Jingjing Qin | Zayed University (original) (raw)

Papers by Jingjing Qin

System, Feb 1, 2014

ABSTRACT This corpus-based cross-sectional study examines how advanced non-native English graduat... more ABSTRACT This corpus-based cross-sectional study examines how advanced non-native English graduate students of applied linguistics at different levels of study used target formulaic bundles in their academic papers. First, five-unit formulaic bundles were extracted from a one-million-word reference corpus composed of 128 published articles in applied linguistics. Then the use of these target bundles was examined in 136 academic papers written by 20 non-native English graduate students of applied linguistics at four levels of study and 15 published articles by English-speaking expert writers in the same field. It was found that, as the level of study increased, students used a greater number and variety of target bundles. Specifically, non-native graduate students at the higher levels of study used more bundles characteristic of academic writing (e.g., noun phrases with post-modifier fragments or certain prepositional phrases) than those at the lower levels. Furthermore, the former group used more bundles as text organizers (e.g., explanation, exemplification, and focus) and stance bundles than the latter group. The pedagogical implications are suggested regarding what and how to teach non-native English graduate writers regarding the use of formulaic bundles.

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2013

This study is intended to examine Turkish in-service EFL university instructors in providing writ... more This study is intended to examine Turkish in-service EFL university instructors in providing written The data were collected in a high-stake assessment situation where 26 Turkish EFL university instructors were applying for a position asa full-time staff for a university writing center. They were asked entative paper within one hour. Later, each occurrence of feedback was categorized into six different aspects. The analyses indicated that the feedback mostly focused on grammar, with little attention given to organization and content.

TESL Canada Journal, 2017

The Journal of Language Teaching and Learning, Jul 29, 2013

This classroom-based research is intended to examine the effectiveness of employment of the Toulm... more This classroom-based research is intended to examine the effectiveness of employment of the Toulmin model in teaching argumentative writing in a Turkish EFL university classroom. Argumentative writing samples by 16 freshmen were collected before and after the instruction. During the instruction, a variety of one-hour activities incorporating the Toulmin model were integrated into the regular 10-week teaching curriculum, including explicit instruction of the Toulmin model, awareness-raising about the Toulmin model and its elements with carefully selected reading passages, class debate on controversial issues, and identification of Toulmin elements in published argumentative essays. The results showed that students' argumentative papers improved after instruction, presenting more enriching and complex argument structures, exhibiting the important elements in argumentation, such as opposing views and rebuttals, which were almost non-existent in their previous argumentative papers. The students also felt that the instruction had empowered them to write argumentative papers in the future.

Moreover, even in cases where quantitative research finds differences between generations, such d... more Moreover, even in cases where quantitative research finds differences between generations, such differences do not always involve a greater tendency to embrace online learning on the part of younger students, nor do they necessarily outweigh the equally important commonalities between older and younger students. For example, Hartman, Moskal, and Dziuban (2005) analyzed student surveys for generational differences in learning engagement, classroom interaction, and learning approaches in response to online environments. Their findings showed that older students, in this case Baby Boomers (that is, individuals born between 1946-1964), had the highest levels of satisfaction with engagement and interaction; their findings also indicated that older students were the most likely to change their approach to learning whereas Net Generation students were the least satisfied and the least likely to change their approach to learning. However, they found no generational differences in what stude...

System, 2014

ABSTRACT This corpus-based cross-sectional study examines how advanced non-native English graduat... more ABSTRACT This corpus-based cross-sectional study examines how advanced non-native English graduate students of applied linguistics at different levels of study used target formulaic bundles in their academic papers. First, five-unit formulaic bundles were extracted from a one-million-word reference corpus composed of 128 published articles in applied linguistics. Then the use of these target bundles was examined in 136 academic papers written by 20 non-native English graduate students of applied linguistics at four levels of study and 15 published articles by English-speaking expert writers in the same field. It was found that, as the level of study increased, students used a greater number and variety of target bundles. Specifically, non-native graduate students at the higher levels of study used more bundles characteristic of academic writing (e.g., noun phrases with post-modifier fragments or certain prepositional phrases) than those at the lower levels. Furthermore, the former group used more bundles as text organizers (e.g., explanation, exemplification, and focus) and stance bundles than the latter group. The pedagogical implications are suggested regarding what and how to teach non-native English graduate writers regarding the use of formulaic bundles.

