A GENRE-BASED TEACHING APPROACH TO ACADEMIC WRITING: DESCRIBING VISUALLY PRESENTED INFORMATION IN GRAPHS AND CHARTS Yadollah Alidoost Department of English Language, Andimeshk Branch Poly Technique University, Andimeshk, Iran Email: Alidoostelt@gmail.com Ali Reza Toulabi Department of English Language, Ministry of Education, Andimeshk, Iran Email: Alireza.toulabi59@gmail.com Zahra Shahivand Department of English Language, Andimeshk Branch Islamic Azad University, Andimeshk, Iran shahivand.zahra@yahoo.com Email: Mehdi Qalavand Department of English Language, Payam-e-Noor University (PNU), Tehran, South Branch, Iran Email: mehdi_qalavand@yahoo.com ABSTRACT This study adopted a pre-test/post-test assessment of the learner's writing performance to examine the effectiveness of a genre-based approach to teaching academic writing. By comparing pre/post test results it was revealed that the differences between scores was statistically significant (p<.05) and a genre based pedagogy is very useful for EFL learners in writing courses. The participants of the study were 60 male Iranian EFL students. Assessment was conducted by comparing students writing samples, before and after the teaching intervention. The results indicated that the teacher s active Presentation processes at the early stage of the cycle benefited students by making them aware of the different ways texts are organized for different communicative purposes. In addition, students confidence level increased and the approach encouraged a positive attitude towards writing. KEYWORDS: Genre, Academic Writing, EFL, Genre-Based Teaching Approach INTRODUCTION Genre is associated with terms such as short stories, science fiction, novels, fiction, satire, and many others. Still the definition of genre is not so vivid. The term genre can be applied to most forms of communications, although it is frequently restricted to literary information. According 97
to Swales(2004), a genre can be briefly defined as a class of texts characterized by a sequence of segments or moves with each move accomplishing some part of the overall communicative purpose of the text, which tends to produce distinctive structural patterns. Writing skill is deemed to be very difficult for English as Foreign Language (EFL) students in language learning (Richards, 1990). According to Richards and Renandya (2002), the problems include those in: 1. Generating the ideas through the choice of appropriate vocabulary. 2. Creating an intelligent text and creating coherence and cohesion in the text. Genre-based approach arose from research which attempted to translate the Systematic Functional Theory of Michael Halliday in teaching practice. (Martin, 1984 and Christie. 1990) In Iranian Schools of researched areas, students tend to avoid writing even before they try it. Limited exposure to English especially writing skill in the context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL, in Iran) causes students to lack confidence to write in English. Test-driven learning also makes them ignore the crucial process of writing in such condition. Students write only to practice grammar at a sentence level for getting high scores on tests. Therefore, when they are asked to write, they face with many problems in conveying what they want to say: selecting proper words, using correct grammar, generating ideas and developing them into a proper organizational pattern. More importantly, they have trouble using an acceptable writing format that conforms to a target language and society, and they strive to manipulate proper language forms for different writing purposes, so it will be very vital for the EFL students to grasp the whole knowledge of writing as different genres to follow string of central ideas in their writings, we mean: the one which is not limited to sentences but holistically cover any discourse in any given text level. FL students are taught from very beginning, how to write sentences and are exposed to many unnecessary grammatical formulas, which lead them to ignore the whole picture, negotiation of meaning and context-based writings, lack of coherence and cohesion. The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of genre-based approach in teaching students a particular type of academic writing: describing information presented visually in charts and diagrams. The most important benefit of a genre-based approach is that it is functional, drawing together language, content (theme) and the context of discourse production and interpretation and provides ways for responding to recurring communicative situations. This approach offers a frame that enables individuals to orient to and interpret particular communicative events, and it offers teachers a means of presenting students with explicit and systematic explanations of the ways writing works to communicate.(paltridge, 2001:3) The rationale and justification for adopting a genre-based framework is that it facilitates and supports clear links to the students' purposes for writing beyond the writing classroom. Thus, the primary factors in curricular selection are ensuring a balance of text types, to enable students to perform a broad range of social purposes for writing in English in future, and selection of specific genres based on the students immediate academic needs. The programmers seek to support the 98
