Stance in the discussion: A genre-based comparative study

Abstract

The present study is a genre analysis carried out on Turkish and native speaking English (NS) master?s students? theses. It aims to investigate the probable differences between these two groups in terms of rhetorical organization and stance taking in the discussion sections of master?s theses. The analysis is based on 10 master theses in Applied Linguistics from each group. Additionally, a semi-structured interview was conducted with six students with the aim of commenting on the results more clearly. The rhetorical patterns (moves) and stance markers (hedges, boosters, attitude markers, self-mentions) used in the realization of the moves were examined. The results indicate that NS students appeared more cautious in making claims. NS students support their claims with evidence and tone them with hedges. However, the reverse was apparent in the case of Turkish students, who tend to make bold claims with boosters which are not down-toned by hedging and they seem to favour quick generalizations and jumps from specific results to general claims. Additionally, both groups project differences in terms of move organization and frequency. Interviews revealed that the background, active involvement in academic field and individual efforts could have helped NS students to exhibit a distinguished stance and rhetorical organization in discussion parts of their theses. Not all Turkish students received required education in academic writing; yet, they tend to show reluctance towards actively engaging in the academic disciplines and compensating the gaps in their genre awareness.