Utilizing Genre Analysis: From Theory to Application in Teaching the Research Article Methods Section

Abstract

The implementation of a genre-based curriculum by the University of Electro-Communications (UEC) English department created a need for all of the English instructors to have some working knowledge of genre-based pedagogy. This paper attempts to fill part of that need with some micro-teaching applications focusing on explicitly teaching the Methods section of the Introduction-Methods-Results-Discussion (IMRD) research article (RA), one of the required genres to be taught in the second-year compulsory English courses at UEC. These applications are derived from genre theory and genre analysis advanced by English for Specific Purposes (ESP). A brief review of these concepts within the ESP framework will be covered as well as a compressed overview of the IMRD RA. One major implication of this article is that genre analysis can be a powerful tool that enables teachers to better assist students in improving their language skills and their use of relevant genres in particular academic contexts