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A metaphorical analysis of EFL writers’ views about writing in English

Year 2019, Volume: 19 Issue: 4, 1373 - 1392, 31.12.2019
https://doi.org/10.17240/aibuefd.2019..-456075

Abstract

The concept of writing in English has
increasingly been a common area of interest for many, and developing writing
skills is among the most complex skills to master in language learning. In this
study, we investigated EFL writers’ views about writing in English through
metaphors because, as a significant tool of phenomenology research,
metaphorical analysis provides valuable data about many social, psychological,
linguistic and cognitive variables.  This
phenomenological descriptive study was conducted at a Turkish university with
56 ELT major students, and ELT majors’ views on EFL writing, through
metaphorical conceptions of the participants, were obtained in the study. The
study reveals some significant data on learner views of EFL writing, and the
data analysis suggest themes mainly with regard to writing as a process, and writing
as a product. Specifically, the results of the study disclosed 19 themes
regarding the process, and 6 themes could be identified in connection with
viewing writing as a product. Themes that indicate views of writing in English
pertaining to being an individual development process, themes about
psychological, emotional and motivational dimensions of writing, and writer
identity are among the prominent findings discovered in the research. 

References

  • Armstrong, S.L., Davis, H.S., & Paulson, E.J. (2011). The subjectivity problem: Improving triangulation approaches in metaphor analysis studies. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 10(2), 151-163.
  • Asadifard, A., & Koosha, M. (2013). EFL instructors and student writers’ perceptions on academic writing reluctance. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 3(9), 1572-1578. Aydın, G., & Baysan, S. (2018). Perceptions of postgraduate students on academic writing skills: A metaphor analysis study. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 14(2), 212-239.
  • Beijaard, D., Verloop, N., & Vermunt, J.D. (2000). Teachers’ perceptions of professional identity: An exploratory study from a personal knowledge perspective. Teaching and Teacher Education, 16, 749–764.
  • Bibik, J. M. (1997). Metaphors for teaching: How health and physical education teachers describe their roles. Georgetown, DE: McGraw Hill.
  • Blanton, L. (1987). Reshaping ESL students' perceptions of writing. ELT Journal, 41(1), 112-118.
  • Brown, H. D. (2001). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy (2nd ed.). Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.
  • Can C., Bedir H., & Kiliańska-Przybyło G. (2011) Is teaching culture-bound? A cross-cultural study on the beliefs of ELT teachers. In Arabski J., & Wojtaszek A. (Eds.), Aspects of culture in second language acquisition and foreign language learning. Second language learning and teaching. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
  • Chiappe, D. L. & Kennedy, J. M. (1999). Aptness predicts preference for metaphors or similes, as well as recall bias. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 6, 668–676.
  • Cohen, A. D., & Dörnyei, Z. (2002). Focus on the Language Learner: Motivation, Styles and Strategies. In Schmitt, N. (Ed.), An Introduction to Applied Linguistics. 170-190. New York: Arnold.
  • Emig, J. (1967). On teaching composition: Some hypotheses as definitions. Research in the Teaching of English, 1(2), 127-135.
  • Ferris, D. (2003) Response to student writing: Implications for second language students. USA.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
  • Friedlander, A. (1994) Composing in English: Effect of a first language on writing in English as a second language. In Barbara Kroll (Ed.) Second Language writing: Research insights for the classroom (4th ed.). New York: Cambridge University Press.
  • Gibbs, R.W. (1992). Categorization and metaphor understanding. Psychological Review, 99, 572–577.
  • Gordon, L. (2008). Writing and good language learners. In Carol Griffiths (Ed.) Lessons from good language learners. Cambridge University Press. 244-254.
  • Guerrero, M. C. M., & Villamil, O. S. (2002). Metaphorical conceptualizations of ESL teaching and learning. Language Teaching Research, 6, 95-120.
  • Hinkel, E. (Ed.). (2005). Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
  • Hyland, K. (2003). Second language writing. New York: Cambridge University Press.
  • Ismail, S. A. A. (2011). Exploring students’ perceptions of ESL writing. English Language Teaching, 4(2), 73-83.
  • Jacobsen, M.H. & Marshman, S. (2008), Bauman’s metaphors. The poetic imagination in sociology. Current Sociology, 56(5), 798-818.
  • Jeffery, C. (1981). Teachers' and students' perceptions of the writing process. Research in the Teaching of English, 15(3), 215-228.
  • Johnson, A.C., Wilson, J., & Roscoe, R. D. (2017). College student perceptions of writing errors, text quality, and author characteristics. Assessing Writing, 34, 72–87.
