Sub-headings and assignment types across the disciplines in student written assignments Sheena Gardner and Jasper Holmes University of Warwick The 18th.

Sub-headings and assignment types across

the disciplines in student writtenassignments

Sheena Gardnerand

Jasper HolmesUniversity of Warwick

The 18th Euro-International Systemic Functional Linguistics Conference

20-22 July, 2006Universita' di Trieste

(Gorizia Site)

Gardner and Holmes 2006 2

An Investigation of Genres of Assessed Writing in British

Higher Education

RES-000-23-0800

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1. The BAWE corpus (http://go.warwick.ac.uk/bawe)

British Academic Written English• (projected) holdings:

3,500 student assignments from 28 departments at three universities (Oxford Brookes, Reading, Warwick)

• tagged for:title and title pagetable of contentsabstract or summarysection headingsfigures and diagrams

lists (simple, bulleted, ordered)quotationsbibliographyappendices<p> and <s> units

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2. Structural and functional properties of assignments

"Once texts develop to [a] level of internal complexity, titles, subtitles, headings and subheadings are commonly deployed to keep track of the composition structure .."

(Martin, 1992:443)

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2a. Metafunctions of headings

• (sub-)titles and (sub-)headings function as macro-themes that predict text (Ravelli 2004):

ideationallytextuallyinterpersonally

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ideational:

• The heading functions to predict the field of the section that follows.

<p n="dept">Engineering business management</p>

<div level="2"><p rend="bold">3.1 Organisation Culture</p>

<div level="2"><p rend="bold">3.2 Organisation Structure</p>

<div level="2"><p rend="bold">3.3 Hiring the right people</p>

<div level="2"><p rend="bold">3.4 Clarity of vision</p>

<div level="2"><p rend="bold">3.5 Respect & Trust</p>

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textual:

The heading predicts the function and organization of the section that follows.

<p n="dept">Biology</p>

<div level="2"><p rend="underline">Introduction</p><div level="2"><p rend="underline">Experiment</p><div level="2"><p rend="underline">Method</p><div level="2"><p rend="underline">Results</p><div level="2"><p rend="underline">Comments</p><div level="2"><p rend="underline">Conclusion</p>

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interpersonal:

The heading functions as a repetition of the tutor’s initiation to which the student responds in the section that follows (Hamp-Lyons 1988).

<p n="dept">Economics</p>

<div level="1"><p rend="bold">Question 2a)</p>

<p n="dept">History</p>

<titlePart type="main" rend="underline">What, if anything, does Oscar Wilde’s Portrait of Dorian Gray Owe to Cesare Lombroso?</titlePart>

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2b. Assignment structure

simple: no parts

complex: structurally related parts

compound: independent parts

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simple assignments

<sourceDesc><p n="essayID">0022a</p><p n="dept">Psychology</p><p n="assignment type">essay</p></sourceDesc>

<titlePart type="main" rend="bold/underline">Imagine you are designing a curriculum for primary school science classes. Consider how research in cognitive development could help you decide which concepts are taught when.</titlePart>

<p>The structure of education has been shaped by many cognitive psychologists over the past...

0022a – simple essay:

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0003b – simple ethnography:

<sourceDesc><p n="essayID">0003b</p><p n="dept">Sociology</p><p n="assignment type">ethnography</p></sourceDesc>

<titlePart type="main" rend="bold">An urban ethnography of two bookshops in Leamington Spa, November 2004. </titlePart>

<titlePart>By xxx, History and Sociology. Tutor: zzz.</titlePart>

<p>On Friday afternoon, the 26th of November, I conducted my ethnographic observation in an urban setting in the centre of Leamington. My first...

<p type="wc">Word count: 1443. </p>

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0006a - complex, textual:<sourceDesc><p n="essayID">0006a</p><p n="dept">Biology</p><p n="assignment type">report</p></sourceDesc>

<titlePart type="main" rend="bold">Experiment 15: Aspects of bacterial genetics: Conjugation and Recombination</titlePart>

<div level="1"><p rend="bold">Aim / Abstract </p><div level="1"><p rend="bold">Introduction </p><div level="1"><p rend="bold">Method </p><div level="1"><p rend="bold">Results </p><div level="1"><p rend="bold">Discussion </p><div level="1"><p rend="bold">Conclusion </p>

<div type="appendix"><p rend="bold">Appendix </p>

complex assignments

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0006c - complex, ideational/textual:<sourceDesc><p n="essayID">0006c</p><p n="dept">Biology</p><p n="assignment type">essay</p></sourceDesc>

