A Graduate Student’s Thesis Writing Process

Geby Maryono(1*), Emi Emilia(2), Gin Gin Gustine(3)


(1) Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
(2) Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
(3) Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
(*) Corresponding Author

Abstract


A thesis is a challenging scholarly writing task at the university level. Previous studies showed that an effective writing process is necessary to complete writing tasks. Therefore, it is assumed that effective process is also necessary to complete thesis writing well. This qualitative research applied a case study design to explore the writing process of a proficient graduate student in writing a thesis. The participant of this study was a graduate student from a private university with cum laude predicate. The interview was used as the main data source with document analysis as a data source for triangulation. Models of writing processes from the process-genre approach were used as the main theory to discuss the findings. This research revealed that the student went through stages of writing well with various activities. In the pre-writing stage, the student reflected on her surrounding to find the problem to solve, read numerous references and discussed the topic with the experts to gain a deeper understanding. In the drafting stage, the student always provided a specific time for writing and simultaneously integrated her reading into her writing. In the revision stage, the student got feedback from many experts, then she selected the feedback before applying them to her writing. During the revision, the student also simultaneously edited her writing. She also published her thesis several times. The student gained many benefits from each stage of writing, such as improving academic writing skills and changing mindset in perceiving writing specifically and perceiving life in general. However, she also faced challenges during the writing process, such as feeling bored with the tedious process and dealing with her perfectionist to stay realistic. From this research, it can be seen that proficient students recursively went through each stage of the writing process, which resulted in a quality thesis.

Keywords


thesis writing, writing process, process-genre approach, graduate student

Full Text:

PDF

References


Acevedo, C., & Rose, D. (2007). Reading and writing to learn. PETA.

Badger, R., & White, G. (2000). A process genre approach to teaching writing. ELT Journal, 54(2), 153–160. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/54.2.153

Bayat, N. (2014). The effect of the process writing approach on writing success and anxiety. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 14(3), 1133–1141. https://doi.org/10.12738/estp.2014.3.1720

Bitchener, J., & Basturkmen, H. (2006). Perceptions of the difficulties of postgraduate L2 thesis students writing the discussion section. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 5(1), 4–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2005.10.002

Brown, H. D. (2018). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices (3rd ed.). Pearson Education.

Cai, J. (2016). An exploratory study on an integrated genre-based approach for the instruction of academic lexical phrases. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 24, 58–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2016.09.002

Chandrasekhar, R. (2000). How to write a thesis: A working guide. The University of Western Australia. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-5347(17)59223-X

Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design (4th ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.

Eggins, S. (2004). An introduction of systemic functional linguistics (2nd ed.). Continuum International Publishing Group.

Emilia, E., Hermawan, B., & Tati, D. N. (2008). Implementasi pendekatan genre-based dalam kurikulum 2006: Penelitian tindakan kelas di salah satu SMP Negeri di Banding. FPBS UPI.

Emilia, Emi. (2011). Pendekatan berbasis teks dalam pengajaran Bahasa Inggris. PT. Kiblat Buku Utama.

Feez, S., & Joyce, H. (1998). Text-based syllabus design. National Centre for English Language Teaching and Research.

Flower, L., & Hayes, J. R. (1981). A cognitive process theory of writing. College Composition and Communication, 32(4), 365. https://doi.org/10.2307/356600

Gibbons, P. (2003). Mediating language learning : Teacher interactions with ESL students in a content-based classroom. TESOL Quarterly, 37(2), 247–273.

Grabe, W., & Kaplan, R. (1996). Theory and practice of writing: An applied linguistic perspective. Longman.

Graham, S., McKeown, D., Kiuhara, S., & Harris, K. R. (2012). A meta-analysis of writing instruction for students in the elementary grades. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104(4), 879–896. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029185

Graham, S., & Perin, D. (2007). A meta-analysis of writing instruction for adolescent students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99(3), 445–476. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.99.3.445

Graham, S., & Sandmel, K. (2011). The process writing approach: A meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Research, 104(6), 396–407. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2010.488703

Graves, D. (1982). A case study observing the development of primary children’s composing, spelling, and motor behaviors during the writing process. University of New Hampshire.

Graves, D. (1983). Writing: Teachers and children at work. Heinemann Educational Books.

Haryanti, H., & Sari, F. (2019). The use of genre-based approach to improve writing skill in narrative text at the eleventh grade students of SMA Ethika Palembang. English Community Journal, 3(1), 280. https://doi.org/10.32502/ecj.v3i1.1693

Hyland, K. (2004). Second language writing (J. C. Richards (Ed.)). Cambridge University Press.

Kim, Y., & Kim, J. (2005). Teaching Korean university writing class: Balancing the process and the genre approach authors: Asian EFL Journal, 7(2), 1–15.

Larios, J. R., Manchón, R., Murphy, L., & Marín, J. (2008). The foreign language writer’s strategic behaviour in the allocation of time to writing processes. Journal of Second Language Writing, 17(1), 30–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2007.08.005

Marchisan, M. L., & Alber, S. R. (2001). The write way: Tips for teaching the writing process to resistant writers. Intervention in School and Clinic, 36(3), 154–162.

Martin, J. R. (2010). Language, register, and genre. In C. Coffin, T. Lilis, & K. O. Halloran (Eds.), Applied linguistics methods: A reader. Routledge.

Merriam, S. B. (2009). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. Jossey Bass.

Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Newfields, T. (2003). Helping EFL students acquire academic writing skills. Journal of Nanzan Junior College, 30, 99–120.

Peraturan Menteri Kementerian Riset, Teknologi, Dan Pendidikan Tinggi Republik Indonesia tentang Standar Nasional Pendidikan Tinggi (Patent No. 44). (2015).

Rosário, P., Högemann, J., Núñez, J. C., Vallejo, G., Cunha, J., Rodríguez, C., & Fuentes, S. (2019). The impact of three types of writing intervention on students’ writing quality. PLoS ONE, 14(7), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0218099

Sadeghi, K., & Khajepasha, A. S. (2015). Thesis writing challenges for non-native MA students. Research in Post-Compulsory Education, 20(3), 357–373. https://doi.org/10.1080/13596748.2015.1063808

Sasaki, M. (2000). Toward an empirical model of EFL writing processes: An exploratory study. Journal of Second Language Writing, 9(3), 259–291. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1060-3743(00)00028-X

Sharp, L. A. (2016). Acts of writing: A compilation of six models that define the processes of writing. International Journal of Instruction, 9(2), 77–90. https://doi.org/10.12973/iji.2016.926a

Thomas, R. M., & Brubaker, D. L. (2000). Theses and dissertations: A guide to planning, research, and writing. Greenwood Publishing Group.

Williams, J. D. (2003). Preparing to teach: Research, theory, and practice (3rd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Wingate, U., & Harper, R. (2020). Completing the first assignment: A case study of the writing processes of a successful and an unsuccessful students. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 135907. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135907

Wyse, D. (1998). Primary writing. Open University Press.


Article Metrics

Abstract view : 351 times
PDF - 102 times

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2022 English Language and Literature International Conference (ELLiC) Proceedings

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Electronic ISSN: 2579-7263
CD-ROM ISSN: 2579-7549

Published by

FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
UNIVERSITAS MUHAMMADIYAH SEMARANG
Jl. Kedungmundu Raya No.18 Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia
Phone: +622476740295, email: ellic@unimus.ac.id