Language Teaching Research, 2008

This study was intended to compare processing instruction (VanPatten, 1993, 1996, 2000), an input... more This study was intended to compare processing instruction (VanPatten, 1993, 1996, 2000), an input-based focus on form technique, to dictogloss tasks, an output-oriented focus-on-form type of instruction to assess their effects in helping beginning-EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners acquire the simple English passive voice. Two intact classes of Grade 7 beginning EFL learners (n = 110) in China were randomly assigned to each type of instruction: Group A (n = 55) to processing instruction (PI), and Group B (n = 55) to dictogloss tasks (DG). A pretest and posttest (immediate and delayed) design was used, where participants' ability to comprehend and produce the target feature was assessed. Results showed that the PI group performed significantly better than the DG group in comprehension, and as well as the DG group in production on the immediate posttest. One month later, the two groups' performances were similar in terms of both comprehension and production on the de...

Frontiers in Psychology, 2021

Reading-to-write is an essential skill in academic writing, and reading-writing tasks have been w... more Reading-to-write is an essential skill in academic writing, and reading-writing tasks have been widely adopted in standardized English tests. Much more recent literature on integrated reading-writing tasks has focused on writers’ use of source texts or the validity of integrated writing assessment, while little is known about whether the nature of the types of reading texts has any bearing on integrated reading-writing tasks. This study examines whether the types of reading texts (i.e., similar views or opposing views on a debatable issue) have any influence on second language (L2) students’ argumentative writing in terms of the use of argument elements and its overall quality. Fifty-four Chinese second-year university students majoring in English language teaching were asked to write an argumentative essay after reading texts with either similar views or opposing views. Results show that students reading texts with opposing viewpoints presented more data and higher overall quality ...

Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 2018

This study investigated the effects of explicit teaching of formulaic language on the overall qua... more This study investigated the effects of explicit teaching of formulaic language on the overall quality of Turkish EFL university students’ argumentative writing. Forty-four freshmen and twenty-seven sophomores participated in the study, with half of them assigned to the experimental group and the other to the control group. Forty target formulaic language items were explicitly taught to the experimental group with a variety of activities for four hours in two weeks. The experimental group was found to increase the overall quality scores of their writing significantly after the intervention. They also outperformed the control group in the immediate post-test although a decrease was observed in the delayed post-test. Moreover, a significantly positive correlation was observed between the frequency of the formulaic language items used and the overall quality scores of the essays. It seemed that the explicit instruction of the target items raised the students’ awareness of formulaic lang...

Publications, 2016

An abstract summarizes the accompanying article in order to promote it. While many move-analysis ... more An abstract summarizes the accompanying article in order to promote it. While many move-analysis studies of abstracts in applied linguistics (AL) have used similar coding frameworks and demonstrated similar rhetorical organizations, their findings have not yet been aggregated to show the overall picture. The present study aimed to both examine move structures in AL abstracts and compare the results with previous studies both synchronically and diachronically. Fifty abstracts were collected from articles published in the journal English for Specific Purposes (ESP) between 2011 and 2013. Sentences were coded using a five-move scheme adapted from previous studies. Combining the results from previous research and the present study showed that most AL abstracts give information on the purpose, methodology, and findings of the associated article, while about half of the articles omit introduction of the topic and discussion of the findings. It was also found that authors frequently violate the move sequence expected by current schemes. These findings consistent with previous research suggest that future researchers informed by move analyses should explore the connection between the findings of move analyses and teaching materials for academic writing.

Publications, 2016

An abstract summarizes the accompanying article in order to promote it. While many move-analysis ... more An abstract summarizes the accompanying article in order to promote it. While many move-analysis studies of abstracts in applied linguistics (AL) have used similar coding frameworks and demonstrated similar rhetorical organizations, their findings have not yet been aggregated to show the overall picture. The present study aimed to both examine move structures in AL abstracts and compare the results with previous studies both synchronically and diachronically. Fifty abstracts were collected from articles published in the journal English for Specific Purposes (ESP) between 2011 and 2013. Sentences were coded using a five-move scheme adapted from previous studies. Combining the results from previous research and the present study showed that most AL abstracts give information on the purpose, methodology, and findings of the associated article, while about half of the articles omit introduction of the topic and discussion of the findings. It was also found that authors frequently violate the move sequence expected by current schemes. These findings consistent with previous research suggest that future researchers informed by move analyses should explore the connection between the findings of move analyses and teaching materials for academic writing.

