研究報(bào)告生學(xué)術(shù)英語(yǔ)寫(xiě)作教程Unit5ReportingResults

1、.PAGE . Unit 5 Reporting ResultsObjectives:-Understand the function and the major elements of the results section;-Learn the major steps to deal with the results section;-Use the tips for describing graphic information;-Grasp the tips for making parison and contrast;-Learn the skills for choosing ap

2、propriate graphs and making graphs.Contents:- Teachers introduction;- Reading and discussion: Types of Language for Thinking and Le*ical Collocational Errors;- Language focus: graphic description;parison and contrast;-Writing practice: using graphs and describing graphs (tables and charts);- Rewriti

3、ng practice: grasping the major moves for outlining the results section;- Classroom e*tension: descriptions of data and graphs when reporting results.Reading Activity 1.1 Pre-reading TaskDo you know how to report the results of your research The standard approach to the results section of a research

4、 paper is to present the resultswiththe statistical techniques such as tables and charts. This does not mean that you do not need any te*t to describe data presented in graphs. Think about the following questions before reading the te*t and then have a discussion with your classmates.1. What is the

5、function of the results section 2. What are the major elements included in the results section 3. What are the major steps for you to deal with the results section 4. How do you describe graphic information in the results section5. How do you pare and contrast the data presented in graphsThe followi

6、ng is part of the results section of a research paper which investigated howEFL learners types of language for thinking influence their le*ical collocational errors in speech. 1.2 Reading PassageResultsTypes of Language for Thinking and Le*ical Collocational Errors1One key issue in this study was wh

7、ether a learners type of language for thinking influences le*ical collocational production. 2This issue was e*plored by e*amining one retrospective report on the questionnaire, When tape recording, what language did you mainly use for inner speech 3Based ontheir responses, the 42 participants were c

8、lassified into four language groups: Chinese, English, Chinese mingled with English, and other languages.4The participants inaccuracy rateswere pared, which were obtained by dividing the number of errors by the overall number of le*ical collocations they produced individually,among the language grou

9、ps.The preliminary analysis discovered that the 42 participants produced a total of 2,491 le*ical collocations, and each participant created appro*imately 29 le*ical collocations per minute. Regarding learner errors, 263 incorrect collocations were found among the 2,491 le*ical collocations, resulti

10、ng in aninaccuracy rate of 10.56. To report the effect of language for thinking on the production of le*ical collocations in speech, Table 1 records the fact that 5 students stated that their type of language for thinking was for the most part Chinese. As Table 1 shows, 17 mainly used English for th

11、inking, 20 primarilythought in Chinese mingled with English, and none thought in other languages. The inaccuracy rate of oral le*ical collocations in each language group was calculated by dividing the total number of le*ical collocational errors by the total number of le*ical collocations produced.

12、Descriptive statisticsdemonstrated that those who mainly thought in their native language (Mandarin Chinese) produced the highest inaccuracy rate of le*ical collocations (M=15.17), followed by those who primarily thought in English (M=12.40) and those using a bination (M=8.44). Results of a one-way

13、analysis of variance (ANOVA) further displayed that the difference among these three groups reached a significant level, F(2,39)=4.07, pCE*English (EN)1712.406.72ENCE*Chinese mingled with English(CE)208.444.32Others0Note: Mean shows the average inaccuracy rate of collocations in each group.*P.05(Hun

14、g-ChunWang & Su-Chin Shih, 2011)1.3 Reading prehension1.3.1Read the first paragraph and identify the information elements you find in each sentence of the te*t.SentencesElementsSentence 1Sentence 2Sentence 3Sentence 41.3.2Some verbs can be used to locate the results of the research, such as show and

15、 indicate. Read the second and third paragraphs carefully and think of the question: Which verbs did the authors use for locating the results ParagraphsVerbs locating the resultsIn the 2nd paragraphIn the 3rd paragraphRead the second and third paragraphs carefully and think of the question: What is

16、the function of the last sentence in the 2nd and 3rd paragraphs respectivelySentencesFunctionLast sentence in the 2nd paragraphLast sentence in the 3rd paragraphLanguage Focus2.1 Graphic descriptionThe results section clearly presents the findings of your study. It is usually presented both in graph

17、 and te*t. First, prepare the graphs as soon as all the data are analyzed and arrange them in the sequence that best presents your results in a logical way. Then, as the results section is te*t-based section, the description of graphs is of great importance in paper writing. Good descriptions can he

18、lp the readers understand your research better while using a single sentence pattern to describethe statistical and graphic information in a research paper will make your readers feel too bored and lose interest in reading on, so we need to pay more attention to the language use when describing the

19、statistical and graphic information. Here we will introduce some useful words, phrases or sentence patterns which can be used in different situations of graphic description.SituationsE*pressionsWhen introducing the graphic information and making a general statementThe chart shows the percentage of T

