Case Study 2 - the D Paper
This case study selects an less effective research paper graded D from a student writer to investigate how the paper fails to establish a consistent evaluative stance due to the ineffective attitudinal distribution and patterning across the generic stages.
The low-rated paper (ELT 0007 D) has a relatively lower quantity of attitudinal lexis encoded (104 instances) compared to the effective paper (127 instances), despite the high attitudinal density recorded in most of the stages except for the methodology and participants section, which is the least dense with only one attitudinal item present. The distribution of the attitudinal values across the stages is irregular, where the values incline towards the results and discussion stage and the conclusion stage, differing from the attitudinal pattern shown in the EPC, as illustrated in the diagram below:
Appreciation lexis is still dominant in the novice research paper with the major function of assessing the quality of the teaching practice investigated (effective, good routines, trustworthy, boring), the trend of the pedagogy (popular, new trend) and learning outcomes (correct, mistakes, clear ideas), while judgement items are deployed to realise students’ ability and discipline (with lower proficiency, didn’t really get the grip, grow, in good order), and an affectual value representing inclination (preferred).
Despite the preference of appreciation over judgement and affect values, a low grade was given to ELT 0007 D owing to its failure to transmit the attitudinal prosody across a larger phase of text because of (1) the absence of the attitudinal values at the hyper-Theme and hyper-New positions and (2) loose patterning of attitudinal items within the phases of text. The introduction stage and the literature review stage are investigated to exemplify the above features causing the poor rate of the novice paper.
In the introduction stage, the over-generalised, non-evaluative statement on the background of the object of study (as in (a)) results in the ineffectiveness of propagation of prosodic values across the phase of text, failing to offer a predictive overview of the writer’s stance, which could be rewritten as (a') to initiate the prospective attitudinal “wave” in the hyper-Theme position. The evaluative voice in the later phase of the text inclines to emphasise the significance of the study, as well as the advantages of genre-based pedagogy, but the assessment is not amplified and accumulated towards the hyper-New:
| (a) | This paper intends to analyze the stages of an American elementary school class using genre-based pedagogy. |
| (a') | This paper investigates an effective implementation of genre-based pedagogy in an American elementary school classroom. |
Below shows ineffective the evaluative voice is conveyed in a sample phase of text in the Introduction stage when (a) is placed at the beginning of the phase of text, failing to set off the wave of prosody:
| This paper intends to analyze the stages of an American elementary school class using genre-based pedagogy. A case study was conducted by measures of videotaping, field notes and scripts discourse. The findings show the structure of genre-based pedagogy in teaching writing on informal report. The purpose of this case study is to provide mainland ELT teachers with clear insight into the nature of genre-based pedagogy in writing reports or other genres (text types) and to offer alternative teaching method on writing as well as to learn from professional[s] by observing and identifying good practice. |
The introduction becomes a descriptive report on the writers’ study, resembling the paper abstract instead of consolidating the writer’s stance to align reader with his or her own argument; and the attitudinal types represented in the text appraise the field of research (genre-based pedagogy) and thus do not resonate the evaluation of the object of study which is already absent (implementation of the pedagogy in the authentic context), causing the disjunction of the attitudinal prosody. The negligence of summarising a phase of text with hyper-New, in addition to the absence of the attitudinal value in that position to set up a retrospective prosody, results in the failure to maintain coherence with the phase and to align with readership.
The loose patterning of attitudinal values and the disjunctive Theme-Rheme organisation at the literature review stage also cause the radiation of the evaluation ineffective. An affirmative assessment of the notion of genre (abstract, socially recognised) is encoded in the hyper-Theme position, but genre is not further appraised in the text while another Theme is established immediately with a new evaluation. The clauses are numbered, and the appraised items in the passage are underlined:
| (1) Genre-based teaching pedagogy has been popular in Australia and America for the last two decades. (2) Further researches and work was done to improve [the genre-based] pedagogy, especially in the school curriculum. (3) By genre-based approach, as cited in Arthur Firkins, Gail Forey, and Sima Sengupta 2007, it was selected as language was seen in context and it was presented to the learners as part of a complete text. (4) Ever since the beginning of this approach (Halliday 1978, 1994), to the further development of it (Martin, 1992), genre-based approach shows achievements in many aspects, writing especially on helping learners with lower proficiency. (5) Now [the genre-based approach] has been a new trend worldwide. (6) Within this approach, three components such as modelling a text, joint construction and independent construction are combined systematically in hope of offering learners a genuine way to writing in different genres. (7) Guidance and interaction are through the whole process (Painter, 1986). |
The passage is rewritten and reorganised as follows, where the evaluation starts off with effective approach and popularity, and then propagates throughout the text with description of the features and advantages of the pedagogy contributing to the effectiveness, and finally distils and accumulates at hyper-New, resonating the hyper-Theme with achieve better and new trend worldwide:
| Genre-based pedagogy has been proven an effective approach with its popularity in second language classrooms for the last two decades. GBP is selected as language was seen in context and it was presented to the learners as part of a complete text (Firkins, Forey, Sengupta, 2007). Ever since its beginning (Halliday, 1978, 1994) to its further development (Martin, 1992), GBP has shown achievements in many aspects, especially in the enhancement of learners’ writing capability. Within this approach, the three components of the teaching-learning cycle (modelling a text, joint construction and independent construction) offer a systematic and genuine way to writing in different genres, with guidance and interaction through the whole process (Painter, 1986). Owing to its aim to scaffold learners to achieve better writing proficiency, GBP has become a new trend worldwide. |
The relatively low density and irregular distribution of attitudinal values across the generic stages are the major causes of the poor grade of the novice paper in this case study. The case study has also illustrated the failure to establish a periodical wave of attitudinal meaning across phases of text due to the absence of evaluative language at the peaks of prominence at hyper-Theme and hyper-New, and the loose patterning of the appraisal resources, resulting in the discontinuity of prosody. The weaknesses in building up a critical voice in this novice paper might also explain the lack of cohesiveness and coherence in academic writing, apart from the concern of academic conventions, stylistics and mechanics not mentioned in the current study, further hindering the effectiveness of the writing.