  • Kimmel, M. (2004) Metaphor variation in cultural context: Perspectives from anthropology. European Journal of English Studies, 8(3), 275-294, DOI: 10.1080/1382557042000277395.
  • Kövecses, Z. (2010) Metaphor: A practical introduction (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors we live by. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
  • Larsson, S. (2013). Conceptions, categories, and embodiment: Why metaphors are of fundamental importance for understanding norms. In M. Baier (Ed.), Social and legal norms: Towards a socio-legal understanding of normativity, 121-139. Ashgate.
  • Leki, I., Cumming, A,& Silva, T. (2008) Synthesis of research on second language writing in English. New York: Routledge.
  • Liu, X., and Zhao, G. (2013). A comparative study of emotion metaphors between English and Chinese. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 3(1), 155-162. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.4304/tpls.3.1.155-162.
  • Matsuda, P. K. (2003a). Process and post-process: A discursive history. Journal of Second Language Writing, 12, 65–83.
  • Matsuda, P. K. (2003b). Second language writing in the twentieth century: A situated historical perspective. In Barbara Kroll (Ed.), Exploring the dynamics of second language writing. USA: Cambridge University Press.
  • Matsuda, P. K., Saenkhum, T., & Accardi, S. (2013). Writing teachers’ perceptions of the presence and needs of second language writers: An institutional case study. Journal of Second Language Writing, 22(1), 68–86.
  • Matsuda, P. K., & Silva, T. (2010) Writing. In Norbert Schmitt (Ed.), An Introduction to Applied Linguistics. Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, London.
  • McDonald, J. C. (1992). Student metaphors for themselves as writers. The English Journal, 81(4).
  • Morgan, B., Fuisting, B., & White, J. (2014). University student attitudes towards peer review in EFL writing: A quantitative study. Language Education in Asia, 5(1).
  • Moser, K. S. (2000). Metaphor Analysis in Psychology—Method, Theory, and Fields of Application. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 1(2), Art. 21. Retrieved from http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0002212.
  • Nikitina, L., & Furuoka, F. (2008). “A language teacher is like…”: examining Malaysian students’ perceptions of language teachers through metaphor analysis. Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 5(2), 192-205.
  • Olivier-Shaw, A. E. (1996). Lecturer and student perceptions of an academic writing task. Rhodes University M Ed thesis.
  • Pitcher, R. (2013). Using metaphor analysis: MIP and beyond.The Qualitative Report, 18(34), 1-8. Retrieved from http://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol18/iss34/2.
  • Raimes, A. (1991). Out of the woods: Emerging traditions in the teaching of writing. TESOL Quarterly, 25, 407-430.
  • Reid, J. N., & Katz A. N. (2018). Something false about conceptual metaphors. Metaphor and Symbol, 33(1), 36-47, DOI: 10.1080/10926488.2018.1407994.
  • Saban, A., Koçbeker, B. N., & Saban, A. (2006). An investigation of the concept of teacher among prospective teachers through metaphor Analysis. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 6(2), 506-522.
  • Sağlamel, H., and Kayaoğlu, M. N. (2015). English Major Students’ Perceptions of Academic Writing: A Struggle between Writing to Learn and Learning to Write. Journal of History Culture and Art Research, 4 (3), September 2015, 37-52.
  • Schmitt, R. (2005). Systematic metaphor analysis as a method of qualitative research.The Qualitative Report, 10(2), 358-394. Retrieved from http://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol10/iss2/10
  • Thomas, L. & Beauchamp, C. (2011) Understanding new teachers' professional identities through metaphor. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27 (2011), 762-769.
  • Tran, L. T. (2007). Learners' motivation and identity in the Vietnamese EFL writing classroom. English Teaching: Practice & Critique, 6(1), 151-163.
  • Wan, W., Low, G. D., and Li, M. (2011). From students’ and teachers’ perspectives: Metaphor analysis of beliefs about EFL teachers’ roles. System, 39(3), 403–415.
  • Weigle, S. C. (2002). Assessing Writing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • White, R. V. (1988). Academic writing: Process and product. In P. C. Robinson (Ed.) Writing 7: Process and product. ELT Document: 129, The British Council.
  • White, M. J., & Bruning, R. (2005). Implicit writing beliefs and their relation to writing quality. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 30(2), 166-189. DOI: 10.1016/j.cedpsych.2004.07.002.
  • Williams, J. (2012). The potential role(s) of writing in second language development. Journal of Second Language Writing, 21 (2012), 321-331.
  • Yang, L., & Gao, S. (2013). Beliefs and practices of Chinese university teachers in EFL writing instruction. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 26(2), 128–145.
  • Zheng, H., & Song, W. (2010). Metaphor analysis in the educational discourse: A critical review. US–China Foreign Language, 8(9), 42–49.

