Unit 4 Introducing the Study

Contents General functions of introduction Wringing effective introductions Typical expressions used in Introduction Common problems in writing Introduction

4.1 General functions of Introduction Introducing the topic (background) Limiting the research scope/issue in question (what problem, where from) Stating the research purpose (why) Indicating the overall structure of the paper

4.2 Writing effective introductions What solution and how? What is the problem? Why is it important?

What is the problem? Describe the problem to be investigated Summarize relevant studies to provide context, key terms, and concepts etc.

Why is it important? Review relevant studies to provide the rationale for the current study What issue or unanswered question, untested population, untried method in existing research does your study address? What findings by others are you challenging or querying? State clearly the need for the study, practical, theoretical or methodological

What solution do you propose? How do you address it? Briefly describe your hypothesi(e)s or research question(s) Briefly describe your general research design or method, justify the method you propose to use if alternatives exist

4.3 Typical expressions used in Introduction To establish a field In recent years, researchers have become increasingly interested in … Recently, there has been an increasing interest in … The theory that … has proved to be of great important to … Many investigators have recently turned to …

To point out the limitations of the previous studies Until now, none of the studies have shown … However, few studies are convincing to interpret … However, little research has made valuable contributions to … These findings suggest that this treatment might not be so effective when applied to … It would seem, therefore, that further investigations are needed in order to …

To state the objective of your research The aim/objective of the present study is to … This present study is aimed at finding … The purpose of the paper is to … The focus of the thesis is on … The paper reports on the results obtained in …

4.4 Common problems in writing Introduction Lengthy explanations of common knowledge Lack of proper citations Refer to examples on p.50, 51

Check your understanding TRUE or FALSE An effective introduction usually contains the following parts: research background, rationale, specific research questions and a detailed description of research method. When defining the key term, we should quote from the literature, and stick to one existing definition. Hypotheses about the research questions should also be provided in the Introduction so as to foretell what is to be discussed later. When a study can enrich our understanding of a phenomenon, we say it has theoretical value. It is generally necessary to state the organization of the paper or thesis in the Introduction part.

In-class Activities 1. (1) Key elements are: Setting (“The pursuit of learning … in the field of education.”) (Practical) need for the study (“Because of … self-directed learning.”) Research objective (“encouraging autonomy in language learners”) Research questions Overall structure

1. (2) Merits: The Introduction provides most of the necessary information and follows a good logic. It forecasts clearly how the paper is going to be developed and how the issue in focus will be addressed in the paper. Demerits: It makes no mention of what existing studies have done in the field of learner autonomy. It seems as if the writers of the present paper were the first to address this problem. The research objective is not explicitly stated. It can only be inferred from the sentence “However, due to the highly complex nature … a doubly difficult objective.”

2. (1) Components are: Setting (“With the increased interest in … how quickly students learn.”) A summary of relevant studies to provide the context and establish the research gap (“Research and experiences from practitioners show … few firm conclusions have so far been drawn about its success.”) Theoretical and practical reasons for the study (“Yet, self-access and language advising … to be met by traditional methods.”) A proposed solution The author justifies the need of the study by first identifying the unsolved problems in the filed and then pointing out the theoretical and practical values of the study.

2. (2) Expressions used for introducing the study: A number of issues have emerged in recent years that … Research and experiences from practitioners show that … There is little monitoring of student learning, partly as a result of …, and there is little in the way of assessment … Materials are often not suitable for …, and frequently there are no clear links between … … is notoriously difficult and few firm conclusions have so far been drawn ... Yet, self-access and language advising hold strong potential … In addition, there are many sound practical reasons for … This article focuses on … by …

3. (1) Major problems: The paper spends too much space in arguing the importance of vocabulary learning in English learning and professional work (see Paragraphs 1 & 3). It makes little mention of the relevant studies (concerning vocabulary learning strategies) and their findings, which are definitely necessary for a well-justified Introduction. It uses quite a few formulaic sentence patterns, which reads like an IELTS writing style, and bases its arguments largely on reasoning, rather than on existing literature.

3. (2) Suggestions for improvement: Cut out unnecessary background information, add information about “why important” by commenting on key literature, and reorganize the whole part into a more concise yet better-grounded one. State explicitly the objective(s), proposed method and significance(s) of the study (practical or pedagogical) by writing objective, method and significance statements.

4. (1) Major strengths: The need for the study reasonably justified. The purpose statement clearly stated. The theoretical foundation well-laid.

4.(2) Major problem and possible solution: In the second paragraph, the “how” question (i.e., how the problem is to be address) is mixed with how the paper is organized. To improve this part, one way is to separate the two.

Assignments P. 57-58, No.2, No.3, No.4

Project Work Randomly collect 2 BA or MA theses written by students from a top university in China and 2 articles published in an international journal. Compare how the authors introduce the readers into their study to see if the student writers do the same as the mature writers.

Thank you !