Analysis of the Introduction of a Research Article

Analysis of a Research Article Introduction

Considering the Create a Research Space Model (C.A.R.S.) (Swales and Feak, 1994, p.174), the present report will evaluate the Research Article (RA) “Modes of Professional Development: An evaluation of the impact of different course modes operated across the National Network of Science Learning Centres” by Bennett, Braund, Lubben and Mason (2011). This RA has been taken from the social sciences in order to depict the distinctive features of the introduction of an action research by identifying the three moves the model suggests.

Move 1 consists of stating the needs for the study and establishing the research territory. This move is presented under the following headings “Background and Context”, and  “Previous studies and evaluations” (p.3). The former is mainly written in present simple passive voice depicting the characteristics of the institution in which the research was carried out. The latter deals with a review of the literature as well as with the explanation of what actions the centre has conducted.

As regards the second move, it can be found under the heading “Factors influencing classroom impact of PD for the systemic context” (p.4) which acknowledges the gap that exists among them revealing what has been left aside. This move is within a long piece of text that describes more studies containing a negative connector signaling the beginning of Move 2. It reads: “ However, they may not be very informative for the current study, since the PD programmes being evaluated in these studies all supported centrally initiated science in 15 participating schools” (p.8).

Move 3 is stated in the last paragraph of the introduction section; however an anticipation of this move can be noted in the paragraph under the heading “Review of relevant literature” (p.7). A purposive/descriptive structure has been chosen in order to report both the purpose and a brief description of the current study. It states: “The current study fills some gaps (….). Usually, each of these PD interventions was preceded by explication of (…)”(p.9).

The analyzed RA illustrates the C.A.R.S. Model which proves to be a useful tool to provide the introduction with the necessary elements to cater a rationale and attract the reader’s attention. Interestingly noticeable is how each move serves to be a link to the following one while reflecting particular discourse conventions.

 

 

 

References

Bennett, J., Braund, M., Lubben, F., & Mason, Y. (2011). Modes of Professional Development: An evaluation of the impact of different course modes operated across the National Network of Science Learning Centres. Report commissioned by the National Science Learning Centre, York: University of York, Department of Education.

Swales, J.M., & Feak, C.B. (1994). Academic writing for graduate students: Essential tasks and skills. Ann Harbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.

Analysing Introduction and Method sections of Research Papers

Analysing Research Papers: delving into the Introduction and Method sections

As Copley, Greenberg, Handley, and Oaks (1996) contend “a research paper is more than the sum of your sources, more than a collection of different pieces of information about a topic” (para. 1). Accordingly, a Research Paper (RP) is a unified text composed by different parts which are meant to pave the way towards the development of a topic. This paper delves into the Introduction as well as the Method sections of an article from the social sciences written by Rammal (2006) and an article from the natural sciences written by Wijeysundera, Beattie, Elliot, Austin, Hux, and Laupacis, (2010) in order to characterize and contrast them taking under consideration the field they belong to.

As regards the Introductions, both papers fulfill the purpose of this section: to attract the readers’ attention, though in a different way on account of the conventions of the fields they belong to. In the study from the social sciences, the use of adjectives with positive connotation serves to attract the readers' attention. For instance, “effective,”  “rich,” “exciting”. Conversely, in the study from the natural sciences, facts prove to be what it is required to be accepted and recognised in the area. Additionally, it can be said that both of them follow the Create a Research Space Model (C.A.R.S.) (Swales and Feak, 1994, p. 174) being structured in a general-specific manner. The analysis of the three moves characterized by semantic and syntactic features help identify the structure of these sections.

 In the first place, Move 1 is the longest in both studies; however, the use of tenses presents the main difference. Rammal (2006) has chosen the present tenses:  present perfect is used to emphasise the importance of the topic and passive present simple as well as present simple are used to present the literature review by stating current knowledge. On the other hand, Wijeysundera, et al. (2010) has used different tenses according to the information stated: present perfect refers to areas of inquiry and, together with other present tenses, acknowledges what has been found. There is a reference to previous research so that the past tense points this out. Both authors succeed in creating a research space by choosing the appropriate tense according to their intentions.