writing of a graduation essay, a research-based thesis that is a university-wide requirement for graduation in English Writing as the main course of study. Unfortunately, most of the time on writing in EFL situations is spent on teaching students to generate error-free texts and they ignore social purposes, content and organizational structure of genres, so this study attempts to give direct instruction on how to write a report describing bars and charts in terms of overview statement, supporting sentences, schematic organization of this genre and using adverbs of contrast to compare information presented visually in charts and graphs. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Cheng (2007) performed a case study of Chinese PHD student in an American University. The purpose of the study to reveal that features attract the attention of graduate students analyzing discipline and specific exemplars, and whether those features remain constant as students become more aware of genre analysis. The subjects' performance improved greatly after receiving instruction on content, organization and Lexi-grammar. Dudley Evans (1997) argues that given genres are far from universal, with writing practices are quite varied, depending on cultural and academic background. He studied moves and outlined nine "moves he has identified in Discussion sections of research papers and finds that the order in which they appear is not constant. Finally, He argues that writers choose an order based on their rhetorical aims. Flowerdew (2000) designed an undergraduate technical communication skills course to consider genre related issues such as how the communicative purpose of a text and recognized structures and patterns which play some roles in the classroom. He argued that correlation between generic move structure, such as that outlined by Swales (1990). Hyland (2003) argues that approaches to teaching writing focused on process haven t taken into account forces outside the individual which help guide purposes, establish relationships and ultimately shape writing. Swale (2004) updates his 1990 survey on genre and its role in both academic writing and in teaching English for Academic Purposes (EAP). Swales approaches genre from both a theoretical and methodological perspective. Tuan Trong (2011) launched a study in Vietnam to examine the effect of genre-based approach on learners writing performance as well as students attitudes towards the implementation of genre-based approach in writing learning. Research findings revealed that most of the students gained the control over the key features of the required recount genre in terms of social purposes, language features and schematic structure. That is functional drawing together language, context and the context of discourse production and provides ways for responding to recurring communicative situations. Genre-based approaches provide an explicit understanding of how target texts are structured. A genre-based course starts with genre as the unit of syllabus, yet includes both formal and functional aspects of language 99
and does not attempts to separate skills. From a systematic functional perspective, a genre approach relates language choices to cultural purposes (Bhatia, 1993). Teaching is data-driven rather than intuition-driven. In order to create an effective text, students need to know how such texts are organized as well as the patterns of lexis and grammar that are typically used to express meaning in genre, learners need to know how features of situation may impact on the choices that they make in the production of a particular genre (Paltridge,2001:5). In addition a genre-based approach to syllabus design has the advantage that units are neither too small, as in a structural or functional syllabus, nor too long, as in a skill-based syllabus. Units in genre pedagogy emphasize communicative purpose and allow for the demonstration of typically patterns of textual and linguistic organization. RESEARCH QUESTION AND HYPOTHESIS This study attempted to address the following research question: Does genre- based instruction have any effect upon EFL writing in educational contexts? Null Hypotheses: there is no relationship between genre- based instruction and EFL writing in educational contexts. METHODOLOGY Participants Sixty students were selected based on their scores which were evaluated based on previous writing courses. They were upper-intermediate and approximately at the same level of language proficiency. They had received writing instruction in their writing courses during academic study. The participants of the study were 60 male Iranian EFL students, aged 15-17educating in high schools of Andimeshk, Iran. They were randomly selected out of 125 students. They were studying English two times a week. They were assigned into two classes by the researcher. One of the classes was randomly selected as the control group and the other class as experimental group. The experimental group which received the treatment, another class was not received. Instruments The instruments needed for this study were a pre-test and a post-test. A pretest was used to find out whether these two groups were in the same level or not. Then, we needed a posttest to detect the progress of the experimental group due to using the genre and especially genre-based teaching during the instruction. It is necessary to mention here that each test had Completion tests and composition test. The text book used for this course was let's write in English, paragraph writing and writing many Narrative and descriptive compositions. Design This study was designed as a semi-experimental research. Our independent variable was genrebased syllabus. The dependent variable was writing achievement. The level of our participants was lower intermediate. We selected sixty male students randomly from among the 125 students 100
