2018 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Written Genres in CLIL-based University Level History Courses: A Study of Their Language and Instruction
| Project/Area Number |
18K00881
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| Research Institution | Keio University |
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Principal Investigator |
大野 真澄 慶應義塾大学, 法学部(日吉), 准教授 (50704657)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
ミスコウ ゴードン 慶應義塾大学, 法学部(日吉), 訪問講師 (80595398)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
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| Keywords | L2 writing / appraisal / biography genre / CLIL / grammar pattern / evaluative language / history / SFL |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
We aimed to investigate the evaluative language in the historical biography essays in CLIL-based (Content and Language Integrated Learning) English medium world history courses. In the first year, we completed text analysis of 62 biography essays written by Japanese university students, using Attitude resources of the Appraisal framework: Affect, Judgment, and Appreciation. We compared high- and low-graded essays in their use of evaluative language. Results showed little difference between the two groups in their preferences for subtypes of evaluations and no difference in their selection of positive/negative loadings. These findings suggest that how evidence is mobilized in support of evaluations is more important than the types of evaluations writers use. We then proposed categories of evidence abbreviated as FACTS (Feelings, Activities, Circumstances, Transformations, Scale). A paper presenting these findings has been published in an international journal (The Journal of Second Language Writing). We have also applied the FACTS framework in the classroom to teach the biographical essay genre. We conducted a survey of students’ perceptions of the FACTS framework and presented preliminary findings at the Symposium on Writing Centers in Asia. Additionally, findings from research leading to this project was published in 2018 in an international journal (Writing & Pedagogy).
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
Analysis of the biography essays went smoothly. We have published a paper on findings about the analysis of the biography essays and have made a presentation about the newly developed FACTS framework and students’ perceptions of it at a symposium. In addition, we have collected student essay data in the Exposition genre, which, as stated in our proposal, is to be analysed this year (2019-2020). We have also collected data from two other arguing genres (Discussion and Challenge), the former of which, according to our plan, is to be analysed in the following year (2020-2021).
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
We plan to analyze the collected arguing essays using the Appraisal framework. At the same time, the collected survey data is also going to be analyzed in depth in order to investigate student writers’ perceptions of genre analysis classroom activities. Recorded audio data regarding students’ group activities will be transcribed and analyzed to determine the classroom practices that support the learning of the evaluative language.
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