ERIC Number: EJ1102949
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2222-1735
EISSN: N/A
Effects of Instruction on Chinese College Students' Thematic Choice in Academic Writing
Wei, Jing
Journal of Education and Practice, v7 n14 p60-68 2016
The Theme is a major aspect of how speakers construct their messages in a way which makes them fit smoothly into the unfolding language event. Thematic choice provides clues as to how English learners organize information and shape their texts. Previous studies reveal that English learners deviated from English native speakers in their thematic choices, leading to failure in signaling what the text is about. The findings have led to a consensus that English learners should be trained in thematic choices so that they are able to write well-developed essays. This quasi-experimental research aimed to investigate the effects of instruction on Chinese college students' thematic choices in their academic English writing, and proved that instruction in thematic choice produced positive effects on Chinese college students' use of topical Themes, interpersonal Themes, unmarked Themes, and conjunctive adjuncts.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, College Students, Academic Discourse, Instructional Effectiveness, Thematic Approach, Quasiexperimental Design, English Language Learners, Teaching Methods, Essays, Text Structure, Story Grammar, Writing Strategies, Content Analysis, English Curriculum, Second Language Learning, Language Tests
IISTE. No 1 Central, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong SAR. Tel: +852-39485948; e-mail: JEP@iiste.org; Web site: http://iiste.org/Journals/index.php/JEP
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: International English Language Testing System
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A