研究生学术英语写作教程Unit 4 Describing Methodology.docx

1、研究生学术英语写作教程Unit 4 Describing MethodologyUnit 4 Describing Methodology Objectives Be clear about the significance of this section Try to understand the importance of passive voice in academic writing Learn to be skilled in using sequential markers in writing a process Be familiar with proof-reading s

2、kills Learn to design a questionnaireContents Brief introduction to this section Reading & Discussion: What information elements are usually involved in writing a methodology section? Language Focus: Passive voice and sequential markers Writing Practice: Understanding the sentence patterns and sente

3、nce order in writing a process Writing Project: How to design a questionnaire1.Reading ActivityIn natural sciences the method section is often called Materials and Methods. In social sciences it is common to introduce a section called Theory and Methods. Sometimes it is divided in two sections: Theo

4、retical Framework and Methods. Research methodology is mainly concerned with the answers to the following questions:1) Why is a particular research study undertaken?2) How has one formulated a research problem?3) What types of data have been collected?4) What particular methods have been used?5) Why

5、 is a particular technique of analysis of data used?1.1Pre-reading TaskThe following is the method section of a research article in the field of applied linguistics. Think about the following questions before reading the text and then have a discussion with your classmates:1) What is the function of

6、 the method section? 2) What information elements does a method section include?3) What verb tenses are mainly used in the text? What is the proportion of active voice verbs to passive voice verbs in this method section? 1.2 Reading Passage English for College Students in Taiwan:A Study of perceptio

7、ns of English Needs in a Medical ContextThe experiment was initiated to investigate perceptions of English needs in a medical context among college students in Taiwan. The subjects were 341 medical students in the Department of Medicine, including 97 freshmen, 74 sophomores, 90 juniors, and 80 senio

8、rs, and 20 faculty members in the medical program at Chung Shan Medical College in Taichung, Taiwan, China.Two questionnaires were developed for the survey, based on two earlier survey instruments by Taylor & Hussein (1985) and Guo (1989). The questionnaires were translated into Chinese, piloted, an

9、d modified according to the feedback from l0 respondents: six medical students and four faculty members from Chung Shan Medical College. The questionnaire given to the medical students consisted of five sections of 23 questions, the topics of which were the importance of English in college and profe

10、ssional careers, perceived language skill needs and problems, the activities needed in a freshman language course, and suggestions for development of course content and materials as well as demographic information. The faculty questionnaire consisted of four sections of l6 questions, which were para

11、llel to those in the version given to the students except no demographic information was gathered (see Appendix).One of the authors, a faculty member at Chung Shan Medical College, selected one required class for each group of students (freshmen sophomores, juniors and seniors). Copies of the studen

12、t questionnaire for administration to the students were then sent to cooperating instructors teaching these courses; copies of the faculty questionnaire were given to 20 teachers who were willing to complete the survey.The data were computer-analyzed using an SPSS program: in the questionnaire, perc

13、entages were determined for all questions except 8 and 13 for which means were computed. Chi-square, t-tests, and ANOVA analyses (方差分析) were conducted in order to determine the perceptions of English language needs of medical college students and their faculty and to compare the perceptions held by

14、the various groups. ( Pang, 2008)1.3 Reading Comprehension1.3.1 Fill in the following table with relevant details from the passage.Research objectiveResearch subjectsResearch locationMaterials ProcedureStatistical analysis1.3.2 Understand more about the method section of this research. What do you k

15、now about the questionnaires used in the survey? 2. Language Focus2.1 Passive voiceThe passive voice is usually used in academic writing, because passive structures have less subjective coloring in most cases than active ones. When describing a process or a scientific experiment, it is important to

16、write in a neutral style, as an observer. To do this, you can use passive voice. There are three instances in which the passive voice is recommended: 1) when we do not know or do not care about who has performed the action; 2) when we focus on the receiver instead of the performer of the action; and