With reference to Move 2, the researchers signal the gap found in the literature review to establish the niche by presenting contrastive statements as in Rammal (2006), "Authentic video material, especially that which represents what goes on in a non ELT environment, designed for its entertaining value rather than language teaching is a rich and exciting source of video software for instruction in English as a second language (ESL) classroom."(p.1). Equally Wijeysundera, et al. (2010) explains, “Given the potential benefits of preoperative stress testing but the lack of proved impact on outcomes, we undertook a population based cohort study of non-invasive cardiac stress testing in Ontario, Canada.” (p.1). These two sentences illustrate how moves 1 and 3 are linked.

 Especially noteworthy has been the choice of purposive statements in both RPs to outline the intention of the present studies; nevertheless, they differ not only in the selection of tenses made but also in the length of Move 3. Rammal’s (2006) piece is constituted by three sentences written in the present tense which set the main purpose of the research while including the secondary aims. It can be read, “…I have devised a language teaching lesson…,” “Besides, the lesson and the accompanying activities are intended to improve…,” “Finally, by using the videotaped segments, I aim at focusing on….” (p.1). As far as Wijeysundera, et al. (2010) is concerned, one sentence in the past tense reveals the main objective of his study. Accordingly, it says, “Our objective was to determine whether stress testing….”(p.1).

From the analysis of the Method sections of both papers, it is concluded that whereas the natural science article adheres to American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines, the social science one does not. Rather than being placed in a centre position as proposed by APA, the heading method in Rammal’s (2006) piece is aligned on the left. Besides, this stage is not properly divided into the sub-sections suggested: participants, methods and procedure. Readers have to infer the participants and materials employed; the author provides very little information on the individuals participating in this project. Regarding the Procedure sub-section, every step undertaken at the background stage of the research has been appreciated. However, a description of how the project was developed in the classroom setting is neglected. Contrarily to APA style, the tense chosen is present perfect as shown by the phrases “have asked”, “have videotaped” or “have tried”, among others. The impersonal passive is not approached at all; for instance the author states “I adopted the following method…”, “I studied the functions… until I got used to the equipment” or “I have acquainted myself…” (Rammal, 2006, p. 2).  

Conversely, an analysis of the Method section of the paper in the field of medicine reveals its adherence to APA guidelines. This section is organized into two subsections, namely, “Cohort” and “Analyses”. In the former sub-section, NWijeysundera, et al., provides a thorough description of the sample including details of the number of participants, demographic data about them as well as where information was obtained from. The latter sub-section conceals a comprehensive coverage of the materials and procedures employed in the research. The research tools represent a selection of methods and measurements, such as “a two tailed P value of less than 0.05”, “bivariate tests”, “propensity score methods”, or “the standardised difference” measure. The procedures performed are signalled by the use of past passive voice mainly, as proposed by APA; for example: “the original propensity score was modified to include an estimate of unmeasured disease burden” and “an additional subgroup analysis was performed”.

After careful examination and comparison of these two research papers, each belonging to a particular field of knowledge, it can be concluded that both papers were similarly organized in a general-specific pattern, moving from general ideas to specific details, which makes them attractive to readers. Their Introduction sections were composed of three moves as encouraged by APA but their Method sections present several sound differences. Whereas the research paper from the natural science succeeds in coping with APA conventions the educational research fails in this attempt. These differences between both papers, which lie on the subheadings, the tense choice as well as the organization of information, could be recognized as natural differences among opposite fields of knowledge.

References

American Psychological Association, (2010). APA formatting and style guide. Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

Copley, C., Greenberg, L., Handley, E. & Oaks, S. (1996). The Writer's Complex. Empire State College.

Rammal S. M. (2006). Videos in EFL classroom. UsingEnglish.

Swales, J.M., & Feak, C.B. (1994). Academic writing for graduate students: Essential tasks and skills. Ann Harbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.

