Okamura, A. (2006). Two types of strategies used by Japanese scientists, when writing research articles in English. System, 34(1), 68-79.
摘要:
In investigations of the second-language writing process the aim of interviews and questionnaireshas often been to find shared difficulties among them. However,in practice some writers are moresuccessful than others. The aim of this study is to examine how some writers succeed in masteringscientific discourse in English,in a non-English speaking environment. Interviews were conductedwith 13 Japanese researchers: 5 junior,5 middle-ranking and 3 established. The analysis focusesnot only on their difficulties,but also on their strategies to cope with them. Findings show that identificationof their audience may distinguish established researchers from others. Another distinguishingcharacteristic seems to be their learning strategies,and these can be divided into two sets. Thefirst set focuses on reading academic texts in their field (subject knowledge-oriented) to learn typicalwriting patterns. This practice was adopted by all. The second involves giving direct attention tomastering English speakers’ language use (language-oriented strategies),but these were employedby only 2 junior and 3 established researchers. The majority seems to prefer simply to cope with theirlimited English,because of time constraints; however,efforts to adopt the second type would appearto pay off in the long run.
关键词:Writing and learning strategies; Scientific research articles; Japanese researchers