Research Articles: A Comparative Analysis

Research Papers Article Analysis-Integrative Assignment

                                                                        

 Godoy, B., Goyeneche, X. & Furlano, P.

Research Articles: A Comparative Analysis

Research Articles (RAs) are papers written by investigators to illustrate an outcome of scientific research with supporting data. RAs are generally divided into different sections, namely Title, Abstracts, Acknowledgements, Introduction, Literature Review, Methods, Results, Discussions, Recommendations, References and Appendixes (Swales & Feak, 1994). The purpose of the current study is to analyze and compare the Introduction and Methods sections as well as the Literature Review of two research papers of different disciplines; one in the education field and the other in the medicine arena.

           

 Swales and Feak (1994) has created the Create a Research Space Model (C.A.R.S.) which describes the general organizational patterns as regards how writers should present their introductions. They suggest three Moves in RAs’ Introductions; in Move 1 the writer establishes a research territory by reviewing previous research and outlining the importance of the study; in Move 2 the author establishes a niche by indicating the gap that has been found in the area; and in Move 3 the writer occupies the niche by outlining the purposes of the current study and how the investigation will accomplish for the field. 

           

Both analyzed articles attempt to show that the research studies are worth considering. Valk,  Rashid, and Elder,  (2010) remark the increasing exploration of the potential of mobile phones to facilitate learning nowadays; and Besierre, Pressman, Kiesler, and Kraut,  (2010) affirm that as the number of Internet users is growing rapidly, it is important to assess how it affects people’s well-being. As regards the revision of previous research, in the education research article the author makes more generalizations about the subject and reviews more in depth items of previous research. This is not as clear in the medicine article as there is little evidence of previous research in Move 1.

         

 As regards verb tenses and their mastering when writing different sections of research papers,  both articles make good use of  them as expected for introductions. The present simple is used to establish current state of knowledge and the writers’ research, the present perfect is used to say what has been found and the past simple, though it is not included in the introduction of the education paper, is used in the medicine one to show results of previous research.

The articles’ motivations for the study lack the exploitation of the proposed topic in question. They start Move 2 with a negative opening stating that more evidence is needed. On the one hand the authors of the educational paper state that: “however, there remains a lack of analysis that brings together the findings of the rising number of m-Learning projects in the developing world” ( Valk et al. 2010, p. 2).  On the other hand the medicine research points out that: “although prior research has shown…little reliable information exists about the impact of using the Internet to obtain health resources, especially in non-clinical populations” (Bessiere et al., 2010 ). Move 2 is very short as it is the link that joins Move 1 and 3.

Concerning Move 3, even though both articles outline the purpose of the study, they differ in some features included. The education paper announces principal findings and indicates the structure of the Research Paper. On the contrary, in the medicine article these features are placed in a different section namely Current Study.  The medicine article contains both a descriptive and a purposive statement as it not only states the purpose of the research but also describes the present study.  Besierre et al. (2010) announce that “the purpose of the current research was to determine whether using the internet for health purpose is beneficial or harmful to physical and psychological well-being.” (p.2). Furthermore, the author explains how the study was conducted. On the contrary the educational paper only contains a descriptive statement initiating Move 3. 

With reference to literature review, in the medicine article, as exposed previously, there is little on formation about the topic of the research paper. A more complete review is presented in two extra headings, Health Resources Online and Non-Medical Internet Use. Regarding education research paper the author makes a general revision of the literature, analyzing the topic in a broad way, placing specific information in three subsequent headings, Theories of Mobile Learning, The role of Mobiles in Improving Access to Education, and The Role of Mobiles in Promoting new Learning. 

           

Both articles use a wide variety of sources. While the medicine article bases their searches on online medical journals and online libraries, the educational paper utilizes books as well as articles in its digital version, a newspaper article and a paper from a conference.  Regarding the way of acknowledging the sources chosen, the articles differ from the method employed. While the medicine paper acknowledges sources with a number system, the educational article uses in text citations following The American Psychological Association (APA) (2008) manual’s requirements. 

When analyzing social scientific research papers it is indispensable to remember what type of research it is.  According to Sampieri, Collado and Lucio (1998), scientific research is a type of research which is systematic, controlled, empiric and critical. Systematic and controlled because as any discipline it is based on a system; empiric because it is based on observable issues and critical because it is under permanent objective observation and reflection. Thus, it is of utmost importance to remember research’s characteristics when delving  into this type of study.

