific Purposes, 25(3), 282-309. doi: 10.1016/j.esp.2005.07.001
Loi, C. K., & Evans, S. M. (2010). Cultural differences in the organization of research article introductions from the field of educational psychology: English and Chinese. Journal of Pragmatics, 42(10), 2814-2825. doi: 10.1016/j.pragma.2010.03.010
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Moritz, M. E., Meurer, J. L., & Dellagnelo, A. K. (2008). Conclusions as components of research articles across Portuguese as a native language, English as a native language and English as a foreign language: A contrastive genre analysis. The ESPecialist, 29(2), 233-253.
Nguyen, T. T. L., & Pramoolsook, I. (2014a). A move-based structure of the master's thesis literature review chapters by Vietnamese TESOL postgraduates LangLit: An International Peer-Reviewed Open Access Journal, 1(2), 282-301.
Nguyen, T. T. L., & Pramoolsook, I. (2014b). Rhetorical Structure of Introduction Chapters written by Novice Vietnamese TESOL postgraduates. 3L; Language, Linguistics and Literature, The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies, 20(1), 61-74.
Nguyen, T. T. L., & Pramoolsook, I. (2015a). A move analysis of method chapters by Vietnamese TESOL master's students. Research Scholar: An International Refereed e-Journal of Literary Explorations, 3(1), 14-28.
Nguyen, T. T. L., & Pramoolsook, I. (2015b). Move analysis of results-discussion chapters in TESOL master’s theses written by Vietnamese students. 3L: Language, Linguistics, Literature The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies, 21(2), 1-15.
Nwogu, K. N. (1997). The medical research paper: Structure and functions. English for Specific Purposes, 16(2), 119-138. doi: 10.1016/S0889-4906(97)85388-4
Paltridge, B. (2002). Thesis and dissertation writing: An examination of published advice and actual practice. English for Specific Purposes, 21(2), 125-143. doi: 10.1016/s0889-4906(00)00025-9
Peacock, M. (2002). Communicative moves in the discussion section of research articles. System, 30(4), 479-497. doi: 10.1016/s0346-251x(02)00050-7
Peacock, M. (2011). The structure of the methods section in research articles across eight disciplines. The Asian ESP Journal, 7(2), 97-123.
Peng, J. (1987). Organisational features in chemical engineering research articles. ELR Journal, 1, 76-116.
Posteguillo, S. (1999). The schematic structure of computer science research articles. English for Specific Purposes, 18(2), 139-160. doi: 10.1016/s0889-4906(98)00001-5
Samraj, B. (2008). A discourse analysis of master’s theses across disciplines with a focus on introductions. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 7(1), 55-67. doi: 10.1016/j.jeap.2008.02.005
Shaw, P. (1991). Science research students' composing processes. English for Specific Purposes, 10(3), 189-206.
Swales, J. (1981). Aspects of article introductions: Birmingham: University of Aston, Language Studies Unit.
Swales, J. (1990). Genre analysis: English in academic and research settings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Swales, J. (2004). Research genres: Exploration and application. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Thompson, D. K. (1993). Arguing for experimental ‘fact’ in science: A study of research article results sections in Biochemistry. Written Communication, 10(1), 106-128.
Thompson, P. (1999). Exploring the contexts of writing: Interviews with Ph.D. supervisors. In P. Thompson (Ed.), Issues in EAP writing research and instruction (pp. 37-54): Reading, UK: CALS.
Thompson, P. (2001). A pedagogically-motivated corpus-based examination of Ph.D. theses: Macrostructure, citation practices and uses of modal verbs. Unpublished doctoral thesis, University of Reading, UK.
Thompson, P. (2005). Points of focus and position: Intertextual reference in Ph.D. theses. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 4(4), 307-323. doi: 10.1016/j.jeap.2005.07.006
Weissberg, R., & Buker, S. (1990). Writing up research: Experimental research report writing for students of English. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall Regents.
Williams, I. A. (1999). Results sections of medical research articles: analysis of rhetorical categories for pedagogical purposes. English for Specific Purposes, 18(4), 347-366.