20、he vertical a*is shows The horizontal a*is pares When referring to a graphAs can be seen/It can be seen from the graphAs can be seen/It can be seen from Graph 3,As shown in Graph 3,From the graph above, it may/can be seen/ concluded / shown/ estimated/ calculated / inferred thatThe graph shows/prese

21、nts/provides thatThe graph below /The pie chart above shows/ illustratesAccording to Table 1, When describing a graphThere was a minimal (slight, slow, gradual, steady) rise. There was a rapid increase.There was a (an) marked (large, dramatic, steep, sharp, abrupt) decrease (decline, reduction, fall

22、, drop).There was a sudden fluctuation.There was no change.When describing a curve or a trendconve*/concave; top/bottom; a slope/ peak / plateau a gradual/slight increase; a sharp/steep rise; the peaka rapid/abrupt fall; a slight dip; no change; slow fall It shows an upward trend.It shows a downward

23、 trend.When making a conclusionto sum up; in conclusion;It appears thatThe two charts clearly showIf you need to highlight significant data in a table/chart, you may use some adjectives such as apparent, clear, interesting, obvious, revealing and significant to make your viewpoint known and meanwhil

24、e attract readers attention.The following sentence patterns are useful for you when you report significant results or findings. 1. It is apparent from Table 2 that.2. Table 5 is quite revealing in several ways. 3. From Chart 5 we can see that E*periment2 resulted in the lowest value of .4. What is i

25、nteresting in this data is that .5. In Figure10, there is a clear trend of decreasing .6. As Table 2.1 shows, there was a great deal of difference between the e*perimental group and the control group.7. As shown in Table 6.3, chunk frequency also has significant correlation with the indices of oral

26、proficiency.8. There was no obvious difference between Method 1 and Method 2.The following table lists results of a questionnaire concerning students interest and performance in class. Question 1: You are very interested in the English writing course.Strongly agree agreeI dont know disagreestrongly

27、disagreeQuestion 2: You are active in group discussion in the classroom.Strongly agree agreeI dont know disagreestrongly disagreeTable 1 Data concerning the students interest and participationItemstrongly agreeagreeIdont knowdisagreestrongly disagreeNPNPNPNPNP13550%2535.7%22.9%57.1%34.3%22840%2840%3

28、4.3%710%45.7%Note: N=number; P=percentageNow you are required to report results from the interview. The following sentence patterns may be used in your report.1. Of all the subjects, 70 pleted and returned the questionnaire form.2. The majority of respondents felt that 3. Over a half of those survey

29、ed indicated that 4. A small number of respondents 5. A minority of participants (%) indicated .6. In response to Question 1, most of those surveyed indicated that .7. The overall response to this question was very positive.8. It is apparent from the table above that._ The following line graph shows

30、 an upward trend in growth rate of Ford car production during the period from January to December 2011.Look at the line graph carefully first and then do the following e*ercises. A. Mark the following places in the graph.a) The bottom of the line;b) The peak of the line;c) The fluctuating part.B. De

31、scribe the growth rate of Ford car productionin the following months respectively. Try to use the phrases or sentence patterns of graphic description you learned in this section.a) In January: _.b) From March to April:_.c) From May to September:_.d) From October to December:_.C.What does the overall

32、 line graph reveal in the growth rate of Ford car production during the period from January to December 2011_.2.2 parison and contrastWhen you are writing the reports section, you need to do much more than just give data. What you should always try to do is to convey more information with the data.

33、paring and contrasting is a mon way to deal with the data. The purpose of parison is to show similarities while contrast is used to show differences. Through parison or contrast between two or more things, the reader can understand them better.Here are some key words monly used to e*press parison or

34、 contrast.Words and e*pressions showing parisonWords and e*pressions showing contrastlike, toosimilar as,similarlyboth, likewiseas well as, alsoin the same way have in monthe same asalthough, yet whereas, however but, whileinstead,unlikeunless, be different fromthe reverse, differ,contrary to, conve

35、rselyeven though,on the contraryon the other handNote: parison and contrast is often used in graph description. Here are some points for you to pay special attention to.1) Not all the information has to be pared or contrasted with each other. It is mon to introduce the most significant or important

36、information and pare or contrast it. If necessary, you must make some calculation before paring or contrasting the data.2) When paring or contrasting information in the graphs, it is not necessary to lay equal emphasis on every change. Just give stress to those dramatic changes or to those that are

37、of special interest to you, or those that you want your readers to pay more attention to and ignore the less important parts. 3) The parison/contrast should be supported by concrete and relevant facts or data.The tables below are the results of a research which e*amines the average marks scored by b

38、oys and girls of different ages in several school subjects. Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information below.You should write a minimum of 150 words.Boys:Subject /AgeMathScienceGeographyLanguagesSports76370636271106572686074136974706075156773645878Girls:Subject /AgeMathScien

39、ceGeographyLanguagesSports76469626265106573646764136470626562156872647560Writing Practice3.1 Using graphsGraphs are monly used in reporting the results of your research. A graph is a diagram, usually a line or a curve, which shows how two or more sets of numbers and measurements are related. Graphs

