The use of citations constitutes a great difficulty for Chinese MA students. Based upon a detailed study of a corpus of 100 MA thesis introductions written by Chinese students in English, the present study aims to find the main problems of this group of students in handling citations. Findings show that (1) some students lack awareness of the importance of citation for the purpose of creating their research space in the introduction part of their most important academic writing, the MA theses; (2) Chinese MA students tend to use one citation pattern and a reluctance to use the other patterns. Regarding the use of reporting verbs and verb tenses, Chinese students also show a preference for a limited number of verbs, and a predominating use of the Present Simple tense, indicating that these students do not have sufficient skills in employing citations appropriately; (3) Chinese students tend to overuse citations as authoritative support for their own work, with little critical evaluation of previous research. To ensure the effective use of citations, genre-based teaching of citations is suggested, through both explicit teaching and the practice of analyzing mature writing as well as the writing itself.
목차
ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION THEORETICAL BACKGROUND LITERATURE REVIEW RESEARCH DESIGN Research Method and Analytical Framework Corpus Procedure RESULTS Some Chinese Students Lack Awareness of Employing Citations Chinese Students Lack Variety of Citation Forms Chinese Students Lack a Critical Eye towards References Chinese Students Have Difficulties in Choosing the Correct Tense Forms PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS CONCLUSION THE AUTHOR REFERENCES
The goals of Asia TEFL are to promote scholarship, disseminate information, and facilitate cross-cultural understanding among persons concerned with the teaching and learning of English in Asia. In order to accomplish this, Asia TEFL will pursue the following goals:
1. To link ELT professionals in joint research on issues and concerns regarding English teaching and learning in the Asian context.
2. To publish an academic journal, The Asia TEFL Journal, as an internationally recognized journal in the field of English language teaching.
3. To host conferences and seminars addressing important issues concerning ELT in Asia.
4. To develop proficiency guidelines and assessment methods designed for the needs of the Asian context.
5. To develop programs for Asian learners and teachers of English to build their English language proficiency and cultural understanding and provide them with the skills required to be efficient English teaching professionals.