<titlePart type="main" rend="bold">Endosymbiotic Theory</titlePart>

<div level="1"><p rend="bold">Abstract</p><div level="1"><p rend="bold">Introduction</p><div level="1"><p rend="bold">History of Endosymbiotic Theory</p><div level="1"><p rend="bold">Factors in favour of mitochondrial

and chloroplast endosymbiosis</p><div level="1"><p rend="bold">Summary</p>

<p type="wc">Word count: 2700</p>

<div type="bib"><p rend="bold">REFERENCE</p>

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3035a - complex, ideational:<sourceDesc><p n="essayID">3035a</p><p n="dept">Health and social care</p><p n="assignment type">research proposals</p></sourceDesc>

<div level="1"><p rend="bold/underline">Research Proposal: Randomized Control Trial</p><div level="2"><p rend="bold">Explanatory research question:</p><div level="2"><p rend="bold">Null hypothesis:</p><div level="2"><p rend="bold">Alternate hypothesis:</p>

<div level="1"><p rend="bold/underline">Study design</p><div level="2"><p rend="bold">Participants:</p><div level="2"><p rend="bold">Interventions:</p><div level="2"><p rend="bold">Data collection:</p><div level="2"><p rend="bold">Reliability and validity:</p><div level="2"><p rend="bold">Data analysis:</p>

<div level="1"><p rend="bold/underline">Ethical issues</p>

<div type="bib"><p rend="bold/underline">References</p>

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0023c - complex, interpersonal/ideational:<sourceDesc><p n="essayID">0023c</p><p n="dept">Engineering</p><p n="assignment type">report</p></sourceDesc>

<titlePart>ES21V INTERMEDIATE TECHNOLOGY AND FIELD COURSE</titlePart><titlePart>Assignment 1</titlePart><titlePart type="main" rend="italic">Micro-hydro report</titlePart><titlePart>000</titlePart><titlePart>Second Year EDAT Undergraduate</titlePart><titlePart>I002</titlePart>

<div level="1"><p rend="underline">Background</p><div level="1"><p rend="underline">What is the state of play of the stream?</p><div level="1"><p rend="underline">What’s the estimation of the pipe?</p><div level="1"><p rend="underline">What about ROCs?</p><div level="1"><p rend="underline">Is connection to the grid an option?</p><div level="1"><p rend="underline">How about a new turbine?</p><div level="1"><p rend="underline">Which pipe and how is it best to route it?</p><div level="1"><p rend="underline">Would a grant be possible?</p><div level="1"><p rend="underline">What is the likely longevity of the scheme?</p><div level="1"><p rend="underline">Conclusions</p>

<div type="bib"><p rend="underline">References</p>

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compound assignments

• parts are +/- independent: unordered

not cohesive

embedded

• whole "functions as a unity with respect to its environment" (Halliday and Hasan 1976)

• embedding: parallel or complementary parts ([[a][a][a]] / [[a][b][c]])

simple or complex embedding ([[b][b][b]] / [[a1][b][b][a3]])

self sufficient

parallel

(Hoey 2001)

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3042f – parallel, simple:

<sourceDesc>

<p n="essayID">3042f</p>

<p n="dept">Hospitality, leisure and tourism management</p>

<p n="assignment type">analytical bibliographies</p>

</sourceDesc>

<titlePart>TOURISM IMPACT ANALYSIS, U57266.</titlePart>

<titlePart>Module leader: zzz</titlePart>

<titlePart>COURSEWORK ELEMENT ONE </titlePart>

<titlePart type="main" rend="bold/italic">Analytical bibliographies </titlePart>

<titlePart>xxx</titlePart>

<titlePart>000</titlePart>

<titlePart>March 2005</titlePart>

<div level="1"><p rend="bold">Jones, D L, Jurowski, C & Uysal, M (2000), "Host community residents’ attitudes: a comparison of environmental viewpoints", Tourism and Hospitality Research, 2 (2): 129-156.</p>

<div level="2"><p rend="bold">Notes</p>

<div level="2"><p rend="bold">Comment & Analysis</p>

<div level="2"><p rend="bold">Evidence to support argument </p>

<div level="2"><p rend="bold">Key links</p>

/cont

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3042f – parallel, simple -cont-:

