Genre analysis: English in academic and research settings / John M. Swales
01 Jan 1991-Vol. 1991, Iss: 1991, pp 1-99
About: The article was published on 1991-01-01 and is currently open access. It has received 5640 citations till now.
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TL;DR: The ethics and efficacy of explicitly teaching disciplinary discourse conventions to undergraduate students has been hotly debated as discussed by the authors, and a quasi-experimental study seeks to contribute to these debates by focusing on the conventional special topoi of literary analysis?conventions that are customarily tacitly imparted to literature students.
Abstract: The ethics and efficacy of explicitly teaching disciplinary discourse conventions to undergraduate students has been hotly debated This quasi-experimental study seeks to contribute to these debates by focusing on the conventional special topoi of literary analysis?conventions that previous Writing in the Disciplines (WID) research indicates are customarily tacitly imparted to literature students We compare student writing and questionnaires from seven sections of Writing about Literature providing explicit instruction in these disciplinary conventions to those from nine sections taught using traditional methods We examine whether explicit instruction in disciplinary conventions helps students produce rhetorically effective discourse, whether English professors prefer student discourse that uses these conventions, and whether explicit instruction in disciplinary conventions hampers student expression, enjoyment, and engagement Five English professors who rated the student essays gave higher ratings to essays that engaged the special topoi of their discipline Fur thermore, they significantly preferred the essays written by students who had received explicit instruction in these topoi Meanwhile, students who received explicit instruc tion in the special topoi of literary analysis indicated comparable, often higher levels, of engagement, enjoyment, and perceived opportunities for self-expression to those students who experienced the course s traditional pedagogy These findings suggest several implications for WID instruction and research relating to student and faculty professionalization in higher education
34 citations
TL;DR: The Modern Language Journal's Focus Issue on Languages for Specific Purposes (LSP) as mentioned in this paper takes a fresh look at issues examined in a 1991 article by Grosse and Voght.
Abstract: This overview to The Modern Language Journal's Focus Issue on Languages for Specific Purposes (LSP) takes a fresh look at issues examined in a 1991 article by Grosse and Voght. Reflecting on change drivers and growth in LSP, the authors comment on current challenges to the field and future research needs. Their remarks are based on new insights from the Focus Issue authors, a review of literature, and their own observations. From 1991 to 2011, the field of LSP in the United States evolved from a minor role in the foreign language (FL) curriculum, primarily in business languages, to one with a wider base in FLs and interdisciplinary studies. Amid calls for structural changes in language departments from the Modern Language Association (MLA) and the push to internationalize professional school curricula for accreditation, LSP practitioners face exciting new opportunities for service and research. The continuing evolution of LSP doubtless will bring further integration of language, culture, and content to the academic and professional worlds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
34 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that a sole concentration on the production of new knowledge and the education of students does not ensure the creation of knowledge and does not lead to a new generation of leaders.
Abstract: Contemporary universities are characteristic of an evident proliferation of corporate discourse. A sole concentration on the production of new knowledge and the education of students does not ensur...
34 citations
TL;DR: The lecturing in second language (LSL) model as mentioned in this paper is based on extensive ethnographic research conducted by myself and with colleagues over the past 10 years at a university in Hong Kong, and in particular of an ethnographic case study of engineering students.
34 citations
DOI•
01 Jan 2004
TL;DR: This paper examined ESL students' academic discourse socialization through their undertaking of oral presentation tasks and found that the instructor, together with her assistant, provided their students with various kinds of help for their undertaking.
Abstract: In recent years, an increasing number of second language (L2) researchers have employed the concept of task as a unit of analysis (e.g., Crookes & Gass, 1993a, 1993b; Ellis, 2003; Skehan, 1998). However, most studies to date have focused primarily on L2 students doing narrowly defined tasks in classrooms or laboratory settings. How do L2 students work together in and out of class time and over an extended period of time to undertake their in-class academic tasks? How do they benefit from their previous experiences when performing related and similar activities? Informed by sociocultural perspectives (e.g., Duff, 2003; Lantolf, 2000; Ochs, 1988; Vygotsky, 1978; Wertsch, 1991), the present multiple-case study examined ESL students' group project work as a means to their becoming more fully competent knowers and speakers about academic content/culture. More specifically, the study examined ESL students' academic discourse socialization through their undertaking of oral presentation tasks. Participants included 80 Japanese undergraduate students enrolled in a twosemester content course at a Canadian university. Data were collected through classroom and non-classroom observations of project work, in-depth, semi-structured interviews, audio-journals kept by key students, and audioand video-recordings of their interactions. Eleven key students and their partners were observed as they participated in a variety of activities both inside and outside the classroom. Recorded interactions were analyzed using mainly the analytical tools of the ethnography of communication and linked with themes that emerged from the other data. Data analysis suggested that the instructor, together with her assistant, provided her students with various kinds of help for their undertaking of tasks. In particular, she
34 citations