To be able to analyze research reports it is crucial to know about research types. Dankhe  (1986, cited in Sampieri et al., 1998) states that there are four types of research studies: exploratory, descriptive, correlational, and explanatory. Thus, each type of research study implements a different research method or strategy; components such as the design, data and sample will vary depending on the chosen research type and each of them is use different research tool to carry out the study.

In light of the typology to take into account when examining research reports, it can be identified that the paper in the educational field belongs to the descriptive type.  Sampieri et al. (1998)  state that descriptive studies measure concepts and focus on measuring the characteristics of a particular phenomenon. This type of research answers the questions who, what, where, when and how and deals with everything that can be counted or studied.

Valk   et al.   (2010) delved into case studies for the purpose of examining the existing evidence of m-Learning as a tool to exert a positive impact on educational outcome. The authors identified relevant m-Learning pilot projects by searching academic publications, as well as conducting a general internet search. The selected projects document results and have evidence, both qualitative and quantitative, thus, definitive conclusions can be drawn regarding the impact of mobile phone on education.

            

As regards the method of study employed in the medicine field it can be assumed that it is a correlational study. According to Waters (n.d.) correlational research is a type of quantitative study in which two or more variables from the same group are analyzed and correlated (brought into reciprocal relation), to determine if there is a relationship or covariation between the variables.  Bessiere et al. (2010) used a non-experimental method in their research. Thus, they did not manipulate variables deliberately; they just observed the phenomenon and then analyzed it. The researchers conducted a national survey of US households, using random digit dialing,   to determine whether using the Internet for health purposes is beneficial or harmful to physical and psychological well-being.

In relation to the Method section, the medicine article includes the traditional subsections Procedure and Participants, it also adds Measures and Statistical Analysis subsections, omitting the Material one. On the contrary the educational article does not make the division among participants, method and procedure. And the information is placed in a subsection called Methodology.  Both articles contain a great amount of information. While the medical paper utilized technical vocabulary the explanations in the educational article are clearly exposed with simple language and straightforward explanations. The simple past tense is used to describe methods and data of the experiment.

           

Although both papers do not follow strictly the requirements for writing research papers, they contain the information specified for each section. On the whole they provide the necessary information concerning introductions, literature reviews and method section and they are written in an academic style. In the hope of gaining understanding of the construction of research articles in different disciplines, an analysis of two research papers, a medicine and an educational one, was carried out. An awareness of the rules and conventions of research papers can help learners to become better writers and professionals and thus showing the path to develop themselves as members of a discourse community.

References

American Psychological Association (2008). Publication Manual (5th ed.). Washington, DC: British Library Cataloguing-In-Publication Data.

Bessiere, K., Pressman, S., Kiesler, S., & Kraut, R. (2010). Effects of Internet Use on Health and Depression: A Longitudinal Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research,  12, (1).  Retrieved April, 2013 from: http://www.jmir.org/2010/1/e6/

Hernández Sampieri, R., Fernández Collado, C., & Baptista Lucio, P. (1998). Metodología de la investigación. (2nd ed.). McGraw Hill: Mexico

Swales,  J. M., & Feak, C. B. (1994). Academic writing for graduate students: A course for non-native speakers of English. Ann Harbour, MI: The University of Michigan Press.

 Valk, J., Rashid, A., & Elder, L.  (2010). Using Mobile Phones to Improve Educational Outcomes: An analysis of evidence from Asia. International  Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 11(1). Retrieved April 2013 from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/EJ881581.pdf

            Waters, J. (n.d.). Correlational resarch. Retrieved April , 2013 from http://www.capilanou.ca/programs/psycology/students/research/correlation/html

Analysis of an Educational Research Article

Research Articles (RAs) are papers written to illustrate an outcome of scientific research with supporting data.  They are generally composed of several parts namely, Title, Abstract, Acknowledgements, Introduction, Literature Review, Methods, Results, Discussions, Recommendations, References, and Appendixes (Hernandez Sampieri, Fernandez Collado & Lucio, 1998).  When doing research writers should follow the requirements of the academic field concerning design, style and conventions.