 Wijeysundera, D. N., Beattie, W. S., Elliot, R. F., Austin, P. C., Hux, J. E. & Laupacis, A. (n.d.). Non-invasive cardiac stress testing before elective major non-cardiac surgery: population based cohort study. BMJ 2010;340:b5526 doi:10.1136/bmj.b5526

Abstract Analysis

Abstract analysis on Research Papers from the Natural and Social fields

Research articles (RAs) not only provide readers with information on the latest discoveries or further descriptions of an existent theory or concept, but also RAs show the writers’ belongingness to a field of knowledge and discourse community. Depicting the peculiarities of RAs involves accounting for the characteristics of the professional field as well as the sections included. The present work will delve into the Abstract section of two RAs from the natural science written by Martinez, Assimes, Mines, Dell’Aniello, & Suissa, (2010),  and Jørgensen, Zahl & Gøtzsche (2010),  and two from the social field written by Almerich, Suárez, Orellana, Belloch, Bo, & Gastaldo (2005), and Munson & Degelman (n.d.). In order to describe the attributes of this section, a comparative analysis has been made.

From the analysis of the Abstracts, we may conclude that the four of them are informative as they describe what the researchers did; therefore, there is a heavy focus on data. As in Jorgensen, et. al, (2010), it can be read: "In women of the same age in the non-screening areas, there was a decline of 2% in mortality per year (RR0.98, 95%CI 0.97 to0.99) in the same10 year period" (p1). Broad characteristics of this section are fulfilled: There is an introduction in which the objectives of each are set; a brief description of the participants/materials follows and, finally, the results together with the conclusions are reported concisely. However, depending on the field they belong, the papers differ in their structures: while the Social sciences Abstracts use an unstructured organizational format is consisting of a unified paragraph in which sentences are cohesively connected; the Abstracts from the natural sciences take a structured format which presents bolded headings introducing each of its components (Swales and Feak, 1994; Swales, 1990).

Linguistic features of the section examined are equally illustrated in both fields. Full sentences as well as tense mobility are observed. Opening sentences are generally written in present or present perfect (Swales and Feak, 1990; Swales, 1994), as in Almerich, et al. (2005) “... (ICT) in education supposes that faculty must possess competencies for it” (p.1). The other analysed paper from the social sciences uses simple past whereas the Abstracts from the natural sciences do not present an opening. The sentences describing the participants, methods and results show tense variation: present simple, past simple as well as passive voice. Regarding he concluding sentences, the tendency is to use present tenses to write them. Conversely, Martinez, et al. (2010) and Jørgensen, et al. (2010) have chosen the past tense. For example: “(…) the use of venlafaxine was not associated with …” (Martinez, et al., 2010). Negatives are not acknowledged.

On balance, without losing their main objectives, the authors of the four studies have seriously attempted not only to attract readers to continue reading their pieces but also to summarize their researches expressing the main ideas or parts included in them under the light of pre-established discourse conventions. Particularly noticeable is the organization of the content in each of the Abstracts reflecting the way of thinking of both the social and natural fields and fairly respecting the guidelines about linguistic specifications and conventions to format a paper.

 

 

 

References

American Psychological Association (2007). Concise rules of APA style. Washington, DC: British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data. 

Almerich, G., Suárez, J. M.., Orellana, N., Belloch, C., Bo, R. y Gastaldo, I. (2005). Diferencias en los conocimientos de los recursos tecnológicos en profesores a partir del género, edad y tipo de centro. RELIEVE, 11 (2), 127-146. Retrieved from: http://www.uv.es/RELIEVE/v11n2/RELIEVEv11n2_3.htm

Jørgensen, K. J., Zahl, P-H., & Gøtzsche, P. C. (2010). Breast cancer mortality in organised mammography screening in Denmark: comparative study. BMJ, 1 – 6. doi:10.1136/bmj.c1241

Martinez, C., Assimes, T.L., Mines, D., Dell’Aniello, S., & Suissa, S. (2010). Use of venlafaxine compared with other antidepressants and the risk of sudden cardiac death or near death: a nested case-control study. BMJ, 1 – 9. doi:10.1136/bmj.b5526

Munson, L. M. & Degelman D., (n.d.) Distant Intercessory Prayer and Task Performance. Vanguard University of Southern California.

Swales, J.M. (1990). Genre analysis: English in academic and research settings. (Cambridge Applied Linguistics Series). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Swales, J.M., & Feak, C.B. (1994). Academic writing for graduate students: Essential tasks and skills. Ann Harbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.