System, 2010

This descriptive study aims to analyze structures of argumentative papers written by second langu... more This descriptive study aims to analyze structures of argumentative papers written by second language (L2) university students, based on the adapted model of argument structure constituting six elements (i.e., claim, data, counterargument claim, counterargument data, rebuttal claim, and rebuttal data). It also investigates how the uses of these Toulmin elements are related to the overall quality of argumentative papers. One hundred and thirty-three second-year university English-majors in a Chinese university wrote an argumentative paper in English after reading two preselected English opinion pieces with opposing views on the same controversial topic. The Toulmin elements in the students' papers were analyzed and the quality of papers was assessed. It was found that an average paper had at least one claim supported by four pieces of data. However, there were far fewer uses of counterargument claim, counterargument data, rebuttal claim, and rebuttal data in the papers, although their uses were significant predictors of the overall quality of argumentative papers. Potential implications of the findings are discussed as they pertain to L2 argumentative writing pedagogy. System 38 (2010) 444e456 www.elsevier.com/locate/system 445 J. Qin, E. Karabacak / System 38 (2010) 444e456

Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 2008

Continuum The Tower Building 80 Maiden Lane 11 York Road Suite 704 London New York SE1 7NX NY 100... more Continuum The Tower Building 80 Maiden Lane 11 York Road Suite 704 London New York SE1 7NX NY 10038 © Pauline Gibbons 2006 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, ...

Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 2008

Continuum The Tower Building 80 Maiden Lane 11 York Road Suite 704 London New York SE1 7NX NY 100... more Continuum The Tower Building 80 Maiden Lane 11 York Road Suite 704 London New York SE1 7NX NY 10038 © Pauline Gibbons 2006 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, ...

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2013

Appropriate and frequent use of lexical bundles plays an important role in competent English acad... more Appropriate and frequent use of lexical bundles plays an important role in competent English academic writing. Little information is known about how novice writers, both L1 and L2, make use of lexical bundles in their writing.This study investigated the use of lexical bundles in argumentative papers written by three groups of university writers:Turkish , Chinese, and Americans. The target lexical bundles in academic writing were extracted from a onemillion word corpus from the magazine New York Times to examine how often these target bundles were used.

System, 2010

This descriptive study aims to analyze structures of argumentative papers written by second langu... more This descriptive study aims to analyze structures of argumentative papers written by second language (L2) university students, based on the adapted 30 and 31 model of argument structure constituting six elements (i.e., claim, data, counterargument claim, counterargument data, rebuttal claim, and rebuttal data). It also investigates how the uses of these Toulmin elements are related to the overall quality of argumentative papers. One hundred and thirty-three second-year university English-majors in a Chinese university wrote an argumentative paper in English after reading two preselected English opinion pieces with opposing views on the same controversial topic. The Toulmin elements in the students’ papers were analyzed and the quality of papers was assessed. It was found that an average paper had at least one claim supported by four pieces of data. However, there were far fewer uses of counterargument claim, counterargument data, rebuttal claim, and rebuttal data in the papers, although their uses were significant predictors of the overall quality of argumentative papers. Potential implications of the findings are discussed as they pertain to L2 argumentative writing pedagogy.

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2013

This study is intended to examine Turkish in-service EFL university instructors in providing writ... more This study is intended to examine Turkish in-service EFL university instructors in providing written The data were collected in a high-stake assessment situation where 26 Turkish EFL university instructors were applying for a position asa full-time staff for a university writing center. They were asked entative paper within one hour. Later, each occurrence of feedback was categorized into six different aspects. The analyses indicated that the feedback mostly focused on grammar, with little attention given to organization and content.

System, 2010

This descriptive study aims to analyze structures of argumentative papers written by second langu... more This descriptive study aims to analyze structures of argumentative papers written by second language (L2) university students, based on the adapted model of argument structure constituting six elements (i.e., claim, data, counterargument claim, counterargument data, rebuttal claim, and rebuttal data). It also investigates how the uses of these Toulmin elements are related to the overall quality of argumentative papers. One hundred and thirty-three second-year university English-majors in a Chinese university wrote an argumentative paper in English after reading two preselected English opinion pieces with opposing views on the same controversial topic. The Toulmin elements in the students' papers were analyzed and the quality of papers was assessed. It was found that an average paper had at least one claim supported by four pieces of data. However, there were far fewer uses of counterargument claim, counterargument data, rebuttal claim, and rebuttal data in the papers, although their uses were significant predictors of the overall quality of argumentative papers. Potential implications of the findings are discussed as they pertain to L2 argumentative writing pedagogy. System 38 (2010) 444e456 www.elsevier.com/locate/system 445 J. Qin, E. Karabacak / System 38 (2010) 444e456