40、usually includebar/column charts/graphs, pie charts, line graphs and tables.Generally speaking, barchartsare diagrams with rectangularbars withlengthsproportional to the values that they represent. The bars can be plotted vertically or horizontally. However, they more clearly showthe relationship of

41、different parts of the sample to each other. They do not clearly show the parts in relation to the whole. The following bar chart shows the teachers with masters degree or above in Northwestern College according to gender. A pie chart is a circle divided into segments. Pie charts can be used to show

42、 the sizesof various parts of the results in relation to each other and in relation to the whole sample. They are usually used to show percentages.The following pie chart shows the percentage of living costs per month in a family. A line graph is a type of graphdisplaying information as a series of

43、data points connected by continuous lines. It can show a pattern or trend which usually takes place over a period of time.The following line graph shows the change of annual ine of an average family in a certain city in China. . A table is a set of facts and figures arranged in columns and rows. A t

44、able is a very useful way of organizing numerical information. Tablesare efficient, enabling the researcher to present a large amount of data in a small space. They can show e*act numerical values and present quantitative data. They emphasize the discrete rather than the continuous. Here is a table

45、which shows the percentage of the use of transportation vehicles in Northwestern College.Table Use of transportation vehicles in Northwestern CollegeYearBikesBusesCars199263%36%1%200248%46%6%201231%42%27%Turn the table above into other graphsfor your different research purposes. 3.2 Describing a gra

46、phThe description of graphs is of great importance in paper writing because it can help the readers understand your research better. How do you describe a graph Here are the major steps for you to follow:Step 1: Introduce the graphic information briefly and indicate the main trend. Normally it inclu

47、des the place, time, content and purpose of the graph.Step 2: Describe the relevant and most important or significantdata and make some parison if necessary. Words and e*pressions for describing a curve or a trend are very useful in presenting graphic information. Step 3: Summarize the data/trends.T

48、he line graph below shows the sales amount of an online shop from Monday to Friday. Match the descriptive statements with the graph. Which are the correct statements describing the graphA. The sales amountincreased sharply from Monday to Tuesday.B. The sales amount reached a peak on Friday.C.There w

49、as a fluctuation in the sales amount.D. The sales amount dropped drastically from Wednesday to Thursday. Write a short passage describing the sales amount of an online shop from Monday to Friday with the information presented in the graph above.3.3 Describing a tableThe table below shows the results

50、 of the interviews on the teaching language(s) used by English teachers in class. Answer the following questions first and then according to the answers, describe the information in the table. Pay attention to the use of different sentence patterns when reporting the data. Table 1 Teaching language(

51、s) used by English teachers in classChoicesFrequencyPercentAlmost English630%Mainly English1365%Mainly Chinese15%Almost Chinese00%Total20100.0Questions:1. What does the table show us2. How many teaching languages are mentioned in the table3. What language is used most frequently by English teachers

52、in class4. Do English teachers in class often use Chinese 5. In summary, what impression do you have on the teaching language(s) used by English teachers in class3.4 Describing chartsThe following is a result from a market survey of personal puters. Report the result from a university students persp

53、ective. First, describe the students needs in personal puters.Then, pare and contrast the three types of personal putersin the items listed in the table below. Finally, conclude by stating which puter seems to be the most suitable for the students needs you have described.Table2 A market survey of p

54、ersonal putersTypesPrice (yuan)Processor SpeedHard DiskScreen SizePC 128502.0 GHz320 GB14PC 266003.6 GHz500 GB15.6PC339203.2 GHz500 GB14(Note: PC: personal puter)4. Writing project4.1 Get prepared for writing theresults sectionBefore you write the Results Sectionof your research paper, you need to m

55、ake everything ready for your writing. The following steps may be helpful for your preparation. 1. Read the literaturereview section and themethod sectioncarefully and rethink about the research questions;2. Review you results and check whether they have answered all the research questions; 3. Organ

56、ize your results in a logical manner (For e*ample, according to priority of the appearance of research questions);4. Prepare tables and/or other diagrams;5. Select appropriate language style and pay attention to the use of grammar;Work in groups and discuss what other preparations you can make for w

57、riting the results section of your research paper. 4.2 Outlining theresults sectionWhen outlining a results section, there are usually four major moves to follow.Move 1: Preparing informationThis move functions as areminder and connector between the method section and the results section, as it prov

58、ides relevant information for thepresentation of results. It providesa review of issues mentioned in the method section, the location of tables or graphs where results are displayedand a general preview of the section. However, it is not obligatory because there are also results sections that do not

59、 have thismove. Move 2: Reporting resultsMove 2 is the core element. It is the move in which the results of a study are presented, normally with relevant evidence such as statistics and e*amples. In this move, the authors need to locate where the results are and clearly describe the findings of the study both in diagrams and te*t.Move 3: menting on resultsThis move serves the purpose of establishing the m