In their research article (RA) Bennett, Braund, Lubben and Mason (2011) present the need to learn and understand the topic of Continuing Professional Development (CPD), more specifically the “factors influencing classroom impact of relatively short PD interventions, (…)” (Bennett et al., 2001, p.9). To justify its interest writers follow Swales and Feak’s (1994) Create a Research Space Model (C.A.R.S.) for writing introductions as they organize the information in three cycles or moves. They outline previous research in the area, indicate the gap and the purposes of the current study, as well as they state what the research is about.  

Concerning layout and requirements, the American Psychological Association (APA) (2008) style format sets the rules for writing research articles, Bennett et al. (2011) present some inconsistencies as the literature review is not clearly organized, and the gap is not correctly placed. Besides, the overuse of acronyms such as NNSLC or SLC, long sentences and unexplained terms is a repeated feature throughout the article. Extremely noteworthy is the case of the PCK acronym as its explanation is written on the next page of the article. These issues might confuse the reader, making the reading a tough and difficult task.

Moreover Bennett et al. (2011) do not strictly follow APA (2008) rules for formatting a paper. The writers do not use double spacing throughout the RA and titles are in bold typeface. The running head contains only the institutional affiliation and page numbers are incorrectly placed at the bottom of the page.  Concerning table formatting (APA 2007), it is brief and self-explanatory; it is correctly numbered but the title is neither italicized nor placed in heading caps. Moreover, its title is too broad, since the word “impact” does not explain the content of the table.

Although Bennett et al.’s (2011) research article provides useful information, they do not respect the rules proposed by the APA (2008) manual. An awareness of the rules and conventions of research papers can help future researchers to become better writers and develop themselves as members of a discourse community.

References

American Psychological Association (2008). Publication Manual (5^th ed.). Washington, DC: British Library Cataloguing-In-Publication Data.

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.

Hernández Sampieri, R., Fernández-Collado, C., & Lucio, B.P. (1998).Metodología de la Investigación (4th ed.). México: McGraw-Hill.

Swales, J.M. & C. Feak (1994). Academic Writing for Graduate Students: A Course for Nonnative Speakers of English. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press.

Comparative Analysis of Abstracts from the Education and Medicine Field

Research Papers Abstracts Analysis-Integrative Assignment

Godoy, B., Goyeneche, X. & Furlano. P

Comparative Analysis of Abstracts from the Education and Medicine Field

         This paper compares and analyses two abstracts from the education field (King, 2002; Rammal, 2006) and two from the medicine field (Martinez, Assimes, Mines, Dell’ Aniello, & Suissa, 2008; Wijeysundera, Beattie, Elliot, Austin, Hux, & Laupacis, 2010).  Hubbuch (1996) defines Research Papers’ (RP) Abstracts “as brief summaries of the major points made by an author in a book or article” (p. 126). They are the first section that appears in an RA, however, they are written as the final stage of the research. Swales and Feak (1994) agree with Hubbuch (1996) in the fact that RP abstracts “consists of a single paragraph containing from about four to ten full sentences” (Swales & Feak, 1994, p.210).

The comparison will be based in terms of structures, types, linguistic characteristics and writing methods applied. The American Psychological Association (APA) manual offers useful guidelines as regards  abstracts’ composition, since “it allows readers to survey the contents of an article quickly” (APA, 2008, p.12). Depending on the kind of abstract there are some conventions writers have to meet, that is, the organization, the linguistic specifications including the use of full sentences, past tense, impersonal passive, the absence of negatives, abbreviation and jargon, and tense variation (Swales & Feak, 1994; Swales, 1990). Swales and Feak (1994) distinguish two approaches to write abstracts: the result-driven approach, related to the findings and the reached conclusion and the RP summary approach which follows Introduction- Methods-Results-And-Discussions (IMRAD) formula summarized in two sentences.

Concerning one of the articles from the medicine field written by Wijeysundera et al. (2010), it could be stated that it is a structured abstract as it contains bolded headings which identify the main sections in the RA (Swales & Feak, 1994); this is probably because it follows certain requirements of specialized journals. It seems to be a RP abstract as the article has been already written and the audience could be any reader in the arena.  Wijeysundera et al.’s (2010) abstract is informative since it is heavy on data; it looks to the past and describes what the researchers did. Moreover, it follows the IMRAD formula (Swales &  Feak, 1994; Swales, 1990).

