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Modality in students’ expository essays : a study of the effect of socio-cognitive instruction
Author
Kong, Clara Kah Mun
Supervisor
Chandrasegaran, Antonia
Abstract
This thesis presents the results of an analysis of changes in the use of modality in the expository essays of a group of Singapore Secondary Three students after receiving socio-cognitive instruction in expository writing. Instruction was aimed at raising student awareness of the socio-cultural context of a writing task, and explicit teaching of the genre practices and socio-rhetorical thinking processes associated with expository genres. Pre- and post-instruction essays were analysed using Halliday’s (2004) Systemic Functional Grammar. Comparison of modality expressions in pre- and post- instruction essays shows positive changes in the latter in frequency of modality expressions, range of lexico-grammatical forms for expressing modality and deployment of modality in relation to the discourse moves of stance assertion and stance support. Results in the further comparison of 5 single cases supported the collaborative findings.
Date Issued
2007
Call Number
PE1068.S55 Kon
Date Submitted
2007