A systematic review: An investigation of studies on the use of discourse connectors in Turkish EFL learners’ academic writing

Abstract

The goal of this study was to analyze a collection of studies on discourse connectors in EFL learners’ writing in Turkey in terms of the distribution, purposes, corpora, findings, and pedagogical implications of certain studies between 2012-2022 in order to reveal research tendencies in this field. This review uses a systematic approach to identify and analyze studies on the use of discourse connectors in Turkish English as a Foreign Language (EFL) academic writing in Turkey. The data analysis procedure comprised a detailed evaluation and synthesis of the selected studies. The systematic review process involved deciding on the subject to be studied, doing a thorough assessment of the literature, selecting the studies that would be included in the study, collecting the data obtained from the investigation, analyzing the data, and reporting the findings. Out of 21 reviewed studies, 8 research papers, 9 M.A. theses, 2 Ph.D. dissertations, and 2 proceedings were reached. In light of the obtained results, it can be concluded that most of the studies were conducted to compare the discourse connectors in native and non-native academic writing such as argumentative essays, MA theses, or doctoral dissertations (Ph.D.), native and non-native corpora, or in written and spoken language respectively. In the last part of the research, practical implications and suggestions for further research were offered in detail.

Keywords

• Discourse connectors
• academic writing
• a systematic review

References

1. Abal, S. (2016). Receptive and productive knowledge of discourse markers: A case study of ELT prospective
2. teachers. Master of Art Thesis). Ankara: Gazı University Institute of Educational Sciences.
3. Altenberg, B., & Tapper, M. (1998). The use of adverbial connectors in advanced Swedish learners’ written English. In S. Granger (Ed.), Learner English on computer (pp. 80–93). London & New York: Longman.
4. Aysu, S. (2017). The Use of Discourse Markers in the Writings of Turkish Students of English as a Foreign
5. Language: A Corpus-Based Study. Journal of Higher Education & Science, 7(1).
6. Appel, R., & Szeib, A. (2018). Linking adverbials in L2 English academic writing: L1-related differences. System, 78, 115-129.
7. Aysu, S. (2017). The use of discourse markers in the writings of Turkish students of English as a foreign language: A corpus-based study. Yükseköğretim ve Bilim Dergisi.
8. Babanoğlu, M. P. (2012). A corpus-based study on Turkish EFL learners’ written English: The use of adverbial connectors by Turkish learners. Unpublished PhD Dissertation. Çukurova University, Adana.

9. Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1997). Writing narrative literature reviews. Review of General Psychology, 1(3), 311–320.
10. Biber, D., Johansson, S., Leech, G., Conrad, S., & Finegan, E. (1999). Longman grammar of spoken and written English. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.
11. Blakemore, D. (2002). Relevance and linguistic meaning: The semantics and pragmatics of discourse markers.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511486456
12. Bolton, K., Nelson, G., & Hung, J. (2002). A corpus-based study of connectors in student writing: research from the International Corpus of English in Hong Kong ICE-HK. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics, 7(2), 165–182.
13. Carter, R. & McCarthy, M. (2006). Cambridge Grammar of English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
14. Casteele, A. V., & Collewaert, K. (2013). The use of discourse markers in Spanish language learners’ written compositions. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 95, 550-556.
15. Çam, M. (2019). The Use of Discourse Markers in Writing: EFL University Students’ Production and Teachers’ Perspectives (Doctoral dissertation, Marmara Universitesi (Turkey).
16. Celce-Murcia, M. & Larsen-Freeman, D. (1999). The Grammar Book. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.
17. Chen, C. (2006). The use of conjunctive adverbials in the academic papers of advanced Taiwanese EFL learners. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics,11(1), 113–130.
18. Cowan, R. (2008). The teacher’s grammar of English with Answers: A Course Book and Reference Guide.
19. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
20. Crewe, W. J. (1990). The illogic of logical connectives. ELT Journal, 44(4), 316–325.
21. Çam, M. (2019). The Use of Discourse Markers in Writing: EFL University Students’ Production and Teachers’ Perspectives (Doctoral dissertation, Marmara Universitesi (Turkey).
22. Çelik, C. (2022). A comparison of native and non-native speakers on the basis of the use and function of discourse markers in MA theses abstracts (Master's thesis, Başkent University, Institute of Educational Sciences).
23. Demirel, E. (2015). Adverbial connector use in published academic research articles of Turkish NNES writers. European Journal of Research in Social Sciences Vol, 3(3).
24. Denyer, D., & Tranfield, D. (2009). Producing a systematic review. In D. A. Buchanan & A. Bryman
25. (Eds.), The Sage handbook of organizational research methods (p. 671–689). Sage Publications Ltd.
26. Ersanli, C. Y. (2015). Insights from a Learner Corpus as Opposed to a Native Corpus about Cohesive
27. Devices in an Academic Writing Context. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 3(12), 1049-1053.
28. Field, Y., & Yip, L. (1992). A comparison of internal conjunctive cohesion in the English essay writing of Cantonese speakers and native speakers of English. RELC Journal, 23(1), 15–28.
29. Field, Y., & Oi, Y. L. M. (1992). A comparison of internal conjunctive cohesion in the English essay writing of Cantonese speakers and native speakers of English. RELC journal, 23(1), 15-28.
30. Finch, G. (2000). Linguistic Terms and Concepts. New York: St. Martin.
31. Granger, S., & Tyson, S. (1996). Connector usage in the English essay writing of native and non-native EFL speakers of English. World Englishes, 15(1), 17–27.
32. Göktaş, Y., Hasançebi, F., Varışoğlu, B., Akçay, A., Bayrak, N., Baran, M. & Sözbilir, M. (2012). Türkiye’deki eğitim araştırmalarında eğilimler: Bir içerik analizi. Kuram ve Uygulamada Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi, 12, 177-199.
33. Güneş, H. (2017). A corpus-based study of linking adverbials through contrastive analysis of L1/L2 PhD dissertations. International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, 9(2), 21-38.
34. Halliday, M. K, & Hasan, R. (1976). Cohesion in English. London: Longman.
35. Heino, P. (2010). Adverbial connectors in advanced EFL learners' and native speakers' student writing.
36. Huddleston, R. & Pullum, G. K. (2002). The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
37. Kayonde, O. (2021). The use of connectors in argumentative writing by EFL undergraduate students from the University of Burundi: A quantitative analysis. International Journal of Research in English Education, 6(3), 1-20.
38. Koç, F. Ş. (2018). Analysis of thematic patterns and cohesion in EFL learners’ argumentative essays. Unpublished Master of Art thesis. Antalya University, Institute of Educational Sciences
39. Köroğlu, Z. (2019). A corpus-based analysis: The types of transition markers in the MA theses of native speakers of English and Turkish speakers of English. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 15(2), 496-507.
40. Lei, L. (2012). Linking adverbials in academic writing on applied linguistics by Chinese doctoral students. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 11(3), 267-275.
41. Liu, D. (2008). Linking adverbials: an across-register corpus study and its implications. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics, 13(4), 491–518.
42. Matte, M. L. (2017). A corpus-based study of connectors in student academic writing. https://www.lume.ufrgs.br/bitstream/handle/10183/179593/001067985.pdf?sequence=1
43. Miles, M. B., & Huberman A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. Second Edition. California: Sage Publications
44. Milton, J., & Tsang, E. (1993). A corpus-based study of logical connectors in EFL students’ writing: directions for future research. In R. Pemberton, & E. S. C.Tsang (Eds.), Studies in Lexis (pp. 215–246). Hong Kong: The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