System, Feb 1, 2014

ABSTRACT This corpus-based cross-sectional study examines how advanced non-native English graduat... more ABSTRACT This corpus-based cross-sectional study examines how advanced non-native English graduate students of applied linguistics at different levels of study used target formulaic bundles in their academic papers. First, five-unit formulaic bundles were extracted from a one-million-word reference corpus composed of 128 published articles in applied linguistics. Then the use of these target bundles was examined in 136 academic papers written by 20 non-native English graduate students of applied linguistics at four levels of study and 15 published articles by English-speaking expert writers in the same field. It was found that, as the level of study increased, students used a greater number and variety of target bundles. Specifically, non-native graduate students at the higher levels of study used more bundles characteristic of academic writing (e.g., noun phrases with post-modifier fragments or certain prepositional phrases) than those at the lower levels. Furthermore, the former group used more bundles as text organizers (e.g., explanation, exemplification, and focus) and stance bundles than the latter group. The pedagogical implications are suggested regarding what and how to teach non-native English graduate writers regarding the use of formulaic bundles.

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2013

This study is intended to examine Turkish in-service EFL university instructors in providing writ... more This study is intended to examine Turkish in-service EFL university instructors in providing written The data were collected in a high-stake assessment situation where 26 Turkish EFL university instructors were applying for a position asa full-time staff for a university writing center. They were asked entative paper within one hour. Later, each occurrence of feedback was categorized into six different aspects. The analyses indicated that the feedback mostly focused on grammar, with little attention given to organization and content.

TESL Canada Journal, 2017

The Journal of Language Teaching and Learning, Jul 29, 2013

This classroom-based research is intended to examine the effectiveness of employment of the Toulm... more This classroom-based research is intended to examine the effectiveness of employment of the Toulmin model in teaching argumentative writing in a Turkish EFL university classroom. Argumentative writing samples by 16 freshmen were collected before and after the instruction. During the instruction, a variety of one-hour activities incorporating the Toulmin model were integrated into the regular 10-week teaching curriculum, including explicit instruction of the Toulmin model, awareness-raising about the Toulmin model and its elements with carefully selected reading passages, class debate on controversial issues, and identification of Toulmin elements in published argumentative essays. The results showed that students' argumentative papers improved after instruction, presenting more enriching and complex argument structures, exhibiting the important elements in argumentation, such as opposing views and rebuttals, which were almost non-existent in their previous argumentative papers. The students also felt that the instruction had empowered them to write argumentative papers in the future.

Moreover, even in cases where quantitative research finds differences between generations, such d... more Moreover, even in cases where quantitative research finds differences between generations, such differences do not always involve a greater tendency to embrace online learning on the part of younger students, nor do they necessarily outweigh the equally important commonalities between older and younger students. For example, Hartman, Moskal, and Dziuban (2005) analyzed student surveys for generational differences in learning engagement, classroom interaction, and learning approaches in response to online environments. Their findings showed that older students, in this case Baby Boomers (that is, individuals born between 1946-1964), had the highest levels of satisfaction with engagement and interaction; their findings also indicated that older students were the most likely to change their approach to learning whereas Net Generation students were the least satisfied and the least likely to change their approach to learning. However, they found no generational differences in what stude...

System, 2014

ABSTRACT This corpus-based cross-sectional study examines how advanced non-native English graduat... more ABSTRACT This corpus-based cross-sectional study examines how advanced non-native English graduate students of applied linguistics at different levels of study used target formulaic bundles in their academic papers. First, five-unit formulaic bundles were extracted from a one-million-word reference corpus composed of 128 published articles in applied linguistics. Then the use of these target bundles was examined in 136 academic papers written by 20 non-native English graduate students of applied linguistics at four levels of study and 15 published articles by English-speaking expert writers in the same field. It was found that, as the level of study increased, students used a greater number and variety of target bundles. Specifically, non-native graduate students at the higher levels of study used more bundles characteristic of academic writing (e.g., noun phrases with post-modifier fragments or certain prepositional phrases) than those at the lower levels. Furthermore, the former group used more bundles as text organizers (e.g., explanation, exemplification, and focus) and stance bundles than the latter group. The pedagogical implications are suggested regarding what and how to teach non-native English graduate writers regarding the use of formulaic bundles.