Yakhontova, T. (2006). Cultural and disciplinary variation in academic discourse: The issue of influencing factors. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 5(2), 153-167. doi: 10.1016/j.jeap.2006.03.002
Yang, R., & Allison, D. (2003). Research articles in applied linguistics: Moving from results to conclusions. English for Specific Purposes, 22(4), 365-385. doi: 10.1016/S0889-4906(02)00026-1
Zhang, J. (2012). A cross-cultural study of generic structure and linguistic patterns in M.A. thesis acknowledgements. The Asian ESP Journal, 8(1), 141-165.
Brett, P. (1994). A genre analysis of the result section of sociology articles: A corpus study. English for Specific Purposes, 13(1), 47-59. doi: 10.1016/0889-4906(94)90024-8
Bunton, D. (2002). Generic moves in Ph.D. thesis introductions. In J. Flowerdew (Ed.), Academic discourse (pp. 57-75). London: Pearson Education Limited.
Bunton, D. (2005). The structure of Ph.D. conclusion chapters. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 4(3), 207-224. doi: 10.1016/j.jeap.2005.03.004
Chen, T.-Y., & Kuo, C.-H. (2012). A genre-based analysis of the information structure of master's theses in applied linguistics. The Asian ESP Journal, 8(1), 24-52.
Connor, U., Upton, T. A., & Kanoksilapatham, B. (2007). Introduction to move analysis. In D. Biber, U. Connor & T. A. Upton (Eds.), Discourse on the move: Using corpus analysis to describe discourse structure. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Crookes, G. (1986). Towards a validated analysis of scientific text structure. Applied Linguistics, 7(1), 57-70.
Dong, Y. R. (1998). Non-native graduate students’ thesis/dissertation writing in science: Self-reports by students and their advisors from two U.S. institutions. English for Specific Purposes, 17(4), 369-390. doi: 10.1016/s0889-4906(97)00054-9
Dudley-Evans, T. (1986). Genre analysis: An investigation of the introduction and discussion sections of M.Sc. dissertations. In M. Coulthard (Ed.), Talking about text (pp. 128-145). Birmingham: English Language Research, University of Birmingham.
Dudley-Evans, T. (1994). Genre analysis: An approach to text analysis for ESP. In M. Coulthard (Ed.), Advances in written text analysis (pp. 219-228). London: Routledge.
Dudley-Evans, T. (1999). The dissertation: A case of neglect? In P. Thompson (Ed.), Issues in EAP writing research and instruction (pp. 28-36). UK: CALS.
Hewings, M. (1993). The end! How to conclude a dissertation. In G. Blue (Ed.), Language, learning and success: Studying through English (pp. 105-112). London: Macmillan.
Holmes, R. (1997). Genre analysis, and the social sciences: An investigation of the structure of research article discussion sections in three disciplines. English for Specific Purposes, 16(4), 321-337. doi: 10.1016/s0889-4906(96)00038-5
Hyland, K. (2004). Graduates' gratitude: The generic structure of dissertation acknowledgements. English for Specific Purposes, 23(3), 303-324. doi: 10.1016/s0889-4906(03)00051-6
Kanoksilapatham, B. (2005). Rhetorical structure of biochemistry research articles. English for Specific Purposes, 24(3), 269-292. doi: 10.1016/j.esp.2004.08.003
Kanoksilapatham, B. (2007). Writing research articles in English: Microbiology. Journal of the Falculty of Arts, Silpakorn University, 29, 174-208.
Kwan, B. S. C. (2006). The schematic structure of literature reviews in doctoral theses of applied linguistics. English for Specific Purposes, 25(1), 30-55. doi: 10.1016/j.esp.2005.06.001
Lim, J. M. H. (2006). Method sections of management research articles: A pedagogically motivated qualitative study. English for Specific Purposes, 25(3), 282-309. doi: 10.1016/j.esp.2005.07.001
Loi, C. K., & Evans, S. M. (2010). Cultural differences in the organization of research article introductions from the field of educational psychology: English and Chinese. Journal of Pragmatics, 42(10), 2814-2825. doi: 10.1016/j.pragma.2010.03.010
Morales, R. C. (2012). Conclusions in research articles: A Filipino-Japanese contrastive rhetorical study. Philippines ESL Journal, 8. Retrieved from www.philippine-esl-journal.com/V8_A4.pdf
Moritz, M. E., Meurer, J. L., & Dellagnelo, A. K. (2008). Conclusions as components of research articles across Portuguese as a native language, English as a native language and English as a foreign language: A contrastive genre analysis. The ESPecialist, 29(2), 233-253.
