Academic Texts Research Articles

Attitude markers in L2 learners' academic writing : a case study of master's theses by Czech students compared to L1 students' writings

Writer-reader interaction is considered a crucial component of a well-written academic text, largely achieved through the use of metadiscourse resources. This paper investigates the frequency and range of 'attitude markers', i.e. one of the five sub-categories of interactional metadiscourse resources (Hyland and Tse 2004) in two learner corpora composed of Czech (L2) and native speaker (L1) university students' academic texts. The survey has shown that research-oriented attitude markers are preferred over topic-oriented ones in both corpora, with the former being used mainly to evaluate the writer's own research and its findings. Attitudinal adjectives were identified as the most frequent and most varied category in both corpora, followed by attitudinal nouns, adverbs, and verbs in their respective order. The results also indicate some interesting differences, for example, that Czech students, unlike L1 students, tend to overuse attitudinal adverbs in the sentence initial position. By highlighting the similarities and differences in the use of attitude markers in L2 and L1 student writing, the study may be of value to both students and their tutors and help to raise students' awareness of the dialogic and interactional character of academic texts.

ПЕРЕВОД АКАДЕМИЧЕСКОГО ТЕКСТА И ПРОБЛЕМА ЕГО ИНТЕРПРЕТАЦИИ В КОНТЕКСТЕ АНГЛОЯЗЫЧНОЙ И РУССКОЯЗЫЧНОЙ КУЛЬТУРНОЙ ТРАДИЦИИ

The article discusses the specificity of academic translation, which should be taken into account in the sphere of English-speaking and Russian-speaking cultural traditions. The author draws attention to the growing relevance of the problem of relationships between the academic traditions of different countries, the result of which is the enrichment of the scientific experience of all participants in such communication. Consequently, the issue of academic translation as one of its key tools is no less relevant. The paper also provides a description of the various types of academic texts and the features of the content each of them possesses. The author aims at identifying and describing the main criteria that should be born in mind in translating an academic text, such as the genre of the original text, its linguistic features. To solve this problem, the author considers the basic characteristics of the scientific style, determines the specifics of the genres of the academic text, highlights the key linguistic features that the academic text has in the English and Russian cultural traditions.

Империя цитирования. Наше время: цитата как картина и как портал

The scientometric pressure and defining features of the contemporary culture of reference exchange are viewed under the sign of the objectification and alienation of the scientists creative abilities and the consequences produced by their application. Based on the identification of subject- and resource-oriented types of citations, the principle of unity of historical and logical and R. Merton's thesis about the dual purpose of standard methodological operations such moments of modern academic citation as the prevalence of indirect forms, functional reduction of quotation to reference, monetization, presumption of preformity and the cult of originality of the author's text are revealed. It is shown that the last two arise from the mutual overlapping of the mental codes of postmodern subjectless passéisme and scientific subjective futurism. The previously expressed statement about the domination of resource-oriented citation at the present stage is confirmed and specified. The richness of the publication with references is inversely proportional to the content of the borrowings, which are almost entirely compressed in the metadata. The direct cognitive functionality of such citations is insignificant, but thanks to them an academic text on the rhizome-network model turns into a labyrinth of portals to other texts.The historical alternation of the leading role of types of citation is fixed. The assumption of the future transition of leadership to subject-oriented citation is formulated.

Perception of speech therapy and education students about their experiences and practices in reading and writing academic genre texts.

to analyze the perception of Speech-Therapy and Education undergraduates regarding their experiences and practices in reading and writing texts from academic discourse genres. It´s a mixed crosscut study, with data collected by the application of a semi-structured questionnaire with open and closed questions about students' relation towards reading and writing of academic texts, their difficulties in the use of these genres and how they cope with such difficulties. The results show that a significant number of the students assume that they have some difficulty in reading and writing these discourse genres in academic settings, which may be an indication of gaps in working with reading and writing during previous educational levels. Some of these students even blame themselves for not effectively following the reading and writing proposals in higher education, implying that this is due to an intrinsic disorder. The data allow us to state that, despite the increase in the number of students in higher education, many still feel excluded from academic life, especially for not using academic discourse genres in a proficient way. It is the University responsibility, along with all actors involved in higher education, to promote actions that consider the right to education for all students.