in High schools of Andimeshk, Iran. Then, we randomly divided 60 students into two different groups. Each group had 30 students Procedure The subjects were asked to write a report based on graph that presented information visually. This study was designed as a semi-experimental research. Our independent variable was genrebased syllabus. The dependent variable was writing achievement. The level of our participants was lower intermediate. We selected sixty male students randomly from among the 125 students. Then, we randomly divided 60 students into two different groups. Each group had 30 students. After receiving instruction based on genre-based approach, and being exposed to many exemplary model genres, learners were invited to write another report based on a graph during post-test. The treatment lasted for one month. Students received instructions on the context, organization and lexicon-grammar realizing academic genre of analyzing graphs and charts. Then the means and standards deviation from the pre/post-test were compared. The graphs and charts used in the study were taken from IELTS Express Book (2006). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The results showed that the means scores of the post-test were higher than those of the pretest(table). This indicates that formal instruction about particular features of the target language is very effective. Table 1:Comparison between pre/post-test results No Pre-test Post-test t-value 30 30 Mean 33 SD 2.60 Mean 47 SD 35 14.08 The Pearson Product-moment correlation formula was used to calculate inter-rater reliability. Since acceptance rater-reliability was achieved, a two tailed T-test was conducted to investigate the differences in scores both before and after the treatment. Table 2 below shows inter-rater reliability during post-test. Post-test Content Organization Lexicon-grammar Table 2: Inter-rater reliability during post-test Rater 1 Rater 2 3.35 3.66 2.45 2.45 1.75 1.65 Rater 3 3.45 2.55 1.85 The texts produced after instruction through genre-based approach were analyzed and compared with those generated during pre-test in terms of content (i.e., presenting the main point or an overview and supporting details) and lexical resources (i.e. Lexicon specific to describing trends and grammatical range and accuracy). After treatment subjects wrote an overview statement of what the graph shows by using simple present tense. While during pre-test few wrote the main points by using present progressive (full texts appears in the appendix). Another finding was 101
subjects described the overall trend by using phrases like" one of the first things to note" and" another thing which stands out". By close examination of texts, we found that learners after being exposed exemplary genres and instruction provided specific details to support a main point through the employment of the phases such as" for instance, more specifically", etc. The last finding was that participants used adverbs of contrast such as "while, whereas, compared with, in contrast" to make comparison about information presented through the graphs. We can conclude that genre-based approach prompted not only linguistic skills and self-expression but also rhetorical awareness of this particular genre and participants had become more sensitive to particular forms recurring in exemplars of academic genre of describing information presented visually in charts or/and in graphs and tables. According to the findings, the answer to the research question, Does genre- based instruction have any effect upon EFL writing in educational contexts? Is yes and the null hypothesis, there is no relationship between genre- based instruction and in educational contexts is therefore, rejected. It was also concluded that,after observing the results, using genres in classroom setting in EFL situation like Iran will be beneficial. The learners are taught the construction of moves in any kind of social writing especially in writing narration and description which are two important issues in improving the ability of learners and English students to achieve higher scores in writing courses and a considerable increase in construction of compositions and paragraphs in Iran in an EFL setting Iranian students are in an EFL situation and do not have enough opportunity to be exposed to English. In addition, they have little experience of writing beyond the sentence level, and so they tend to lack confidence especially when they are in a basic level class Students in EFL situations need to acquire linguistic knowledge, such as grammar and vocabulary, to write exactly what they want to say. Understanding of linguistic forms and their functions is the foundation of writing to achieve specific