17、 3) when we would like to remain in a neutral or objective position in writing. More examples from the methodology section are as follows:1) The study was conducted at the beginning of the semester and the final one was given at the end of the semester. ( procedure )2) In summer, the greenhouse was

18、cooled by pulling in air through water saturated pads on the south end of the building. ( specially designed material )3) The quartz reactors tested for this work are fabricated by the A&B Sales Company of Wheeling, Leeds, UK. ( instrument )4) In order to provide a broad sampling of college students

19、, respondents were recruited from diverse fields of study. ( sampling )5) The final scores were computed into mean averages (X) and standard deviations (SD). ( statistical analysis)2.1.1 Go over the Reading Passage and mark verbs in the passive voice and then complete the following table: Informatio

20、n elements in MethodVerbs in passive voiceProcedureMaterialsInstrumentData analysis2.1.2 Rewrite the following text with passive voice. Some people consider a poison ivy infection to be humorous. But it is not funny at all. Contact with the plant causes a rash that has the intensity of a fresh mosqu

21、ito bite and lasts for several days. Scientists have studied poison ivy infection for centuries, but they have found no preventive pill or inoculation. The poisonous substance in the plant is called urushiol. After urushiol has touched the skin, blisters and weeping sores will soon cover the exposed

22、 area.2.2 Sequential markers A process paragraph explains how to do something or how something works. Process paragraphs are usually developed step-by-step in a chronological or logical sequence. The following sequencing expressions are more frequently used to link steps in a description of a proces

23、s or to divide a process into steps: Firstly To begin with First of all etc. Secondly Next After that In addition etc. Finally Lastly The following sentences describe a process of making paper. Use sequential words and rewrite them into a cohesive paragraph. 1) The logs are placed in the shredder. 2

24、) They are cut into small chips and mixed with water and acid.3) They are heated and crushed to a heavy pulp which is cleaned. 4) It is chemically bleached to whiten it.5) It is passed through rollers to flatten it. 6). Sheets of wet paper are produced. 7) The water is removed from the sheets which

25、are pressed, dried and refined and the finished paper is produced.3. Writing PracticeA well organized, logically ordered and easily understandable chapter on methodology makes the thesis a really outstanding work. Normally, a method section includes:1) Overview of the experiment: one sentence briefl

26、y tells what was done (like a topic sentence);2) Population: state the people/subjects studied, or the things tested;3) Location : where the study took place;4) Restriction/Limiting conditions: precautions taken to make sure that the data are valid;5) Sampling Techniques : describe how the subject a

27、re selected for the study;6) Materials : describe the materials used to conduct the study or experiment;7) Procedures : State the steps of the experiment in a chronological order;8) Statistical Treatment: describe how the statistics are examined. Of all the items on this list, the only items that ar

28、e always included in the method section are the materials and procedures.3.1 Read the following sentences. They are all taken from method sections from different research articles. In each case, determine which information element is represented.(1) A total of 369 participants of European origins (5

29、2.7% female) with a mean age of 27.2 years were recruited by research assistants in public places in the Montreal region.(2) The data used for the current analysis consists of 60 texts taken from 20 engineering journals.(3) Experimenters approached potential participants by introducing themselves as

30、 students from the University of Quebec in Montreal and then asked if they would accept to participate in a short study on facial expressions.(4) The study aims to examine the use of SEF as a tool for providing evidence of teaching effectiveness in tertiary education.(5) The results of the two quest

31、ionnaires were subjected to statistical tests of reliability and significance using SPSS.(6) Envelopes containing the survey materials were sent to the local business manager of each union. In the envelopes, there was a cover letter explaining the project, the questionnaire itself, and a pre-paid re

32、turn envelope. The union business manager was contacted and asked to select workers from his union and to send the envelopes to the chosen workers.(7) The participants were 90 first-year students from the School of Foreign Languages at a major university in Nanjing. Their average age was 18 years old. They constituted a convenience sample.(8) The investigation was performed in a national laborato