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Appraising arguments : a comparative analysis of Singapore students’ writing in a response genre at post-secondary level
Author
Koh, Patsy Bee Lian
Supervisor
Teo, Peter
Abstract
This study seeks to contribute to the growing literature on academic discourses by probing into a relatively new reading-to-write examination genre featured in the Singapore Cambridge Advanced level General Paper comprehension. The recently introduced Application Question, aimed at producing more critical thinkers, makes an array of new linguistic and rhetorical demands on students taking the General Paper. The aim of this study is to grant local junior-college students, and GP teachers, both new as well as experienced ones, a better understanding of the question requirements. The study does so by unveiling the many hidden expectations in the AQ response genre through the lens of Systemic Functional Linguistics, APPRAISAL and genre theory.
In order to shed light on the linguistic resources that students draw on to display their evaluative faculties, the use of APPRAISAL resources in two sets of six AQ responses each, one comprised of highly-rated texts, and the other average ones, are subject to a detailed investigation. Both sets of texts are examined for patterns in their reliance on firstly, ATTITUDE resources, capturing assessments of an evaluative orientation in the AQ texts, and secondly, ENGAGEMENT, which captures how student-writers present their own opinions alongside those of others in the AQ response genre. Finally, patterns in the occurrence of APPRAISAL resources in relation to genre stages are also examined and reported. While quantitative analysis of the ATTITUDE features show the student-writers of the two sets of texts to (surprisingly) draw on the same resources, differences emerge when the sets of texts are studied for ENGAGEMENT resources. Further, qualitative findings suggest that the occurrence of APPRAISAL resources at the more strategic points in the construction of the text is crucial to success in the Application Question. These findings have major implications for the teaching and assessment of the Application Question, as well as suggest avenues for further research.
In order to shed light on the linguistic resources that students draw on to display their evaluative faculties, the use of APPRAISAL resources in two sets of six AQ responses each, one comprised of highly-rated texts, and the other average ones, are subject to a detailed investigation. Both sets of texts are examined for patterns in their reliance on firstly, ATTITUDE resources, capturing assessments of an evaluative orientation in the AQ texts, and secondly, ENGAGEMENT, which captures how student-writers present their own opinions alongside those of others in the AQ response genre. Finally, patterns in the occurrence of APPRAISAL resources in relation to genre stages are also examined and reported. While quantitative analysis of the ATTITUDE features show the student-writers of the two sets of texts to (surprisingly) draw on the same resources, differences emerge when the sets of texts are studied for ENGAGEMENT resources. Further, qualitative findings suggest that the occurrence of APPRAISAL resources at the more strategic points in the construction of the text is crucial to success in the Application Question. These findings have major implications for the teaching and assessment of the Application Question, as well as suggest avenues for further research.
Date Issued
2010
Call Number
PE1431 Koh
Date Submitted
2010