<div level="1"><p rend="bold">Dyer, P, Aberdeen, L & Schuler, S (2003), "Tourism impacts on an Australian indigenous community: a Djabugay case study", Tourism Management, 24 (1): 83-95.</p>

<div level="2"><p rend="bold">Notes</p>

<div level="2"><p rend="bold">Comment & Analysis</p>

<div level="2"><p rend="bold">Evidence to support argument</p>

<div level="2"><p rend="bold">Key links</p>

<div level="1"><p rend="bold">Sheldon, P J & Abenoja, T (2001), "Resident attitudes in a mature destination: the case of Waikiki", Tourism Management, 22: 435-443.</p>

<div level="2"><p rend="bold">Notes</p>

<div level="2"><p rend="bold">Comment & Analysis</p>

<div level="2"><p rend="bold">Evidence to support argument</p>

<div level="2"><p rend="bold">Key links</p>

<div level="1"><p rend="bold">Lynch, P A (1999), "Host attitudes towards guests in the homestay sector", Tourism and Hospitality Research, 1 (2): 119-144.</p>

<div level="2"><p rend="bold">Notes</p>

<div level="2"><p rend="bold">Comment & Analysis</p>

<div level="2"><p rend="bold">Evidence to support argument</p>

<div level="2"><p rend="bold">Key links</p>

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6066g – complementary, simple:<sourceDesc><p n="essayID">6066g</p><p n="dept">Classics</p><p n="assignment type">essay + review</p></sourceDesc>

<titlePart type="main" rend="underline">In the Iliad, is being a good hero

<titlePart rend="underline">By xxx</titlePart>

<p>Although there are many heroes in the Iliad who are rulers<div type="bib"><p rend="underline">Bibliography</p>

<titlePart type="main" rend="underline">In the Iliad, is being a good hero

<titlePart rend="underline">Literary Criticism:</titlePart><titlePart rend="underline">By xxx</titlePart>

<p>"So they spoke in tears to their dear son. But all their<div type="bib"><p rend="underline">Bibliography</p>

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6010a – complementary, complex:

<sourceDesc><p n="essayID">6010a</p><p n="dept">Linguistics</p><p n="assignment type">assignment</p></sourceDesc>

<titlePart type="main" rend="bold"> Assignment 2. </titlePart><div level="1"><p rend="bold">Task 1. An exercise in multimodal discourse

analysis.</p><div level="1"><p rend="bold">Task 2. An interview concerning an area of

contested language use.</p><div level="2"><p rend="underline">Introduction</p><div level="2"><p rend="underline">Experiment </p><div level="2"><p rend="underline">Method</p><div level="2"><p rend="underline">Results </p><div level="2"><p rend="underline">Comments</p><div level="2"><p rend="underline">Conclusion </p>

<div level="1"><p rend="underline">Conclusion to tasks 1 and 2.</p><p type="wc">1097 words</p><div type="appendix"><p rend="bold">Appendix 1</p><div type="appendix"><p rend="bold">Appendix 2</p><div type="bib"><p rend="bold">References</p>

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6045a – parallel, simple:

<sourceDesc><p n="essayID">6045a</p><p n="dept">Linguistics</p><p n="assignment type">essay</p></sourceDesc>

<titlePart type="main" rend="bold/underline">Chimpanzees can use signs, but do they have language?</titlePart>

<titlePart type="main" rend="bold/underline"> Children’s reading and writing has to be learnt in contrast to speech.</titlePart>

<titlePart type="main" rend="bold/underline"> Does understanding the organisation of language in the brain contribute to the study of language?</titlePart>

<div type="bib"><p rend="bold">BIBLIOGRAPHY</p>

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6033g – complementary, simple:

<sourceDesc><p n="essayID">6033g</p><p n="dept">Archaeology</p><p n="assignment type">skeletal report</p></sourceDesc>

<titlePart type="main" rend="bold">Skeletal Report</titlePart><titlePart>Name of assessor: </titlePart><titlePart>Skeleton number: (500) 20</titlePart><titlePart>Context: Hulton Abbey 00273</titlePart>

<div type="ToC"><p></p>

<div level="1"><p rend="bold/underline">1) Description of Preservation:</p>

<div level="1"><p rend="bold/underline">2) Sex Estimate:</p><div level="2"><p rend="underline">Skull:</p><div level="2"><p rend="underline">Pelvis:</p><div level="2"><p rend="underline">Metrical Data:</p>

/cont

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6033g – complementary, simple -cont-:

<div level="1"><p rend="bold/underline">Age Estimate:</p><div level="2"><p rend="underline">Skull:</p><div level="2"><p rend="underline">Dentition:</p><div level="2"><p rend="underline">Rib Ageing:</p><div level="2"><p rend="underline">Pelvis:</p>

<div level="1"><p rend="bold/underline">Stature Estimate: </p><div level="2"><p rend="underline">Ulna: </p><div level="2"><p rend="underline">Radius:</p><div level="2"><p rend="underline">Femur: </p>

<div level="1"><p rend="bold/underline">Summary:</p>

<titlePart type="main" rend="bold/underline">Diary:</titlePart>

<div level="1"><p rend="bold/underline">Practical session 1:</p><div level="1"><p rend="bold/underline">Practical session 2:</p><div level="1"><p rend="bold/underline">Practical session 3:</p><div level="1"><p rend="bold/underline">Practical session 4:</p>

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3. Characterising student writing

• By marking up headings on all 3000+ assignments, we will be able to check emic assignment types against how the assignments are partitioned (simple, complex, compound) and how the sections function for the whole corpus.

• We will also be able to describe these types across the disciplines.

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Psychology ‘Essays’ and Biochemistry Lab Reports

<sourceDesc>

<p n="essayID">0007b</p>

<p n="dept">Biochemistry</p>

<p n="assignment type">report</p>

</sourceDesc>

<div level="1"><p rend="bold">Introduction</p>

<div level="1"><p rend="bold">Method</p>

<div level="1"><p rend="bold">Results</p>

<div level="1"><p rend="bold">Discussion</p>

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Engineering Lab Reports<sourceDesc><p n="essayID">0021a</p><p n="dept">Engineering</p><p n="assignment type">report</p></sourceDesc>

<div level="1"><p rend="bold">3.0 Introduction</p><div level="1"><p rend="bold">4.0 Theory</p><div level="1"><p rend="bold">5.0 Apparatus and

Methods</p><div level="1"><p rend="bold">6.0 Observations and

Results</p><div level="1"><p rend="bold">7.0 Analysis and

Discussion</p><div level="1"><p rend="bold">8.0 Conclusions</p>

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Sociology and Politics<sourceDesc><p n="essayID">0021a</p><p n="dept">Politics</p><p n="assignment type">essay</p></sourceDesc>

<div level="1"><p rend="bold">Introduction</p><div level="1"><p rend="bold">Defining the Terms</p><div level="1"><p rend="bold">Thatcher - Instigating

Change</p><div level="1"><p rend="bold">Blair - Advancing the

Trend?</p><div level="1"><p rend="bold">The Importance of

Context</p><div level="1"><p rend="bold">Cabinet Revival?</p><div level="1"><p rend="bold">Conclusion</p>

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Medical case histories<sourceDesc><p n="essayID">0047c</p><p n="dept">Medicine</p><p n="assignment type">essay</p></sourceDesc>

<div level="1">Referral information</p><div level="1">History</p><div level="1">Analysis of history</p><div level="1">Physical examination and mental state

examination</p><div level="1">Analysis of history and examination</p><div level="1">Formulation of the patient's

problem(s)</p><div level="1">Management</p><div level="1">Outcome</p><div level="1">Evidence based care and issues for

research</p><div level="1">Commentary</p><div level="1">Impact on your learning</p>

(Nesi and Gardner 2006)

References:

Sheena Gardner and Jasper Holmes. University of Warwick

[email protected]@warwick.ac.uk

Halliday, M.A.K. and R. Hasan. 1976. Cohesion in English. London: Longman.

Hamp-Lyons, L. 1988. "The product before: Task-related influences on the writer." In P. C. Robinson (ed.) Academic Writing: Process and Product. ELT Docs. 129. Modern English.

Hoey, M. 2001. Textual interaction: an introduction to written discourse analysis. London: Routledge.

Martin, J.R. 1992. English text: system and structure. Amsterdam: Benjamins.

Nesi, H. and S. Gardner 2006. Nesi, H. & S. Gardner (forthcoming Sept 2006) "Variation in disciplinary culture: University tutors’ views on assessed writing tasks." In: Kiely, R., Clibbon, G., Rea-Dickins, P. & Woodfield, H. (eds) Language, Culture and Identity in Applied Linguistics. London: Equinox Publishing.

Ravelli, L. 2004. In L. Ravelli and R. Ellis (eds) pp. 131-152. Analysing Academic Writing: Contextualized Frameworks. London: Continuum.