Thematic Selection And Progression In Chinese EFL Learners' Thesis Abstracts

Based on Halliday's definition and classification of theme as well as Zhu and Yan's (2001) classification of thematic progression, this study first describes overall patterns of theme and thematic progression in Chinese EFL learners' thesis abstracts. It then compares cross-sectional features of theme and thematic progression in BA, MA, and PhD thesis abstracts. Based on text analysis, the present study yields the following findings.In terms of thematic selection, the most frequent type of theme used in students'abstracts is simple theme, while multiple theme and clausal theme are used less frequently; Compared with experts, students use proportionately more multiple theme and clausal theme. The possible reason might be that students pay more attention to cohesion of the text than experts. With respect to the cross-sectional features of student use of theme types, significant differences appear in their use of simple theme, with BA and MA students using proportionately more simple themes than PhD students. Moreover, PhD students use more multiple themes and clausal themes than BA students do. The result indicates that PhD students pay more attention to the cohesion of the text with flexible use of language.In terms of thematic progression, continuous progression is the most often adopted type in students' thesis abstracts, and constant theme progression ranks the second. The large proportion of continuous progression in students' thesis abstracts seemingly show that students tend to deal with one issue step by step. Besides, the relatively frequent use of constant theme progression in students' writing indicates that students tend to stick to one topic, which helps maintain the topic conformity of the text. Regarding the cross-sectional features of student use of thematic progression, significant differences display in their use of continuous and constant rheme progressions. The result seems to indicate that PhD students not only tend to analyze an issue step by step, but also emphasize on analyzing the issue from different perspectives.The present study can be significant to the teaching of academic English writing. Writing practitioners may raise learner awareness with regard to theme and thematic progression, thereby making topics more prominent and enhancing cohesion in student writing.