Reading Research Genre: The Impact of Thematic Progression

Abstract

The research genre has specific communicative purposes which require students to understand the tone, generic and disciplinary conventions. The present study explored the potential of thematic progression (TP) to contribute to research argument readability. TP concerns how clauses encode information and how that information is carried forward. Three major types of TP include: (a) constant TP; (b) linear TP; and (c) derived TP. Overuse of constant TP often prevents a text from developing, while linear TP better contributes to cohesion. It was hypothesized that an effective TP pattern, if present, may help graduate students better grasp the gist in research arguments. Two groups of participants, native and non-native speakers of English, were recruited to read six Introductions of varying TP patterns and conceptualize their readability. The results revealed that the TP pattern may not have strong predictive power; rather, fewer information breaks better predict readability. Regardless of TP patterns, heavy themes and rhemes may impede understanding. Static and simple themes also do not facilitate readability. The use of metadiscursive devices may facilitate readability on condition that the themes are informative. Effective lexical chains and marked themes, which signal the ties between clauses, also ease processing.

A Study of the Structure of Discourse in the Methodology Section of Student-Written and Published English-Language Scientific Research Papers

“…Usually, most English scientific research papers have a more consistent language structure, and although the structure of the paper can be changed and adjusted according to different disciplines and research fields, generally speaking, the main structure of the common English scientific research paper can include the following types, one of which is the title. The topic of the English scientific research paper covers a wide range, not only to clarify the intention but also within the limited word count, a summary of the content so that readers can first catch the key content of the article (Chang, 2023). The second is the abstract section.…”