YABANCI DİL OLARAK İNGİLİZCE KULLANAN YAZARLARIN İNGİLİZCE YAZMAYA DAİR GÖRÜŞLERİNİN BİR METAFORİK ANALİZİ

Year 2019, Volume: 19 Issue: 4, 1373 - 1392, 31.12.2019
https://doi.org/10.17240/aibuefd.2019..-456075

Abstract

İngilizce yazma kavramı pek çok
kişi için giderek artan bir ortak ilgi alanı haline dönüşmektedir ve yazma
becerilerinin geliştirilmesi dil öğreniminde geliştirilmesi en karmaşık
beceriler arasındadır. Bu çalışmada yabancı dil olarak İngilizce yazarların
İngilizce yazma hakkındaki görüşlerini metaforlar aracılığıyla inceledik çünkü
olgu bilim araştırmalarının önemli bir aracı olarak metafor analizi sosyal,
psikolojik, dilbilimsel ve bilişsel pek çok değişkenle ilgili değerli veriler
sağlamaktadır. Bu olgu bilimsel betimleyici çalışma bir Türk üniversitesinde
gerçekleştirilmiş ve İngiliz Dili Eğitimi alan 56 katılımcı çalışmaya
katılmıştır. Yabancı dil olarak İngilizce yazarların yabancı dil olarak
İngilizce yazmaya ilişkin görüşleri katılımcıların metaforik kavramları yoluyla
elde edilmiştir. Çalışma öğrencilere ait yabancı dil olarak İngilizce yazmaya
ilişkin çok önemli görüşler ortaya çıkarırken veri analizi yazmaya dair temel
olarak süreç ve ürün odaklı temalara işaret etmektedir. Daha açık ifadesiyle,
araştırma sonuçları yazma sürecine dair 19 tema açığa çıkarırken, yazmaya ürün
bakışıyla ilgili olarak da 6 tema tanımlanabilmiştir. Araştırmanın dikkat
çekici bulguları arasında İngilizce yazmayı bireysel gelişim süreci olarak
yansıtan temalar, yazmanın psikolojik, duygusal ve güdüsel boyutlarına dair temalar
ve yazar kimliğine dair temalar yer almaktadır.