As regards linguistics specifications, it includes some use of full sentences and the use of impersonal passive (Graetz, 1985), for instance: “…testing was associated with improved one year survival…” (Wijeysundera et al., 2010,  Abstract, p.1). Some sentences are not fully complete, probably because subheadings provide the information about the content of each section. There is an absence of abbreviations, jargon and negatives and the Conclusion is written in the present tense (Swales &  Feak, 1994; Swales, 1990). As regards APA conventions it does not follow some rules as it does not begin on a new page, the word “Abstract” is not centered and it should not be bolded.

The second abstract from the medicine field was written by Martínez et al. (2010); it presents similarities with Wijeysundera et al's (2010) abstract. This abstract is also structured as it is divided into sections, and it contains bolding headings with the aim of identifying each main section in the RA. It is informative providing the readers with the main findings (Swales & Feak, 1994; Swales, 1990).  It seems to be an RP abstract and it follows the IMRAD formula, allowing the reader to preview the content of the Research Article. The conciseness and the amount of specific information presented may attract readers to go on reading the rest of the paper.

Regarding its linguistic features it is mostly written in full sentences and there is use of past tense as well as passive structures. Martinez et al.'s (2010) abstract does not present abbreviations and negatives. The choice of verb tenses in the Conclusions section differs from Wijeysundera et al.'s (2010) article as it is written in the past passive. Concerning APA conventions, the abstract does not comply with certain requirements as the word “Abstract” is not centered, it is bolded and capitalized. Martinez et al. (2010) seem to be acquainted with current changes in APA style as they use personal passive: “We did a nested case-control analysis (…)” (Martinez et al., 2010, Abstract, p.1). APA (2008) states that in co-authored papers it can be used the second person plural pronoun. Both medicine abstracts have been written following the result-driven approach as the findings are deeply described and the conclusion would serve as a stride for future works.

As regards the educational area, King’s (2002) abstract is an indicative abstract as it summarizes the information presented in the article and it has been written following the RP summary approach. It does not include specific results but describes the use of the DVD as an educational resource, as the author points out that “DVD has vastly replaced traditional VHS (…)" (King, 2002, p.1). As for its structure, it is an unstructured type of abstract, which consists of a single, unbroken paragraph of 10 lines (Swales & Feak, 1994). Full sentences are used to show the content to the audience and it is positioned at the beginning of the RA. Conversely, the author does not follow the IMRAD formula and the word "Abstract" is not written in a single page and it is bolded and italized.

Considering abstracts' linguistics specifications proposed by Graetz (1985) the whole abstract is written in the present tense as for instance, “this paper starts off by discussing film-viewing approaches, and then assessing (…)" (King, 2002, Abstract, p.1). Moreover, it is characterized by the absence of negatives and the avoidance of jargon, and symbols, and the last sentences of the abstract is written in the passive voice, since it focuses on the receiver rather on the writer. APA manual (2008) calls of for “continuity in words, concepts, and thematic development” (p.32),  and this issue in not respected by the author  as he fails to clarify the terms DVD and VHS that might distract the reader.

The fourth abstract analyzed is also from the education field and it belongs to Rammal (2006). As King’s abstract (2002), the author introduces his project by means of an indicative and unstructured abstract, as it describes what the researcher intends to do (Swales and Feak, 1994). Similar to the previous educational abstract, Rammal (2006) does not follow APA (2008) format layout as the word Abstract is wrongly placed; it is not centered, it is bold-typed, and it is followed by a semi colon. Moreover, neither Rammal (2008) nor King (2002) follows IMRAD formula for writing abstracts, use a new page for their abstracts and no keywords are listed. Rammal’s (2006) educational paper does not pursue any of the stated approaches for writing abstracts. It is just a two-sentence paragraph that refers only to the Introduction section.