Scientific text on the Internet: Communication-typological characteristics

The key communication and typological characteristics of a scientific text on the Internet are considered as a special form of representation of scientific knowledge. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the use of a multimodal approach to the study of the specifics of academic texts in the Internet environment, which involves the study of a scientific text in a combination of linguo-stylistic, semiotic and discursive approaches. This approach makes it possible to study scientific Internet texts as certain communicative situations in terms of combining various forms and formats of transmitting and receiving information, taking into account the verbal and visual components, text architectonics, affordances, etc. As a result, the most important features of the academic Internet text, such as hypertextuality, interactivity, multimodality, openness and accessibility, are identified and characterized. The digital online environment has fundamentally changed scientific communication — it has made it cheaper, more accessible, more mobile, at the same time, it has also created new communication problems. One of them is the “extinction” of links in scientific publications: a significant number of hyperlinks either do not correspond to the original content or do not work completely. The number of “dead” links is linear, but constantly growing, which creates obvious threats to the development of modern scientific communication in the Internet environment. Based on the analysis of modern scientific texts, their typology was performed, based on the following parameters: the nature of the creation of texts (PDF versions of texts, web texts and mixed types of texts), the updating of the material in the publication (static and dynamic (“live”) scientific texts), semiotic organization of the text (verbal texts, verbal texts with a static or dynamic visual component), the ability to rate the material and comment on it (texts with excluded and enabled readers’ evaluation), conditions for the reader to access the publication (publications with free and paid full-text access), the prevailing way of perception of information by the consumer (linear, microergodic, non-mutable and mutable ergodic texts).

Схоластика в экономической науке как симптом неизбежного кризиса

An academic text being described as ‘scholastic’ is usually perceived as a criticism, pointing to the text’s formal, dogmatic character. This characteristic was used from time to time in relation to the works of social scientists in the USSR. This term is much less common in modern academia, including the discussion of modern economic writings. This does not mean, however, that many of these papers do not deserve to be described as such, given the ever-increasing number of publications. The article puts forward a hypothesis that there is a connection between the scholastic style of reasoning and the construction of economic texts, signifying the onset of a crisis in economic research, accompanied by a transition to a full-scale socio-economic crisis. This hypothesis is being tested on the basis of two historical precedents — medieval scholasticism proper and the political economy of socialism. In both cases, the term ‘scholastic’ was applied relatively frequently to published texts. In addition, during the periods of feudal or Soviet scholasticism, the dominant role was played by religion or, in the case of the Soviet Union, ideology and its dominance was also reinforced by power hierarchies. While in the case of feudalism it was the Vatican that held the ‘monopoly on truth’, in the USSR this role was played by Marxism-Leninism and the Politburo of the CPSU. In the case of the Middle Ages, the authors use Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologia as the main object of discursive analysis and as for the Soviet period, the analysis focuses on the monograph Political Economy — Theoretical Foundation of the CPSU’s Policy published in 1989 by Soviet theoretical economists. Along with these sources, we also look at the works of A. Greif and E. Gaidar, showing a critical discrepancy between the scholastic discourse and economic reality.

Language and self-regulation: Interrelated sources of disparities in reading achievement and opportunities for reducing inequity.

Language and self-regulation develop bidirectionally, and they synergistically affect most aspects of acquiring reading proficiency. Children and youth from historically marginalized communities tend to have less expansive knowledge of academic vocabulary and dialect common to instruction and academic text (i.e., General American English), and limited self-regulation skills relevant to reading, compared to less-marginalized peers. In this article, we argue that language and self-regulation are factors in demographic-related reading opportunity gaps, and that in addition to improving students' access to high-quality explicit phonics instruction, understanding their interactive relationship offers opportunities for schools to reduce disparities in reading outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Investigating adult learners' experiences from using slow reading as a pedagogical approach

This article explores the utilization of slow reading as a pedagogical tool aimed at enriching the learning experience in higher education, with a particular emphasis on fostering meaningful engagement with academic texts. Drawing upon insights from a qualitative case study conducted within a Norwegian vocational teacher training program, this research challenges the conventional belief that effective learning is synonymous only with speed and efficiency. By adopting a qualitative approach inspired by critical pedagogy, this study investigates the multifaceted dimensions of slow reading as an in-depth learning strategy. The inquiry includes a diverse range of data sources derived from a research and development project, encompassing the perspectives and reflections of both students and educators. The study's findings shed light on how individuals perceive and engage with slow reading as a pedagogical approach and its impact on their learning experiences. Notably, the study reveals that slow reading serves as a catalyst for fostering interaction, contemplation, and the exchange of experiences and novel ideas, ultimately contributing to the creation of an inclusive and dynamic learning environment. In conclusion, this research underscores the potential benefits of integrating slow reading as one among several study techniques within higher education.

