An analysis of reporting verbs in master’s dissertations

Shirley Banini; Ernest Kwesi Klu; Ramos Asafo-Adjei

doi:10.15294/elt.v12i3.71292

Shirley Banini Department of Communication Studies, University of Professional Studies Accra, Ghana http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0826-1454
Ernest Kwesi Klu 2Department of English, Media Studies & Linguistics, Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences & Education, University of Venda, South Africa http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9551-7325
Ramos Asafo-Adjei Liberal Studies Department, Takoradi Technical University, Ghana http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8706-3028

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15294/elt.v12i3.71292

Keywords: Academic writing, dissertation, reporting verbs, Hyland’s (2002) taxonomy

Abstract

This study was purposed on analyzing reporting verbs in the Literature Review sections of some master’s dissertations in the field of Government and Leadership at the University of Professional Studies Accra (UPSA) in Ghana from the 2017/2018 to 2021/2022 academic year. The study sought to answer the main research question – what is the nature of the reporting verbs used in some master’s dissertations of students of the UPSA in the field of Government and Leadership? 20 dissertations were conveniently selected, and the Literature Review sections were analysed for reporting verbs using Hyland’s (2002) taxonomy which involves Research Acts, Cognition Acts and Discourse Acts as the analytical framework. These dissertations altogether contained 1,044,076 words. Results showed that students used various reporting verbs belonging to – Research Acts (observe, find), Cognition Acts (believe, conceptualize) and Discourse Acts (report, discuss) in their dissertations. Discourse Act reporting verbs were predominant compared to Cognition Acts and Research Acts, implying that the students used more of the reporting verbs associated with their mental processes. It is concluded that lecturers using English language and Research Methodology need to train students more in the use of reporting verbs in order to have their writing more impactful.

Author Biographies

Shirley Banini, Department of Communication Studies, University of Professional Studies Accra, Ghana

Shirley Eli Banini is currently a Lecturer at the Communication Studies Department of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA). She holds a PhD in English (ELT) from the University of Venda, South Africa. Her areas of interest are: Academic Literacy, Academic Support, Bi/Multicultural Education and Multilingualism

Ernest Kwesi Klu, 2Department of English, Media Studies & Linguistics, Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences & Education, University of Venda, South Africa

Ernest Kwesi Klu is an Associate Professor at the University of Venda, South Africa. His research interests are: Educational Linguistics, Academic Literacy, English Language Assessment and Evaluation, Pragmatics and English Language Pedagogy and Andragogy.

Ramos Asafo-Adjei, Liberal Studies Department, Takoradi Technical University, Ghana

Ramos Asafo-Adjei holds a PhD in English (ELT) from the University of Venda, South Africa. He is an Associate Professor at the Communication and Media Studies Section of the Centre for Languages and Liberal Studies of the Takoradi Technical University, Ghana. His research interests are: English Language Assessment and Evaluation, Pragmatics, English Language Pedagogy and Andragogy, Academic Literacy and Discourse Analysis.

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