 

Research Papers Analysis

Analysis of Research Papers from the Natural and Social sciences

      Particularly invaluable are Research Articles (RA) in any fields of studies; they provide the means to belong to a discourse community and share knowledge. Depending on the professional field, RAs may have distinctive characteristics. The present report will delve into the Results, Discussions and Conclusion sections of two RAs from the social and natural sciences in order to depict their peculiarities. The former is named "Fostering Computer-Mediated L2 Interaction" (Barrs, 2012) and the latter is named "Chronic Kidney Disease and risk of Major Cardiovascular disease and Non-vascular mortality: Prospective population based cohort study" (Di Angelantonio et al, 2010).

      Both RAs differ on the organization of the data among these parts of the reports. As regards the results sections, the medical article has described them in an analytical way outlining the actions taken and their outcomes which addressed the hypothesis initially stated. For instance, Associations between different stages of chronic kidney disease and the aggregate of non vascular mortality were non-linear. This section has been divided into three subheadings each of them dealing with a different part of the experiment and presenting the reader the corresponding tables and figures. Although the text has been illustrated with quantitative data, these resources partially respect the American Psychological Association (APA)  guidelines for tables and figures formats as, for example, not every word in the title is capitalized; as table 1 reads, Chronic kidney disease staging system. Conversely, they are consistent in the design employed since every table and figure share the same stylistic conventions.

      On the contrary, the educational report presents the results with their direct interpretation such as “Disappointingly, the majority of interactions (93%) involved a simple one or two sentence initiation followed by a single reply…” (p.1). It has been organized according to the two periods the research had, followed by a description of the steps taken in each period. The tables and transcriptions of the answers have been included inside this section as well as the interpretation of outcomes. The consistent design and format of the tables shown properly match those established by APA style: They are numbered, properly capitalized and italicized titles, and double space between the elements. 

      Di Angelantonio et. al.(2010) focuses the discussion on the causes-effects connections among the findings, e.g.” …estimated glomerular filtration rate seems to be non-linearly related to risk of coronary heart disease”(p.1). The author restates many of the key results in this section reminding the readers the objective of his research. “Significantly”, “suggest”, “modestly” are examples of hedging. Especially noteworthy is the paragraph he has included within this section on strengths and limitations highlighting the latter. Barrs (2012) follows a result-explanation-interpretation pattern along the results section: “...the preliminary investigation revealed that the two distinct issues of (a) a lack of time, and (b) a lack of interest in the discussion topic, contributed to the low amount of interaction on the site”(p.1). A noticeable number of modal verbs have been used together with hedging words such as “disappointingly”, “potentially”, and “significant”, among others.

      Regarding Conclusions, the medical report states them in a short paragraph which follows the discussion section summarizing the findings and acknowledging the importance of further studies: “Further studies are needed to investigate associations between chronic kidney disease and non-vascular mortality from causes other than cancer”(p.1). The educational one has added a section about the limitations of the study separately from the rest and finally has drawn conclusions expanding them with some reflections: “Further, the nature of the interactions themselves could become an area of value for extended investigation” (p.1).

      The analyzed RAs cater for a great deal of features concerning this specific kind of genre. Without losing their main objectives, both studies have seriously attempted to account for their findings, transmit relevant information to a particular audience and summarize their works suggesting further research under the light of pre-established discourse conventions. Interestingly noticeable is the organization of the content in each of the articles reflecting the way of thinking of each field and respecting the guidelines and conventions to format a paper and cite sources.

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

American Psychological Association (2010). APA formatting and style guide. Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

Barrs, K., (2012). Fostering Computer-Mediated L2 Interaction. Language Learning & Technology, 16 (1). Retrieved from: http://llt.msu.edu/issues/february2012/actionresearch.pdf

Di Angelantonio, E. et al, (2010). Chronic Kidney Disease and risk of Major Cardiovascular disease and Non-vascular mortality: Prospective population based cohort study. BMJ2010; 341:c4986, doi:10.1136/bmj.c4986.