Resisting the Ecology of Knowledges, Reclaiming an Ecology of Study: Some Notes on Decolonization in Higher Education

Abstract Recent years have seen an upsurge of academic and activist texts on decolonization in higher education. A recurring theme in this literature is the politics of knowledge at play in the colonial project, which makes the university an important site of struggle for a decolonial future. It is this particular epistemological claim on the decolonial imaginary that I aim to problematize in this article. Based on a reading of Santos’ ecology of knowledges, I argue that within this imaginary, decolonization tends to denote social justice in the broad sense, but also risks favoring a particular kind of tolerant cosmopolitanism that ultimately closes down the future. The alternative I suggest is to reclaim the university as an ecology of study, thereby shifting the focus from the knowledge being produced at universities to the practices of study that happen within universities. I will demonstrate how the notion of study offers a way out and could be of particular relevance when considering existing experimental universities that re-invent the idea of the university, often together with Black and indigenous movements. Vital to these is an educational understanding of decolonization that stresses the importance of pedagogy in processes of imagining and enacting different worlds and possible futures through study.

Exploring interactional metadiscourse in remote teaching: A case study of A2-level english learners

The use of interactional metadiscourse markers in opinion paragraphs written by A2-level English learners was investigated in this research. Although metadiscourse is commonly studied in discourse analysis, pragmatics, and language teaching, there has been limited attention given to the writing of beginner-level language learners. Metadiscourse is typically associated with advanced English learners' writing behavior. However, this study recognizes that English learners at lower proficiency levels can also employ interactional metadiscourse markers, such as hedges, boosters, attitude markers, self-mentions, and engagement markers. The study scrutinized the opinion paragraphs of 20 university students at A2-level during the period of emergency remote teaching caused by the pandemic. The analysis of metadiscourse was carried out using Hyland's model for academic texts. The paragraphs of 10 students who attended online writing classes and 10 who did not were compared. The results showed that students who attended online classes attempted to use the metadiscourse markers they had learned in their writing lessons. On the other hand, students who did not attend online classes tended to use fewer interactional metadiscourse markers. The study proposes that students' writing and communication with their readers can be considerably impacted by teachers' attitudes, lesson materials, and sample paragraphs. Therefore, metadiscourse analysis can assist teachers and material developers in selecting appropriate materials for writing instruction.

Percepção de alunos de fonoaudiologia e pedagogia acerca das experiências e práticas de leitura e escrita de textos pertencentes ao gênero acadêmico

ABSTRACT Purpose to analyze the perception of Speech-Therapy and Education undergraduates regarding their experiences and practices in reading and writing texts from academic discourse genres. Methods It´s a mixed crosscut study, with data collected by the application of a semi-structured questionnaire with open and closed questions about students’ relation towards reading and writing of academic texts, their difficulties in the use of these genres and how they cope with such difficulties. Results The results show that a significant number of the students assume that they have some difficulty in reading and writing these discourse genres in academic settings, which may be an indication of gaps in working with reading and writing during previous educational levels. Some of these students even blame themselves for not effectively following the reading and writing proposals in higher education, implying that this is due to an intrinsic disorder. Conclusion The data allow us to state that, despite the increase in the number of students in higher education, many still feel excluded from academic life, especially for not using academic discourse genres in a proficient way. It is the University responsibility, along with all actors involved in higher education, to promote actions that consider the right to education for all students.

C-E Translation of Micro Film Spreading Mode and Local Opera Development Path under the Guidance of Skopos Theory

With the continuous acceleration of globalization in today’s world, international cultural exchanges are becoming more and more frequent. However, the development of Chinese opera culture is facing challenges in contemporary era. As a new communication channel, unique advantages of micro-film can provide a new path for the development of local opera. The source text, Micro Film Spreading Mode and Local Opera Development Path, aims at passing information, with practical, informative and communicative functionality, so its translation must meet the actual needs of the target language readers to understand the content. Under the guidance of Skopos Theory on the translation of academic text, translation strategies such as literal translation, addition, and conversion have been adopted to ensure the translated text to be accurate in meaning as much as possible to the source text, and the target language is similar to that of the original author in style.

Концептуализация эмоций в дискурсе: прагматика читательского интереса

The paper adopts a sociopragmatic approach to the study of emotion processes and investigates discursive traits of the reader’s interest. The field of written popularization was examined to establish how it conceptualizes the reader’s interest through discourse structures. The text materials were obtained experimentally. They consist of 104 pairs of expository text; each of the pairs includes a text published in an academic source and a popular science text created by the participant for provoking the reader’s interest. The comparative methods of empirical discourse analysis are used to identify and describe popularisation strategies. The results show that participants employed four strategies to transform academic texts: reduction N = 94), simplification (N = 81), contextualization (N = 58), and concrete elaboration (N = 17). The strategies tend to present the most significant text ideas, reduce reader’s efforts for processing, and introduce the reader into the discourse-world. The findings suggest that the strategies aim to enhance the optimal relevance and conceptualize reader’s interest through the communicative dimension of relevance.

