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Doctoral students' English academic writing experiences through metaphor analysis
Wai Mar Phyo1, Marianne Nikolov2, Ágnes Hódi3
1Doctoral Student, Doctoral School of Education, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.
Heliyon
|February 23, 2023
Summary
Non-native English-speaking doctoral students often view academic writing as challenging yet manageable. Their conceptual metaphors reveal optimism despite the demanding nature of publishing in English.
Area of Science:
- Linguistics
- Education
- Academic Writing
Background:
- Doctoral students are expected to publish research and write dissertations.
- Non-native English speakers face unique challenges in English academic writing.
- Understanding these challenges is crucial for supporting doctoral candidates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore conceptual metaphors used by non-native English-speaking doctoral students.
- To characterize their experiences with English academic writing.
- To gain insights into their emic perspectives.
Main Methods:
- A survey was conducted in spring 2022 with non-native English-speaking doctoral students in Hungary.
- Participants completed the sentence: "Writing an academic paper in English is like .....".
- Metaphor data were analyzed using Lakoff and Johnson's (1980) framework.
Main Results:
- Ten conceptual domains emerged: WORK, TEXT PRODUCTION, CHALLENGE, STRUGGLE, CHANGING PLACES, ACTIVITY, NOURISHMENT, EASY TASK, CONSTRUCTION, and COMPLEX PROCESS.
- Most students' metaphors reflected optimism, despite acknowledging writing demands.
- Only a small minority (four students) expressed very negative experiences.
Conclusions:
- Doctoral students' conceptual metaphors offer authentic insights into their academic writing experiences.
- Despite challenges, most non-native English speakers maintain an optimistic outlook on English academic writing.
- These findings can inform pedagogical support for international doctoral students.
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