Language Teaching Research, 2008

This study was intended to compare processing instruction (VanPatten, 1993, 1996, 2000), an input... more This study was intended to compare processing instruction (VanPatten, 1993, 1996, 2000), an input-based focus on form technique, to dictogloss tasks, an output-oriented focus-on-form type of instruction to assess their effects in helping beginning-EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners acquire the simple English passive voice. Two intact classes of Grade 7 beginning EFL learners (n = 110) in China were randomly assigned to each type of instruction: Group A (n = 55) to processing instruction (PI), and Group B (n = 55) to dictogloss tasks (DG). A pretest and posttest (immediate and delayed) design was used, where participants' ability to comprehend and produce the target feature was assessed. Results showed that the PI group performed significantly better than the DG group in comprehension, and as well as the DG group in production on the immediate posttest. One month later, the two groups' performances were similar in terms of both comprehension and production on the de...

Frontiers in Psychology, 2021

Reading-to-write is an essential skill in academic writing, and reading-writing tasks have been w... more Reading-to-write is an essential skill in academic writing, and reading-writing tasks have been widely adopted in standardized English tests. Much more recent literature on integrated reading-writing tasks has focused on writers’ use of source texts or the validity of integrated writing assessment, while little is known about whether the nature of the types of reading texts has any bearing on integrated reading-writing tasks. This study examines whether the types of reading texts (i.e., similar views or opposing views on a debatable issue) have any influence on second language (L2) students’ argumentative writing in terms of the use of argument elements and its overall quality. Fifty-four Chinese second-year university students majoring in English language teaching were asked to write an argumentative essay after reading texts with either similar views or opposing views. Results show that students reading texts with opposing viewpoints presented more data and higher overall quality ...

Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 2018

This study investigated the effects of explicit teaching of formulaic language on the overall qua... more This study investigated the effects of explicit teaching of formulaic language on the overall quality of Turkish EFL university students’ argumentative writing. Forty-four freshmen and twenty-seven sophomores participated in the study, with half of them assigned to the experimental group and the other to the control group. Forty target formulaic language items were explicitly taught to the experimental group with a variety of activities for four hours in two weeks. The experimental group was found to increase the overall quality scores of their writing significantly after the intervention. They also outperformed the control group in the immediate post-test although a decrease was observed in the delayed post-test. Moreover, a significantly positive correlation was observed between the frequency of the formulaic language items used and the overall quality scores of the essays. It seemed that the explicit instruction of the target items raised the students’ awareness of formulaic lang...

Publications, 2016

An abstract summarizes the accompanying article in order to promote it. While many move-analysis ... more An abstract summarizes the accompanying article in order to promote it. While many move-analysis studies of abstracts in applied linguistics (AL) have used similar coding frameworks and demonstrated similar rhetorical organizations, their findings have not yet been aggregated to show the overall picture. The present study aimed to both examine move structures in AL abstracts and compare the results with previous studies both synchronically and diachronically. Fifty abstracts were collected from articles published in the journal English for Specific Purposes (ESP) between 2011 and 2013. Sentences were coded using a five-move scheme adapted from previous studies. Combining the results from previous research and the present study showed that most AL abstracts give information on the purpose, methodology, and findings of the associated article, while about half of the articles omit introduction of the topic and discussion of the findings. It was also found that authors frequently violate the move sequence expected by current schemes. These findings consistent with previous research suggest that future researchers informed by move analyses should explore the connection between the findings of move analyses and teaching materials for academic writing.

Publications, 2016

An abstract summarizes the accompanying article in order to promote it. While many move-analysis ... more An abstract summarizes the accompanying article in order to promote it. While many move-analysis studies of abstracts in applied linguistics (AL) have used similar coding frameworks and demonstrated similar rhetorical organizations, their findings have not yet been aggregated to show the overall picture. The present study aimed to both examine move structures in AL abstracts and compare the results with previous studies both synchronically and diachronically. Fifty abstracts were collected from articles published in the journal English for Specific Purposes (ESP) between 2011 and 2013. Sentences were coded using a five-move scheme adapted from previous studies. Combining the results from previous research and the present study showed that most AL abstracts give information on the purpose, methodology, and findings of the associated article, while about half of the articles omit introduction of the topic and discussion of the findings. It was also found that authors frequently violate the move sequence expected by current schemes. These findings consistent with previous research suggest that future researchers informed by move analyses should explore the connection between the findings of move analyses and teaching materials for academic writing.