With reference to the linguistic aspects, Rammal’s (2006) abstract is the shortest of the four as it encloses five lines with less than a hundred words. As opposed to King (2002) the word limited is not respected and the analysis show that the abstract is not written as a description of the RA.  Two long sentences constitute this paragraph; the first sentence is written in the present tense whilst future tense is used for the second one. As King’s (2002) abstract, there is also use of full sentences and an absence abbreviations and negatives. But, unlike King’s abstract (2002), there is no use of impersonal passive and the acronym English as a Foreign Language (EFL)  is clarified next to the contraction.

Abstracts should be brief, self contained and accurate (APA, 2008). They should contain specific data and be coherent and readable as it is the reader’s first contact with the RA. After analyzing the four abstracts, it might be concluded that depending on the field of research, abstracts may present different formats and ways of structuring information, and also vary in their linguistic aspects and methods of writing. Whilst the medicine  RAs mostly comply with standard requirements and rules when publishing papers, the educational RAs fail to follow these conventions. None of the four follow APA (2008) manual for writing abstracts, as this section of the RA is not separated from the rest of the article. This might be due to publishers’ requirements concerning space and cost reduction.

References

American Psychological Association (2008). Publication Manual (5th ed.). Washington, DC: British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data. 

Hubbuch, S. M. (1996). Writing research paper across the curriculum. (4th ed.). Harcourt Brace: Fort Worth, TX. 

King, J. (2002).  Using DVD feature films in the EFL classroom. [Abstract]. The weekly column, 88, 1-10.

Martínez, 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. [Abstract]. British Medical Journal, 340: c249, 1-9. doi: 10.1136/bmj.c249.

Rammal,  S. M. (2006). Video  in EFL Classrooms. [Abstract]. Retrieved

from: http://www.usingenglish.com/articles/video-in-efl-classrooms.html

            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.

Wijeysundera, D.N., Beattie, W. S., Elliot, R.F., Austin, P. C., Hux, J.E., & Laupacis, A. (2010). Non-invasive cardiac stress testing before elective major non-cardiac surgery: Population based cohort study. [Abstract]. British Medical Journal, 340: b5526, 1-9. doi: 10.1136/bmj.b5526

Results, Discussions, and Conclusions Sections: A Comparative Analysis

Research Papers Sections Analysis-Integrative Assignment                   

Godoy, B., Goyeneche, X., & Furlano, P.

Results, Discussions, and Conclusions Sections: A Comparative Analysis

A research article (RA) is the medium through which people make public the results of their research. They can vary in structure across academic disciplines, but in general, most articles contain the following components: a Title, an Abstract, an Introduction, the Study Methodology, the Study's Results backed up with graphs and tables to report the data, Discussion of the Results, Strengths and Limitations, and a References Section that lists all sources consulted for the article (Swales & Feak, 1994). The aim of this paper is to make a comparative analysis of the Results, Discussions and Conclusions sections of two research articles that belong to two completely different areas, namely educational and medicine field.

Extremely noteworthy is the difference as regards the structure choice, since both articles differ in the way they organize the sections of the papers. While Di Angelantonio, Chowdhury, Sarwar, Aspelund, Danesh and Gudnason’s (2010) medical article exposes the three sections found in RAs separately, Barrs’s (2012) educational paper presents results and discussions jointly, leaving the conclusions in a single section. Nevertheless, both authors include all the information that these sections need to have.

Concerning Discussions section, both of them are descriptive in nature. They summarize their findings relating them to prior studies. The medicine article devotes the section to restate the key findings with reference to the original question as well as reminds the reader of the overall study. On the other hand, in the educational article, there is not a separation between Discussions and Results sections. The author reiterates the hypothesis proposed, points out the most important results and interprets the data making use of tables, formatted according to APA (2007) standards, to present the main findings of the study, delving into interpretation of outcomes in the same section.

Regarding the presentation of data, although both research articles use texts with the past simple tense, as well as tables and figures to state results (Swales & Feak , 1994), they differ from in the way they account for results. While Di Angelantonio et al. (2010) seems to have a more direct way, Barrs (2012) divides this sections into two parts and makes use of persuasive arguments as a useful writing technique to discuss the proposed topic.  This disparity seems to be connected with the purpose of each article. Whilst the medicine article focuses on interpreting statistical data, the educational paper centers its attention in analyzing and interpreting results.