Nguyen, T. T. L., & Pramoolsook, I. (2014a). A move-based structure of the master's thesis literature review chapters by Vietnamese TESOL postgraduates LangLit: An International Peer-Reviewed Open Access Journal, 1(2), 282-301.
Nguyen, T. T. L., & Pramoolsook, I. (2014b). Rhetorical Structure of Introduction Chapters written by Novice Vietnamese TESOL postgraduates. 3L; Language, Linguistics and Literature, The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies, 20(1), 61-74.
Nguyen, T. T. L., & Pramoolsook, I. (2015a). A move analysis of method chapters by Vietnamese TESOL master's students. Research Scholar: An International Refereed e-Journal of Literary Explorations, 3(1), 14-28.
Nguyen, T. T. L., & Pramoolsook, I. (2015b). Move analysis of results-discussion chapters in TESOL master’s theses written by Vietnamese students. 3L: Language, Linguistics, Literature The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies, 21(2), 1-15.
Nwogu, K. N. (1997). The medical research paper: Structure and functions. English for Specific Purposes, 16(2), 119-138. doi: 10.1016/S0889-4906(97)85388-4
Paltridge, B. (2002). Thesis and dissertation writing: An examination of published advice and actual practice. English for Specific Purposes, 21(2), 125-143. doi: 10.1016/s0889-4906(00)00025-9
Peacock, M. (2002). Communicative moves in the discussion section of research articles. System, 30(4), 479-497. doi: 10.1016/s0346-251x(02)00050-7
Peacock, M. (2011). The structure of the methods section in research articles across eight disciplines. The Asian ESP Journal, 7(2), 97-123.
Peng, J. (1987). Organisational features in chemical engineering research articles. ELR Journal, 1, 76-116.
Posteguillo, S. (1999). The schematic structure of computer science research articles. English for Specific Purposes, 18(2), 139-160. doi: 10.1016/s0889-4906(98)00001-5
Samraj, B. (2008). A discourse analysis of master’s theses across disciplines with a focus on introductions. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 7(1), 55-67. doi: 10.1016/j.jeap.2008.02.005
Shaw, P. (1991). Science research students' composing processes. English for Specific Purposes, 10(3), 189-206.
Swales, J. (1981). Aspects of article introductions: Birmingham: University of Aston, Language Studies Unit.
Swales, J. (1990). Genre analysis: English in academic and research settings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Swales, J. (2004). Research genres: Exploration and application. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Thompson, D. K. (1993). Arguing for experimental ‘fact’ in science: A study of research article results sections in Biochemistry. Written Communication, 10(1), 106-128.
Thompson, P. (1999). Exploring the contexts of writing: Interviews with Ph.D. supervisors. In P. Thompson (Ed.), Issues in EAP writing research and instruction (pp. 37-54): Reading, UK: CALS.
Thompson, P. (2001). A pedagogically-motivated corpus-based examination of Ph.D. theses: Macrostructure, citation practices and uses of modal verbs. Unpublished doctoral thesis, University of Reading, UK.
Thompson, P. (2005). Points of focus and position: Intertextual reference in Ph.D. theses. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 4(4), 307-323. doi: 10.1016/j.jeap.2005.07.006
Weissberg, R., & Buker, S. (1990). Writing up research: Experimental research report writing for students of English. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall Regents.
Williams, I. A. (1999). Results sections of medical research articles: analysis of rhetorical categories for pedagogical purposes. English for Specific Purposes, 18(4), 347-366.
Yakhontova, T. (2006). Cultural and disciplinary variation in academic discourse: The issue of influencing factors. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 5(2), 153-167. doi: 10.1016/j.jeap.2006.03.002
Yang, R., & Allison, D. (2003). Research articles in applied linguistics: Moving from results to conclusions. English for Specific Purposes, 22(4), 365-385. doi: 10.1016/S0889-4906(02)00026-1
Zhang, J. (2012). A cross-cultural study of generic structure and linguistic patterns in M.A. thesis acknowledgements. The Asian ESP Journal, 8(1), 141-165.