Sri Maryati (14121310362): “EXPLORING HEDGES IN EFL LERANERS’
SOME SELECTED UNDERGRADUATE THESIS” Undergraduate Thesis
2016
Hedges devices have become a crucial issue in language learning. The
study of hedges brings discussion of type of hedges and relates to interpersonal
meaning used in EFL learners’ undergraduate thesis. One aspect that is
highlighted in the hedges is how to deliver the argument in order to be accepted
by the reader within the scope of the making of undergraduate thesis. The term of
the hedges plays different types and interaction management in making
undergraduate thesis. There are some types of hedges and interaction management
that are used by EFL learners.
This research is intended to: 1) identify what types of hedges are
commonly used by the students, 2) describe hedges choices relate to interpersonal
meaning. This research is based on the fact that in writing undergraduate thesis,
writers are still confused about how to convey an argument to be understood and
there is no misunderstanding by the reader.
This research applied qualitative research method in analyzing the data
since the researcher attempts to explore deeply types of hedges that are used and
find the type of interaction on the writing of undergraduate thesis of EFL learners.
The data are taken from a stratified purposive sampling (high, medium, low
score). They are three data of undergraduate students in 2015. In this research the
main instrument is the researcher herself. The researcher uses the theory of
Hyland’s taxonomy as the foundations in analyzing the data of this research.
After conducting research, the researcher obtains the results of this
research. The research findings of first research question shows that there are two
types of hedges that often found. They are modal verbs (43,04%) and lexical
verbs (32,91%) primarily on epistemic evidental in lexical hedges. The types
found are referred to the level of certainty and uncertainty in presenting
arguments. Meanwhile, in the non-lexical hedges the harmonic combination
(54,34%) occupies the high position in the use of three data. It means that the
authors avoid personal responsibility for validity of the proposition. The research
findings of second research question shows that hedges related to interpersonal
meaning that used personal attribution. The average writers of the three data use
metatext (52%) to guide the reader rather than the use of writer-reader interaction
(48%) which focuses on the writer-reader relationship. In conclusion, hedges are
important aspects in writing learning that help students to be professional writers.
Keywords: Hedges, EFL Leraner, Metadiscourse, Interpersonal Metadiscours