Spanish researchers’ perceived difficulty writing research articles for English-medium journals: the impact of proficiency in English versus publication experience

Moreno, Ana I., Rey-Rocha, Jesús, Burgess, Sally, López-Navarro, Irene and Sachdev, Itesh Spanish researchers’ perceived difficulty writing research articles for English-medium journals: the impact of proficiency in English versus publication experience. Ibérica: Revista de la Asociación Europea de Lenguas para Fines Específicos, 2012, vol. 24, pp. 157-183. [Journal article (Paginated)]

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English abstract

Previous quantitative studies suggest that the burden researchers who use English as an additional language perceive when writing research articles (RAs) for publication in English (as L2) is 24% greater than the burden they perceive when they write RAs for publication in their L1. It remains unclear precisely which aspects of research article (RA) writing in English present these writers with the greatest challenge and just why they perceive this increase in difficulty. A structured questionnaire comprising thirty-seven questions about researchers’ publication experiences in scientific journals in English and in Spanish was designed and sent out to all (n = 8,794) Spanish postdoctoral researchers at one research-only institution and four universities in Spain, yielding responses from 1,717 researchers. Our first results show that the discussion is the section that is perceived as more difficult to write for English-medium journals, across the four broad knowledge areas in a way that cannot be fully explained by their lower level of proficiency in English (as L2). This article proposes the rhetorical transfer hypothesis as a possible explanation for their additional difficulty. Our results also reveal that their increased perceived difficulty writing RA discussions in English (as L2) does not decrease noticeably until Spanish researchers report high or very high levels of proficiency in English (as L2) for academic or general purposes or have published on average at least 37 RAs as corresponding author in English-medium journals over the last ten years. Implications for English for Academic Purposes (EAP) research and pedagogy are discussed.

Spanish abstract

La dificultad percibida por los investigadores españoles al escribir artículos de investigación para revistas en inglés: los efectos del nivel de inglés y de la experiencia de publicación Estudios cuantitativos previos sugieren que escribir artículos de investigación (RAs) en inglés (como L2) supone una dificultad añadida del 24% a los investigadores cuya primera lengua no es el inglés con respecto a escribirlos en su primera lengua (L1). Sin embargo, se desconoce qué aspectos de los RAs les resultan más difíciles de escribir en inglés (como L2) y cuáles son precisamente las causas de dicha dificultad añadida. Con este fin, se envió un cuestionario estructurado a 8.794 investigadores españoles doctores afiliados a cinco instituciones españolas, una de investigación y cuatro universidades, obteniéndose respuestas por parte de 1.717 investigadores. El cuestionario contenía 37 preguntas sobre sus experiencias de publicación en revistas científicas en inglés y en castellano. Nuestros primeros resultados indican que la discusión es el apartado del RA que se percibe como más difícil de escribir en revistas en inglés en todas las áreas de conocimiento sin que el menor nivel de competencia lingüística lo explique completamente. El artículo propone la hipótesis de la transferencia retórica como posible explicación de dicha dificultad añadida. Los resultados también muestran que la percepción de dificultad añadida no se reduce de forma apreciable hasta que los investigadores afirman tener un nivel alto, o superior, de competencia en inglés (como L2) para fines académicos o generales o han publicado por término medio al menos 37 RAs como autores principales en revistas en inglés en los últimos diez años. Se extraen implicaciones para la docencia y la investigación en inglés con fines académicos (IFA).

Item type: Journal article (Paginated)
Keywords: research article, academic writing, needs analysis, survey studies, artículo de investigación, escritura académica, análisis de necesidades, estudios mediante encuestas
Subjects: B. Information use and sociology of information > BZ. None of these, but in this section.
Depositing user: Carlos G. Figuerola
Date deposited: 29 May 2016 09:52
Last modified: 29 May 2016 09:52
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10760/29319

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