purposes in their future. They should also know how a text is organized in an accepted way in a society. The genre approach deals with these requirements for students in EFL situations. It does not neglect linguistic knowledge as a foundation of writing for students who have little linguistic competence. It stresses learning rhetorical patterns of different genres to write in socially accepted ways, which helps students achieve the purpose of writing Therefore, in a genre-based writing class, the teacher starts with building contextual knowledge of the target genre by concentrating on the purpose of the text, the context where the writing occurs, and the elements that make people accept a certain kind of writing for what it is intended to be. After building this knowledge, students move to deconstructing the model text genre and prepare for independent writing by practicing the model genre with the help of the teacher. The findings will be useful for both applied linguists and teachers to note the role of genres in classroom setting (as syllabus) to achieve the ability of learning writing skill. Conclusion 102
In essence, this literature review suggests that the genre approach works best when it is joined with the process approach. In the combined process called the process-genre approach, the final artifact is created through a sequence of several activities undertaken after learners understand the structural a linguistic features of a particular situation as reflected in a text. Learners 'steady progress is expected to come out of teachers facilitation with regards to the appropriate input of knowledge and skills at different stages. Therefore, if the process and genre approach are balanced in the curriculum, student will better improve their writing skills through experiencing a whole writing process as well as realizing the social functions of genres and the contexts in which these genres are used. The genre approach seems to fit well in Iran, the EFL context mentioned at the beginning of this paper. This is because currently Iranian students lack input of English genres, and yet, once introduced to a model; they are usually good at following the given sample because they are traditionally familiar with learning by rote. The genre approach can be effective in helping Iranian students to learn the organizational structure as well as linguistic features of a certain genre. Together with the process approach, the genre approach can contribute to amplifying students writing potentials. REFERENCES Bhatia, V. K. (1993). Analyzing genre: Language use in professional settings. New York: Longman. Cheng, An (2007). Analyzing Genre Exemplars in Preparation for Writing: The Case of an L2 Graduate Student in the ESP Genre-Based Instructional Framework of Academic Literacy. Applied Linguistics 29: 3, 50-71. Christie, F. (1990). Genre as Social Processes. A plenary Paper Delivered at the Meanjin Reading Council Regional Conference, Brisbane (March, 23-25), PP. 74-78. Dudley-Evans, A. (1994). Genre analysis: an approach to text analysis for ESP. In M. Coulthard (Ed.), Advances in Written Text Analysis (pp. 219-228). London: Routledge. Flowerdew, L. (2000).Using a genre-based framework to teach organizational structure in academic writing. ELT journal, 54,369-76. Halliday, M. A. K., & Hasan, R. (1989). Language, context, and text: Aspects of language in a social-semiotic perspective (2nd edition.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hyland, K. (2003). Genre-based pedagogies: A social response to process. Journal of Second Language Writing, 12, 17-29. Martin, Jim. (1984) Language, Register, and Genre. Language Studies: Children s Writing: Reader. Ed. Frances Christie. Australia: Deakin University Press: 21-30. Print. Paltridge, B. (2002). Genre, text type and the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classroom. In A. Johns, Genre in the classroom (pp73-90). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum. Richards, J. C., & Renandya, S. (2002). Methodology in language Teaching: an Anthology of Current Practice. Cambridge. Cambridge University press. Appendix Task: Look at the graph and write a report and contrast information: Pre-test Task 103
Fewer older people use the internet than younger people. 75% of 18-24 years old use the net. Most people use the Internet for things other than shopping. Young age group nearly 8% use the net, while only 10% make purchase on line also, the number of people shopping online doesn t change between age groups. People making the most purchase are 25-39 years-olds. Text produced after treatment (post-test Task): The chart shows the internet is used by different groups. It looks at both general use and online shopping: Overview statement: One of the first things to note is that fewer older people use the internet than younger people. For example, 75% of 18-24 years old use the net, compared with only 20% of 35 years old, another thing which stands out in this chart is that most people use the Internet for things other than shopping. For instance, in the youngest age group nearly 80% use the net, whereas only 10% make purchases on line. A final point to note is that the number of people shopping online doesn t change very much between age groups. Adult Internet Shoppers and Users by Age group 104