References

  • Armstrong, S.L., Davis, H.S., & Paulson, E.J. (2011). The subjectivity problem: Improving triangulation approaches in metaphor analysis studies. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 10(2), 151-163.
  • Asadifard, A., & Koosha, M. (2013). EFL instructors and student writers’ perceptions on academic writing reluctance. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 3(9), 1572-1578. Aydın, G., & Baysan, S. (2018). Perceptions of postgraduate students on academic writing skills: A metaphor analysis study. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 14(2), 212-239.
  • Beijaard, D., Verloop, N., & Vermunt, J.D. (2000). Teachers’ perceptions of professional identity: An exploratory study from a personal knowledge perspective. Teaching and Teacher Education, 16, 749–764.
  • Bibik, J. M. (1997). Metaphors for teaching: How health and physical education teachers describe their roles. Georgetown, DE: McGraw Hill.
  • Blanton, L. (1987). Reshaping ESL students' perceptions of writing. ELT Journal, 41(1), 112-118.
  • Brown, H. D. (2001). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy (2nd ed.). Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.
  • Can C., Bedir H., & Kiliańska-Przybyło G. (2011) Is teaching culture-bound? A cross-cultural study on the beliefs of ELT teachers. In Arabski J., & Wojtaszek A. (Eds.), Aspects of culture in second language acquisition and foreign language learning. Second language learning and teaching. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
  • Chiappe, D. L. & Kennedy, J. M. (1999). Aptness predicts preference for metaphors or similes, as well as recall bias. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 6, 668–676.
  • Cohen, A. D., & Dörnyei, Z. (2002). Focus on the Language Learner: Motivation, Styles and Strategies. In Schmitt, N. (Ed.), An Introduction to Applied Linguistics. 170-190. New York: Arnold.
  • Emig, J. (1967). On teaching composition: Some hypotheses as definitions. Research in the Teaching of English, 1(2), 127-135.
  • Ferris, D. (2003) Response to student writing: Implications for second language students. USA.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
  • Friedlander, A. (1994) Composing in English: Effect of a first language on writing in English as a second language. In Barbara Kroll (Ed.) Second Language writing: Research insights for the classroom (4th ed.). New York: Cambridge University Press.
  • Gibbs, R.W. (1992). Categorization and metaphor understanding. Psychological Review, 99, 572–577.
  • Gordon, L. (2008). Writing and good language learners. In Carol Griffiths (Ed.) Lessons from good language learners. Cambridge University Press. 244-254.
  • Guerrero, M. C. M., & Villamil, O. S. (2002). Metaphorical conceptualizations of ESL teaching and learning. Language Teaching Research, 6, 95-120.
  • Hinkel, E. (Ed.). (2005). Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
  • Hyland, K. (2003). Second language writing. New York: Cambridge University Press.
  • Ismail, S. A. A. (2011). Exploring students’ perceptions of ESL writing. English Language Teaching, 4(2), 73-83.
  • Jacobsen, M.H. & Marshman, S. (2008), Bauman’s metaphors. The poetic imagination in sociology. Current Sociology, 56(5), 798-818.
  • Jeffery, C. (1981). Teachers' and students' perceptions of the writing process. Research in the Teaching of English, 15(3), 215-228.
  • Johnson, A.C., Wilson, J., & Roscoe, R. D. (2017). College student perceptions of writing errors, text quality, and author characteristics. Assessing Writing, 34, 72–87.
  • Kimmel, M. (2004) Metaphor variation in cultural context: Perspectives from anthropology. European Journal of English Studies, 8(3), 275-294, DOI: 10.1080/1382557042000277395.
  • Kövecses, Z. (2010) Metaphor: A practical introduction (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors we live by. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
  • Larsson, S. (2013). Conceptions, categories, and embodiment: Why metaphors are of fundamental importance for understanding norms. In M. Baier (Ed.), Social and legal norms: Towards a socio-legal understanding of normativity, 121-139. Ashgate.
  • Leki, I., Cumming, A,& Silva, T. (2008) Synthesis of research on second language writing in English. New York: Routledge.
  • Liu, X., and Zhao, G. (2013). A comparative study of emotion metaphors between English and Chinese. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 3(1), 155-162. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.4304/tpls.3.1.155-162.