According to Swales (1990), the Results section should summarize the data with text, tables, and/or figures. Both Results sections begin first with text and then refer the reader to tables and figures in order to highlight the evidence needed to answer the questions/hypotheses being investigated. The education research paper interprets and compares results, gives examples and explanations of the information stated in graphics. On the contrary the medicine article author uses a more concise and objective style which may be more complex to understand, particularly if you are not familiarized with the field.         

The American Psychological Association (APA) (2007) establishes some basic rules as regards the formatting of tables. The education research article respects certain requirements; all tables are correctly numbered, and each one has an individual title, which is italicized and correctly capitalized. Contrary to this, the medicine article does not comply with certain rules as tittles are neither italicized nor presented with each word capitalized. Whereas Di Angelantonio et al. (2010) uses notes below tables to clarify the information presented, Barrs (2012) omits them; this may be because the information seems easier to (be understood) understand and also because the author explains, interprets and evaluates results in the same section.

Most typically, persuasive- argumentative texts are used in the Conclusion section to convince the readers that the writer’s findings are of utmost importance. In the educational paper the author analyzes a particular situation, gives his point of view, determines the causes of the obtained results and makes recommendations under the light of certain circumstances. In the medicine article, on the other hand, De Angelantonio et al. (2010) shows his conclusions making use of words that signal his readers to understand and follow his way of thinking.

In the Conclusions sections, both RAs answer the questions or hypotheses previously stated. Furthermore they summarize what they have found and also suggest directions for future research. Particularly remarkable is the difference as regards the length of the conclusion sections; while De Angelantonio et al. (2010) devote just a nine-line paragraph to this section in his medical paper; Barrs (2010) organizes his conclusions in five paragraphs.

In the medicine article the authors limit themselves to state objectively and concisely the main findings whereas in the education paper the author not only points out main findings but also analyzes and reflects upon them. Di Angelantonio et al. (2010) use the present simple tense to show certainty about the statements; conversely, Barrs (2012) utilizes tentative language and modal verbs since in the education field it is not appropriate to show sureness about results and outcomes.

Overall both research articles from the two different fields, education and medicine, comply with certain norms required for the design of discussions, results and conclusions sections. The authors describe the situation in a clear and direct way, considering what is relevant to the topic, focusing on the objectives of the research. They provide the necessary explanations, considering the readers’ knowledge and give clear explanations of the literature reviewed as well as the illustrations presented; in this way, they account for the clarity and the reality principles applying for the conventions of proficient academic writing.

References

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

Barrs, K. (2012). Fostering computer- mediated L2 interaction beyond the classroom. Language Learning & Technology, 16  (1), 10-25. Retrieved April 2013 from:http://llt.msu.edu/issues/february2012/actionresearch.pdf

Di Angelantonio, E. ,Chowdhury, R., Sarwar, N., Aspelund, T., Danesh, J., & Gudnason, V. (2010). Chronic kidney disease and risk of major cardiovascular disease and non-vascular mortality: prospective population based cohort study. British Medical Journal, 341: c4986. doi: 10.1136/bmj.c4986.

          

          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.

Welcome again!

Dear all, the aim of this blog is to keep involved with academic contexts, in order to promote conscious reading, writing expertise development and information sharing. To keep growing in this discourse community and to continue towards becoming professionals, we are faced up with a new challenge; we are asked to work with others not only in the editing but also in the production of academic articles.

The journey continues, and this time I have in my boat two wonderful peers. These two marvelous souls, Ximena Goyeneche and Patricia Furlano, are rowing with me since last year. Each of us has taken a role in this academic ship; we co-construct research articles by working together inside and outside a wiki. But, more important is the fact that we are there to back up each other, like a captain look after his sailors.

You are invited to travel with me throughout the sea of knowledge

Yours, Bárbara  

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

In his book, Academic Writing: A Handbook for International Students, Bailey (2006) elucidates “the writing process and covers all the key writing skills” (p.i) with the intention of teaching academic English writing skills and to give practice on the formal writing aspects, i.e. conventions, acknowledging sources, layout, style. This significant book is proposed for “overseas” (p.iii) students studying at English colleges and universities who want to capitalize on academic potential.