 

A Book Critique

A Critique on Bailey’s (2006) Academic Writing Book

In his book, Academic writing: A handbook for international students (2ed.) published by Routledge, Bailey (2006) provides a successful, thorough account of what writing at academic levels implies together with useful moments of practice. However, it might need exploratory explanations in two crucial aspects that these types of writings require: pre-writing techniques and documenting sources.

The author states that the book aims at “those students who are not native speakers of English (who) often find the written demands of their courses very challenging. In addition to learning academic English, they need to adopt new conventions of style, referencing and layout.” (Bailey, 2006, p. 8). Throughout its 272 pages, these topics are developed in four parts covering the different aspects of this demanding process. Besides, it allows students to have extra practice with supplementary tests as well as offering a source reference and the answers to the exercises presented.

According to the author, part 1 of his book copes with the first steps that writing as a process demands. Although the while and post stages are clearly described, there is a remarkable flaw as none of the pre-writing techniques is presented. As the book can be used for self-study, it would have been more clarifying and assertive if different strategies had been mentioned in order not only to make learners aware of the existence of those techniques, but also to permit students to find out the one that suits their learning styles best.

Particularly important is the emphasis given to the avoidance of plagiarism by the writer. There is a significant reference to this vital aspect in part 1 as regards title and plagiarism; in part 2 regarding citations, and in part 3 concerning abbreviations and punctuation. Even though the necessity of a documenting system is commented, it would have been more satisfactory if Bailey (2006) had provided more information about it. In no case does the author offer a careful explanation about the different systems and their complexity.

In short, the author makes an impressive attempt at describing the process of writing for academic purposes. What the reader must be aware of is the lack of information as regards the pre-stage of the process as well as the existence of documenting systems meant to avoid plagiarism and to set writing conventions.

 

 

References

Bailey, S. (2006). Academic Writing: A handbook for international students (2^nd ed.).  Taylor & Francis e-library. Retrieved from http://npu.edu.ua/!ebook/book/djvu/A/iif_kgpm_t27.pdf

An Academic Summary on Emerging Technologies

Summary on Godwin-Jones’ (2012) Emerging Technologies

In the light of learning management systems taking place as a resource in language learning environments, Godwin-Jones (2012) depicts the “embedded pedagogical and cultural values” (p.4) these systems have through the analysis of underlying learning theories and how they are approached.

The author highlights the traditional teacher-centred pedagogy the first systems reflect, being cognitivism the learning theory conceived. With the arising of Moodle, constructivism has taken place in the virtual learning; the incorporation of tools such as forums and wikis provide learners with a number of opportunities to be in charge of their own learning needs.

Taking into account learners’ “styles/aptitudes to function fully in a multicultural, multilingual world” (p. 6), the writer emphasizes the non neutral nature of the systems used. For that reason, diversity becomes a crucial issue when dealing with any type of learning resources – technology cannot be excluded.

 Sharing becomes another important feature which should be considered in any kind of learning situation. Not only are materials acknowledged, but also interaction between students from both inside and outside the classroom. These exchanges help to promote cultural awareness and availability of materials.

In conclusion, Godwin-Jones (2012) illustrates emerging technologies as language tools in learning environments. His research demonstrates that these resources respond to a certain implied pedagogy and culture.

 

References

Godwin-Jones, R. (2008). Emerging Technologies Challenging hegemonies in online learning. Language Learning & Technology, 16 (12), 4 – 13.  Retrieved from http://llt.msu.edu/issues/june2012/emerging.pdf

An Outline on Mobile Language Learning

Technological Advances on Language Learning: Ballance’s (2012) Commentary

Purpose: To summarize Ballance’s (2012) commentary on Stockwell’s (2012) article about technological – assisted language learning.

Audience: English for Academic Purposes tutors and mates at a distance learning program.

Thesis statement: Mobile Phones as the preferred tool for language learning.

I-    Technological innovation for learning

a.       Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) roots

b.      Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) arisen

c.       MALL over CALL preference

II-  Mobile Assisted Language Learning activities

a-      Dead time

b-      Learning activities suitability

References

Ballance O. J. (2012). Mobile language learning: More than just “the platform”. Language            Learning & Technology, 16 (3), 21 – 23. University of Nottingham Ningbo. Retrieved from   http://llt.msu.edu/issues/october2012/ballance.pdf