Postgraduate EFL Students’ Use of Hedging Strategies in Academic Writing

Abstract

In academic writing, hedging strategies help writers state uncertain scientific claims accurately, avoid personal responsibility and build better writer-reader relationships by addressing the need for deference and cooperation in gaining reader ratification. In Vietnam, little research investigates the hedging strategies employed by postgraduate students in academic writing. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate Vietnamese postgraduate students' use of hedging strategies in academic writing. The data were extracted from 30 written assignments in an academic writing course within a Master's program. The hedging strategies were analyzed and compared based on frequency, distribution, variety, and contextual use, employing Hyland's definition and taxonomy of hedging strategies. The findings revealed that postgraduate EFL students rely heavily on modal verbs, while nouns are the least favored. The findings suggest a need for further instructions and practice assignments on the use of hedging strategies in academic writing.