Bluntly organized into four parts, namely, The Writing Process, Elements of Writing, Accuracy in Writing and Writing Models, the book offers varied writing tasks, short explanations, extra exercises, and material to assist students in writing academic texts. Whereas the first two parts guides learners on the process of understanding the title to its subsequent proofreading, the last two parts offer revision and reference; Useful models are presented to students, intended to offer opportunities to practice those areas which are difficult for them or to have reference of the types of writing they may need.

According to Bailey (2006) “the structure of the book has been made as simple as possible” (p. ii) as students might exploit the book “in the classroom or self-study” (p. i). For students to use it autonomously, more explanations are needed. It seems that the first part of the manual might need the teacher's guidance. Bailey’s (2006) book would have been more suitable for English-medium learners, if the author had presented clearer explanations and handy examples for guiding students in task completion.

Academic writing is complemented with a Cross-reference and a Writing Test section that helps students to further exploit the units. Since the two last parts of the book are organized alphabetically, Bailey (2006) underlines that this “allow them [students] to find what they want quickly” (p. iii). This design leads students to jump from one unit to the other. The book would have been a “practical and easy-to-use guide” (p.i), if the author had organized the explanations relating the topics.

The writing test section contains four small tests for students (to) check their progress and identify weak areas. Had Bailey (2006) designed tests that integrate writing skills, accuracy and grammar practices, students would have got profit of this section. Answers for close-ended activities are also provided. Particularly important in the inclusion of model answers for open-ended tasks, which might serve as models for students’ responses.

Of equal concern is the selection of topics for students to write pieces of academic texts. Since Bailey (2006) recognizes that “the type of writing they are asked to do depends on the subject they are studying” (p.iii), the book offers a variety of topics to work on. Nevertheless, the book does not offer useful links to search for valuable information for the essays. Had the author added a reference section for students to look for specific information, students would have control over the topics proposed.

On the whole, Bailey (2006) succeeded in recognizing non-native students’ needs and in designing diverse kinds of activities to ensure that their writing skills meet the necessary academic standards of a discourse community. Whilst advanced learners might profit from the exercises while acquiring specific knowledge, Bailey’s (2006) book would have been more useful, if the author had graded the activities from teacher’s guided to freer ones accompanying the latter with suitable explanations, concise examples, a different cross-referencing layout and a list of sources to find suitable information. Had this been fruitfully achieved, the result would have been not only remarkably convenient but also unquestionable for its users.

Reference

Bailey, S. (2006). Academic Writing: A handbook for international students. (2nd ed.). Taylor & Francis e-library. 
Retrieved from http://npu.edu.ua/!e-book/book/djvu/A/ii_kgpm_27.pdf

Stockwell’s (2012) reply to Ballance’s (2012) commentary: An annotated bibliography

Source: Stockwell, G. (2012). Working with constraints in mobile learning: A response to Ballance.  Language Learning & Technology. 16 (3), 24-31. Retrieved from http://llt.msu.edu/issues/october2012/stockwell.pdf

In his online periodical article, Stockwell (2012) responds to Ballance’s (2012) claims by explaining not only the nature of the activities presented, but also the purpose of introducing Mobile-assisted Language Learning (MALL) outside the classroom. In order to back up his explanation, the author provides evidence from his previous articles to answer Ballance’s (2012) criticism pointing out relevant information, explaining that when selecting the activities, he considers students preferences, needs, particular reality and the learning environment.

Stockwell (2012) exposes the need to engage language learners in vocabulary activities and take advantage of dead time, highlighting the usefulness of this approach. He highlights that students would be utilizing an everyday device to learn vocabulary, and that the tasks could be completed, for instance when travelling. He also points out advantages of using the pre-smart phone platform since, contrary to Ballance’s (2012) conclusion, the majority of students are not smart-phone users and activities completion does not require high technology command.

Since foreign language students usually have limited opportunities to approach the target language only in the classroom, Stockwell (2012) reflects on these issues declaring that technology should be used wisely to maximize learning opportunities; he also points out that teachers should choose technologies available in the current environment or the ones that they can master. He defends his research in a trustworthy way, supporting his answers with significant extracts of his earlier works to explain himself.

References

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

Stockwell, G. (2010). Using Mobile Phones for Vocabulary Activities: Examining the Effect of the Platform. Language Learning & Technology, 14(2), 95–110. Retrieved from http://llt.msu.edu/ vol14num2/stockwell.pdf