Toward a Paraphrase Pedagogy for Multilingual Writers: Weighing Pedagogical Prescriptions against Instructional and Disciplinary Practice

Paul Michiels

Advisor: Paul M. Rogers, PhD, CHSSWeb Design Preview

Committee Members: Susan Lawrence, Karyn Kessler

Fenwick Library, #1014 A
April 25, 2019, 04:30 PM to 06:30 PM

Abstract:

Paraphrase writing can pose a unique challenge for college-level multilingual writers. This challenge is compounded by gaps in pedagogical research, gaps in research into the paraphrase practices of expert writers, and general uncertainty surrounding a precise and commonly recognized definition of acceptable academic paraphrase. This dissertation begins the foundational work required to create a theoretically and pedagogically principled approach to studying and teaching paraphrase by examining current instruction in paraphrase, as found in L1 and L2 composition handbooks, and by weighing that instruction against actual instances of paraphrase: those showcased in the handbooks and those produced by expert writers. One set of college-level handbooks for students writing in English as a first language (L1, n=128) and another set for students writing in English as a second or additional language (L2, n=19) were analyzed in terms of paraphrase conceptualization, definition, and pedagogy. From each set of textbooks, a selection of paraphrase/source passage pairings (the example paraphrases with corresponding source passages) were then extracted (L1, n=107; L2, n=27). Three additional selections of potential paraphrase/source passage pairings were assembled from award-winning journal articles published in three disciplines: engineering (IEEE, n=44), composition (CCC, n=15), and second language writing studies (JSLW, n=40). All paraphrase/source passage pairings were then analyzed using criteria drawn from the handbooks themselves. Language borrowing was assessed using an existing taxonomy (Keck, 2006), and rhetorical characteristics were assessed in terms of additions, omissions, semantic alignment, and stylistics. Results indicate that paraphrase practices in both handbooks and journal articles frequently depart from traditional prescriptions and that disciplinarity seems to impact both the nature and degree of borrowing and the kinds of rhetorical maneuvers employed by authors. Implications for second language pedagogy are discussed.