Critical Incidents, Reflection, and Technology as Tools for Shifting from Correcting to Copyediting Academic Texts

Critical Incidents, Reflection, and Technology as Tools for Shifting from Correcting to Copyediting Academic Texts

Рецепция научного интернет-текста: экспериментальное исследование

The results of an experimental study are discussed, the purpose of which is to determine the general and specific principles of the reception of a academic text posted on the Internet, taking into account a group of communicative and technological factors, including the possibility of using interactive elements that control attention and perception of the text (affordances), and the use of extralinguistic material elements. Through a combination of methods – oculographic research, user experience analysis (UX-observation) and semi-structured interview – the data were obtained indicating the areas of attention and the structure of reading scientific Internet articles by users, as well as tactics of interacting with the text and understanding its content, depending on the presence or absence of affordances. The readers of scientific texts have academic affiliations and different experience of interacting with scientific materials. The authors come to the conclusion that it is necessary to take into account two groups of data in the course of studying the reception of a academic text: visual fixation on a text element / behavioral reaction to it and verbal representation of a text element during an interview. The paper draws preliminary inferences about how the readers perceive scientific Internet articles depending on the technological organization of the context. In conclusion, the requirements are offered for the organization of the main stage of the study.

Comprehension of academic texts: Role of executive functions and vocabulary

Comprehension of academic texts: Role of executive functions and vocabulary

Strategy use and self-perception in L2 academic reading

This article reports the main results of a think-aloud protocol study inquiring into reading strategy use and self-perception of first-year English studies and teacher trainee majors when reading academic texts in their L2. The verbal protocol was combined with a short follow-up interview and the SORS test to identify the findings and highlight any possible correlations between the three datasets. The results suggest that students have a general preference for metacognitive strategies, and the findings appear to show a certain degree of consistency across different types of data. The most frequently used and reported strategies included guessing from context, re-reading, use of external resources, and self-evaluation.

Weighing In

Neurodiversity as a concept, identity, and movement has radically challenged pre-existing ideas of human difference and value. First proposed by Judy Singer (1998) and largely developed through the work of community activists, neurodiversity posits an alternative to pathologizing and medicalized understandings of human differences. This article explores the ways neurodiversity is being used, defined, and deployed based on a corpus of 94 academic texts published across social science disciplines (2006–2021). Using discourse analysis methods derived primarily from Fairclough (2001, 2003), we examine how neurodiversity has been claimed and refashioned within academia. Neurodiversity was often seen as an embodied difference, and was variously portrayed as dichotomous, universal, or existing on a spectrum. Many authors followed an “Autism Plus” strategy, keeping autism at the center of discussions. Academic writers of the texts on neurodiversity overwhelmingly launched their own claims to authority, even as they simultaneously positioned themselves as out of the fray.

ACADEMIC WRITING: CHALLENGES AND WAYFORWARD A PERSPECTIVE FROM UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Student perceptions of what constitutes good academic writing (AW) in higher education often differ. This is reflected in written assignments, which frequently fall below the expected standard. In seeking to develop the writing skills of students and propose potential solutions to writing difficulties, a study was conducted in Gedu College of Business Studies, (GCBS) Royal University of Bhutan. (RUB). This paper reports the findings generated using unmoderated focus groups of second-year students and third-year students of Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) & Bachelor of Commerce (B. Com) GCBS. The findings indicated that students’ perceptions of what constitutes AW differed. The barriers to academic writing that were identified were lack of time and confidence, lack of extended writing, lack of reading and understanding of academic texts or journals, referencing and academic jargon.

Innovation and Management of Smart Transformation Global Energy Sector: Systematic Literature Review

The acceleration of globalisation processes and increasing countries’ energy interdependence are required to ensure national energy security and independence. That demands investigating and developing processes and approaches for sustainable transformation of the global energy sector. The article aims to perform a complex review and investigation of the academic environment to analyse the trends and features of scientific publications devoted to new trends and tendencies in the smart energy industry transformation. To provide a categorical and theoretical background on the key scientific publications’ trends, the paper conducted a bibliometric analysis of scientific publications about smart energy management and sustainable energy sector. The subject of investigation is publications on smart energy management and the sustainable energy sector. The article represented the results of bibliometric analysis using the Scopus tools analytics and VOSViewer tools. The investigation answered the central question of the key academic and research tendencies in the smart energy development and sustainable transformation field. Thus, qualitative, and quantitative trends describe the academic tendencies to spread smart and sustainable technologies in the energy industry. Using the Scopus scientometric database, a system of more than 5000 academic texts in the determined area was created from 2001 to 2022. Such countries as India, China, the USA, the UK, Germany, Italy, Canada, South Korea, France represent the analysed scientific area. Describing the key trends and clusters has allowed understanding and systemised the dominant trends in the development of scientific publications in the field of management of sustainable development processes, spreading the IOT processes, and renewable energy.