Presenting the Significance Unit 5 Presenting the Significance

Contents General functions of the Significance section Ways of presenting the significance of the study Common problems in writing the Significance section

5.1 General functions of the Significance section The Significance section is to convince your reader that your efforts will contribute to the knowledge of your subject area in one way or another. It answers the question -- so what?

5.2 Ways of presenting the significance of the study A study has practical significance if it helps solve some real-world problem or offer some practical solutions/suggestions. A study has pedagogical significance if it helps improve classroom teaching. A study has theoretical significance if it helps bridge a knowledge gap, e.g., by confirming or refuting a theory, modifying existing theories, or clarifying a controversial issue, developing a new model, or enriching our understanding of a phenomenon. A study has methodological significance if it helps enrich or update research instruments or methods.

Useful expressions for stating the significance of the study: This study may promise implications for both classroom teachers and curriculum designers in that … Investigating … will also have practical implications. First, …; Second, … Pedagogically, the findings of the present study will enable… The results of this research may be able to better inform teachers about …, and provide guidance to … Findings in this study may shed new insights on … / enrich our understanding of … The findings of the present study may be of some help to …

5.3 Common problems in writing the Significance section The significance of the study is not stated. The significance of the study is overclaimed Significance statement(s) is/are too general. Refer to examples on p.66

Check your understanding TRUE or FALSE A research paper is incomplete without the significance statement/section. The significance statements/section are/is usually placed at the beginning of the Introduction part. A study can claim to have value only when it is theoretically significant. An MA thesis is of low significance if it only offers suggestions for classroom teaching practice. Student writers sometimes write too general statements about the significance of their study.

In-class Activities 1. (1) It claims to have practical significance. Refer to “The results of the study would then be able to inform classroom practice and provide guidance to a syllabus and materials revision process …”

1. (2) Because the study aims to “gain information on the accuracy of teachers’ beliefs …”, “get information about the learners and teachers at our institution,” and provide “a rich source of information about classroom activities” by involving “a much wider range of classroom activities than other studies covered.”

2. (1) It claims to be significant because “it views interpreting as an ostensive-inferential communication process and analyses discourse markers’ cognitive function in it; It also cares more about users’ needs from a market perspective.” (refer to Paragraph 4)

2. (2) The whole section introduces the theoretical perspective that the present study takes to address the problem (i.e. “viewing interpreting as an ostensive-inferential communication process”), the focus of the study (i.e., the cognitive function of discourse markers), as well as the analytical perspective (i.e. caring more about the users’ needs from a market perspective). They should be transformed and rephrased into significance statements, which truly pinpoint the significance of the study.

3. (1) Theoretical significance: “It is an avant-courier in that it brings the an X issue in the limelight for the first time.” (refer to Paragraph 1) “It can be viewed as partly a complement to the study of Relevance Theory …” (refer to Paragraph 2) Practical significance: “It is a pioneer in proposing a practical implication of an X’s interpretation … It boldly puts forward a sketchy idea of applying its findings to a fraction of artificial intelligence. ” (refer to Paragraph 3)

3. (2) Expressions: This study is an avant-courier in that it brings … The research can be viewed as partly a complement to the study of … The present study stands out as a pioneer in proposing a practical implication …

4. (1) Theoretical significance: “The reapproach of the theoretical framework of impoliteness could make positive contribution in this regard.” (refer to Paragraph 2) “The research in the relevant field could add to the understanding of impoliteness in media context.” (refer to paragraph 3)

4. (2) No, they are not appropriate 4. (2) No, they are not appropriate. To make improvements, we can put statements (a) and (b) (the two significance statement indicated above) at the beginning of the two paragraphs.

Assignments P. 72-76, No.3, No.4, No.5

Project Work Randomly collect 2 theses written for Master’s Degree by M. A. students from the English Department of a top university in China and 2 theses written by M. A. students from the Chinese Department of the same university. Compare how the authors discuss the significance of their research to see if the former students do the same as the latter.

Thank you !