  • Matsuda, P. K. (2003a). Process and post-process: A discursive history. Journal of Second Language Writing, 12, 65–83.
  • Matsuda, P. K. (2003b). Second language writing in the twentieth century: A situated historical perspective. In Barbara Kroll (Ed.), Exploring the dynamics of second language writing. USA: Cambridge University Press.
  • Matsuda, P. K., Saenkhum, T., & Accardi, S. (2013). Writing teachers’ perceptions of the presence and needs of second language writers: An institutional case study. Journal of Second Language Writing, 22(1), 68–86.
  • Matsuda, P. K., & Silva, T. (2010) Writing. In Norbert Schmitt (Ed.), An Introduction to Applied Linguistics. Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, London.
  • McDonald, J. C. (1992). Student metaphors for themselves as writers. The English Journal, 81(4).
  • Morgan, B., Fuisting, B., & White, J. (2014). University student attitudes towards peer review in EFL writing: A quantitative study. Language Education in Asia, 5(1).
  • Moser, K. S. (2000). Metaphor Analysis in Psychology—Method, Theory, and Fields of Application. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 1(2), Art. 21. Retrieved from http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0002212.
  • Nikitina, L., & Furuoka, F. (2008). “A language teacher is like…”: examining Malaysian students’ perceptions of language teachers through metaphor analysis. Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 5(2), 192-205.
  • Olivier-Shaw, A. E. (1996). Lecturer and student perceptions of an academic writing task. Rhodes University M Ed thesis.
  • Pitcher, R. (2013). Using metaphor analysis: MIP and beyond.The Qualitative Report, 18(34), 1-8. Retrieved from http://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol18/iss34/2.
  • Raimes, A. (1991). Out of the woods: Emerging traditions in the teaching of writing. TESOL Quarterly, 25, 407-430.
  • Reid, J. N., & Katz A. N. (2018). Something false about conceptual metaphors. Metaphor and Symbol, 33(1), 36-47, DOI: 10.1080/10926488.2018.1407994.
  • Saban, A., Koçbeker, B. N., & Saban, A. (2006). An investigation of the concept of teacher among prospective teachers through metaphor Analysis. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 6(2), 506-522.
  • Sağlamel, H., and Kayaoğlu, M. N. (2015). English Major Students’ Perceptions of Academic Writing: A Struggle between Writing to Learn and Learning to Write. Journal of History Culture and Art Research, 4 (3), September 2015, 37-52.
  • Schmitt, R. (2005). Systematic metaphor analysis as a method of qualitative research.The Qualitative Report, 10(2), 358-394. Retrieved from http://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol10/iss2/10
  • Thomas, L. & Beauchamp, C. (2011) Understanding new teachers' professional identities through metaphor. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27 (2011), 762-769.
  • Tran, L. T. (2007). Learners' motivation and identity in the Vietnamese EFL writing classroom. English Teaching: Practice & Critique, 6(1), 151-163.
  • Wan, W., Low, G. D., and Li, M. (2011). From students’ and teachers’ perspectives: Metaphor analysis of beliefs about EFL teachers’ roles. System, 39(3), 403–415.
  • Weigle, S. C. (2002). Assessing Writing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • White, R. V. (1988). Academic writing: Process and product. In P. C. Robinson (Ed.) Writing 7: Process and product. ELT Document: 129, The British Council.
  • White, M. J., & Bruning, R. (2005). Implicit writing beliefs and their relation to writing quality. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 30(2), 166-189. DOI: 10.1016/j.cedpsych.2004.07.002.
  • Williams, J. (2012). The potential role(s) of writing in second language development. Journal of Second Language Writing, 21 (2012), 321-331.
  • Yang, L., & Gao, S. (2013). Beliefs and practices of Chinese university teachers in EFL writing instruction. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 26(2), 128–145.
  • Zheng, H., & Song, W. (2010). Metaphor analysis in the educational discourse: A critical review. US–China Foreign Language, 8(9), 42–49.
There are 51 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Journal Section Articles
Authors

Osman Dülger

Publication Date December 31, 2019
Submission Date August 30, 2018
Published in Issue Year 2019 Volume: 19 Issue: 4

Cite

APA Dülger, O. (2019). A metaphorical analysis of EFL writers’ views about writing in English. Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 19(4), 1373-1392. https://doi.org/10.17240/aibuefd.2019..-456075