Effects of Instruction on Chinese College Students’ Thematic Choice in Academic Writing

Abstract

The Theme is a major aspect of how speakers construct their messages in a way which makes them fit smoothly into the unfolding language event. Thematic choice provides clues as to how English learners organize information and shape their texts. Previous studies reveal that English learners deviated from English native speakers in their thematic choices, leading to failure in signaling what the text is about. The findings have led to a consensus that English learners should be trained in thematic choices so that they are able to write well-developed essays. This quasi-experimental research aimed to investigate the effects of instruction on Chinese college students’ thematic choices in their academic English writing, and proved that instruction in thematic choice produced positive effects on Chinese college students’ use of topical Themes, interpersonal Themes, unmarked Themes, and conjunctive adjuncts.

Keywords: Theme; thematic choice; instruction; Chinese college students; English academic writing