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

Unit 4 Describing Methodology

Objectives

─ Be clear about t he significance of this section

─ Try to understand the importance of pa ssive voice in academic writing

─ Learn to be skilled in using sequential markers in writing a pro cess

─ Be fam iliar with proof-reading skills

─ Learn to design a questionnaire

Contents

─ 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 sent ence order in writing a process

─ Writing Project: How to design a questionnaire

1.Reading Activity

In 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: Theoretical 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 is a particular technique of analysis of data used?

1.1Pre-reading Task

The 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 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 perceptions of English Needs in a Medical Context

The 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 seniors, 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, and 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