An appropriate representation of self is crucial in reporting past research, establishing a committed writer stance, and persuading the reader in academic writing. While research has suggested an underuse of authorial reference in student writing at the university level, less attention has been devoted to students preparing to enter university. In this study, I seek to investigate students’ usage and perceptions of reporting verbs along a continuum of authorial power at a community college in Hong Kong. Based on a revised averral framework by Charles (2006b) and the reporting verb taxonomy by Hyland (2002a), an analysis was performed on 614 academic written assignments (compared with proficient writing by native-speaking students in the UK in both frequency and textual examination), 697 questionnaires, and interviews with 13 students and three teachers. Findings reveal that the community college students were impassioned opinion holders characterized by an overuse of first person I in a cognitive, affective, and factive fashion. However, they overlooked the potential of ‘mitigated’ expressions of self-mention (such as it is argued that) and discourse verbs such as argue and suggest to develop an argumentative ethos and dialogic interaction essential in effective reader engagement. A misunderstanding of the purpose of academic writing, an insensitivity to reporting verbs, and a categorical forbiddance of self-mention by teachers appear to be the main reasons for not further developing a writer presence by Hong Kong students. In view of the low language proficiency of the students, conflicting writing guides, and teachers’ nonchalance about providing help, teaching recommendations were offered with the use of learner corpora and non-academic materials. / published_or_final_version / Applied English Studies / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

Thesis (MA--Applied Language Studies) -- Auckland University of Technology, 2005. / Also held in print (114 leaves, 30 cm.) in Wellesley Theses Collection (T 808.042 TUR)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 400-423). Also available on microfiche.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / Candidates for higher degrees often have unnecessary difficulty with the technical aspects of writing a thesis. They can expect expert supervision in conducting their research and drawing conclusions, but the responsibility for presenting their work in the correct way is theirs alone. This Guide has been developed in response to student needs. It explains the simple technical requirements for presenting a thesis. It is the candidate's responsibility to meet these requirements. No Master's or Doctoral candidate can have a valid reason for submitting technically unsatisfactory work.

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English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses play an increasingly important role in supporting non English speaking background students in their academic studies. Such courses have traditionally prioritised writing as the most significant literacy requirement (Johns, 1981). This prioritisation of writing reflects the perception that expertise in writing is an indication that students have acquired the cognitive skills demanded for university work (Weigle, 2002). It also reflects the fact that the majority of assessment tasks, which tend to drive student learning (Schwartz & Webb, 2002), require some form of writing. For EAP courses to be effective, curriculum design needs to be informed by knowledge of current academic discourse demands and writing requirements in relevant discipline areas. Analysis of previous studies indicates that written assessment tasks vary between discipline areas. Findings also suggest that the most frequent assessment types vary over time as theoretical approaches to assessment change. This suggests the need to investigate the discipline-specific demands faced by different student cohorts enrolled on EAP courses. Some studies have identified the need for students to develop the skills involved in interpreting task instructions, as well as addressing the relevant topic and meeting the specific assessment requirements (Gravatt et al., 1997 and Carson, 2001). A key impetus for this study relates to this finding and was the fact that students enrolled on EAP courses were having difficulties interpreting instructions and marking criteria provided for some assessments in discipline-specific papers. The aims of this study were three-fold. The first was to investigate and analyse the type and form of written assessment tasks and related requirements, in three undergraduate courses. The second was to investigate lecturers' perceptions and intentions in producing these tasks. Thirdly, the study aimed to investigate and describe students' understandings and experiences of the same tasks. The study therefore involved a triangulated methodology in terms of data collection. The three methods employed were analysis of assessment documents, semi-structured interviews with the lecturers concerned, and questionnaire surveys of students enrolled on the three papers. The results of the study reinforce the findings of earlier studies in that there are considerable differences between discipline areas in assessment types and in the levels of associated cognitive demands. Although the study identifies what appears to be a new assessment type at undergraduate level - the 'literature review' assignment - lecturers' expectations for this assessment appear to vary between discipline areas. The differences identified appear to be influenced by lecturers' perceptions of the role of assessment, which in this case seem to be limited to the concept of assessment as the certification of learning, and as being predominantly summative in function. Furthermore the study shows that a significant proportion of student respondents found the majority of assessment instructions difficult to understand, and that only one of the papers provided assessment criteria. The findings suggest that the absence of explicit marking criteria appears to disadvantage non-English speaking background students in particular. The conclusions of the thesis focus primarily on the dual, 'critical pragmatic', role of EAP practitioners in seeking to inform curriculum design and also to influence assessment practice; the implications of the study for the university's assessment and academic literacy policies and their implementation; the implications of the findings for EAP curriculum design, and suggestions for future research.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2001. / Also available on microfiche.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 225-237). Also available on microfiche.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.