System, 2010

This descriptive study aims to analyze structures of argumentative papers written by second langu... more This descriptive study aims to analyze structures of argumentative papers written by second language (L2) university students, based on the adapted model of argument structure constituting six elements (i.e., claim, data, counterargument claim, counterargument data, rebuttal claim, and rebuttal data). It also investigates how the uses of these Toulmin elements are related to the overall quality of argumentative papers. One hundred and thirty-three second-year university English-majors in a Chinese university wrote an argumentative paper in English after reading two preselected English opinion pieces with opposing views on the same controversial topic. The Toulmin elements in the students' papers were analyzed and the quality of papers was assessed. It was found that an average paper had at least one claim supported by four pieces of data. However, there were far fewer uses of counterargument claim, counterargument data, rebuttal claim, and rebuttal data in the papers, although their uses were significant predictors of the overall quality of argumentative papers. Potential implications of the findings are discussed as they pertain to L2 argumentative writing pedagogy. System 38 (2010) 444e456 www.elsevier.com/locate/system 445 J. Qin, E. Karabacak / System 38 (2010) 444e456

Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 2008

Continuum The Tower Building 80 Maiden Lane 11 York Road Suite 704 London New York SE1 7NX NY 100... more Continuum The Tower Building 80 Maiden Lane 11 York Road Suite 704 London New York SE1 7NX NY 10038 © Pauline Gibbons 2006 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, ...

Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 2008

Continuum The Tower Building 80 Maiden Lane 11 York Road Suite 704 London New York SE1 7NX NY 100... more Continuum The Tower Building 80 Maiden Lane 11 York Road Suite 704 London New York SE1 7NX NY 10038 © Pauline Gibbons 2006 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, ...

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2013

Appropriate and frequent use of lexical bundles plays an important role in competent English acad... more Appropriate and frequent use of lexical bundles plays an important role in competent English academic writing. Little information is known about how novice writers, both L1 and L2, make use of lexical bundles in their writing.This study investigated the use of lexical bundles in argumentative papers written by three groups of university writers:Turkish , Chinese, and Americans. The target lexical bundles in academic writing were extracted from a onemillion word corpus from the magazine New York Times to examine how often these target bundles were used.

System, 2010

This descriptive study aims to analyze structures of argumentative papers written by second langu... more This descriptive study aims to analyze structures of argumentative papers written by second language (L2) university students, based on the adapted 30 and 31 model of argument structure constituting six elements (i.e., claim, data, counterargument claim, counterargument data, rebuttal claim, and rebuttal data). It also investigates how the uses of these Toulmin elements are related to the overall quality of argumentative papers. One hundred and thirty-three second-year university English-majors in a Chinese university wrote an argumentative paper in English after reading two preselected English opinion pieces with opposing views on the same controversial topic. The Toulmin elements in the students’ papers were analyzed and the quality of papers was assessed. It was found that an average paper had at least one claim supported by four pieces of data. However, there were far fewer uses of counterargument claim, counterargument data, rebuttal claim, and rebuttal data in the papers, although their uses were significant predictors of the overall quality of argumentative papers. Potential implications of the findings are discussed as they pertain to L2 argumentative writing pedagogy.

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2013

This study is intended to examine Turkish in-service EFL university instructors in providing writ... more This study is intended to examine Turkish in-service EFL university instructors in providing written The data were collected in a high-stake assessment situation where 26 Turkish EFL university instructors were applying for a position asa full-time staff for a university writing center. They were asked entative paper within one hour. Later, each occurrence of feedback was categorized into six different aspects. The analyses indicated that the feedback mostly focused on grammar, with little attention given to organization and content.

System, 2010

This descriptive study aims to analyze structures of argumentative papers written by second langu... more This descriptive study aims to analyze structures of argumentative papers written by second language (L2) university students, based on the adapted model of argument structure constituting six elements (i.e., claim, data, counterargument claim, counterargument data, rebuttal claim, and rebuttal data). It also investigates how the uses of these Toulmin elements are related to the overall quality of argumentative papers. One hundred and thirty-three second-year university English-majors in a Chinese university wrote an argumentative paper in English after reading two preselected English opinion pieces with opposing views on the same controversial topic. The Toulmin elements in the students' papers were analyzed and the quality of papers was assessed. It was found that an average paper had at least one claim supported by four pieces of data. However, there were far fewer uses of counterargument claim, counterargument data, rebuttal claim, and rebuttal data in the papers, although their uses were significant predictors of the overall quality of argumentative papers. Potential implications of the findings are discussed as they pertain to L2 argumentative writing pedagogy. System 38 (2010) 444e456 www.elsevier.com/locate/system 445 J. Qin, E. Karabacak / System 38 (2010) 444e456