45. Narita, M., Sato, C., & Sugiura, M. (2004, May). Connector Usage in the English Essay Writing of Japanese EFL Learners. In LREC (Vol. 27, pp. 1171-1174).
46. Nation, I.S.P. (2001) Learning vocabulary in another language. Cambridge: CUP
47. Neely, E. & Cortes, V. (2009). A little bit about: analyzing and teaching lexical bundles in academic lectures. Language Value, 1(1), 17-38.
48. Orhon, Y., Püren, D. K., & Güzel, E. (2018). A Corpus Linguistic Study on the Use of However in British Academic Spoken and Written English. The Literacy Trek, 4(2), 31-62.
49. Özbay, A., Aydemir, T. & Pektaş A.Y. (2019). The Use of Adverbial Connectors in Academic Writings of
50. Native and Non-native Speakers. In 8th International Conference on Narrative and Language Studies (Vol. 1, No. 1). May 2-3, 2019, Trabzon, Turkey http://conference.nalans.org ISBN: 978-605-031-979-8
51. Özdamar, B. (2020). Discourse structure and Discourse markers in the Argumentative Essays of English and Turkish Language Teaching Students. Unpublished M.A. thesis. Ankara: Hacettepe University, Institute of Educational Sciences.
52. Özer, H.Z. (2017). Discourse markers in EFL classrooms: A corpus-driven research. Unpublished M.A. thesis. Adana: Çukurova University, Institute of Social Sciences
53. Özhan, D. (2012). A comparative analysis on the use of but, however, and although in the university students’ argumentative essays: A corpus-based study on Turkish learners of English and American native speakers. Unpublished PhD Dissertation. Middle East Technical University. The Graduate School of Social Sciences.
54. Peters, E. & Pauwels, P. (2015). Learning academic formulaic sequences. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 20, 28-39.
55. Petticrew, M., & Roberts, H. (2006). Systematic reviews in the social sciences: A practical guide. Malden, MA: Blackwell.
56. Sabzevari, A., Haghverdi, H., & Biria, R. (2016). Sentence-initial conjunctive adverbials in academic articles written by native English speakers and Iranian EFL writers. Modern Journal of Language Teaching Methods, 6(5),282.
57. Salazar, D. (2014). Lexical bundles in native and non-native scientific writing: Applying a corpus-based study to language teaching (Vol. 65). Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
58. Şimşek, T. (2015). The use linking adverbials in academic writing of Turkish EFL learners: A corpus-based implementation on the priming of contrastive adverbials. Unpublished M.A. thesis. Çukurova University, The Institute of Social Sciences.
59. Simsek, M. R. (2018). Examining Turkish EFL learners’ Use of Conjunctions: Their Merits and Limits in Persuasive Writing. ERPA 2018, 609.
60. Tazegül, A. B. (2015). Use, misuse and overuse of ‘on the other hand’: A corpus study comparing Englısh of native speakers and learners. International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET), 2(2), 53-66.
61. Topal, E. (2019). A corpus-based study in the usage of connectors in between the dissertations of the native speakers of English and Turkish speakers of English (Master's thesis, Çağ Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü).
62. Uçar, S., & Yükselir, C. (2017). A Corpus-Based Study on the Use of the Logical Connector" Thus" in the Academic Writing of Turkish EFL Learners. English language teaching, 10(2), 64-72.
63. Quirk, R., Greenbaum, S., Leech, G., & Svartvik, J. (1985). A comprehensive grammar of the English language.London: Longman.
64. Yangın-Ersanli, C. (2015). Insights from a Learner Corpus as Opposed to a Native Corpus about Cohesive Devices in an Academic Writing Context. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 3(12), 1049-1053.
65. Yeung, L. (2009). Use and misuse of ‘besides’: A corpus study comparing native speakers’ and learners’ English. System, 37(2), 330-342.
66. Yıldırım, B. (2022). The Use of Discourse Markers in High School EFL Learners’ Speech and Writing. Unpublished M.A. thesis. Istanbul Meedeniyet University, Institute of Graduate Studies
67. Abal, S. (2016). Receptive and productive knowledge of discourse markers: A case study of ELT prospective teachers. Master of Art Thesis). Ankara: Gazı University Institute of Educational Sciences.
68. Aysu, S. (2017). The Use of Discourse Markers in the Writings of Turkish Students of English as a Foreign Language: A Corpus-Based Study. Journal of Higher Education & Science, 7(1).
69. Babanoğlu, M. P. (2012). A corpus-based study on Turkish EFL learners’ written English: The use of adverbial connectors by Turkish learners. Unpublished PhD Dissertation. Çukurova University, Adana.
70. Çam, M. (2019). The Use of Discourse Markers in Writing: EFL University Students’ Production and Teachers’ Perspectives (Doctoral dissertation, Marmara Universitesi (Turkey).
71. Çelik, C. (2022). A comparison of native and non-native speakers on the basis of the use and function of discourse markers in MA theses abstracts (Master's thesis, Başkent University, Institute of Educational Sciences).
72. Demirel, E. (2015). Adverbial connector use in published academic research articles of Turkish NNES writers. European Journal of Research in Social Sciences Vol, 3(3).
73. Güneş, H. (2017). A corpus-based study of linking adverbials through contrastive analysis of L1/L2 Ph.D. dissertations. International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, 9(2), 21-38.
74. Koç, F. Ş. (2018). Analysis of thematic patterns and cohesion in EFL learners’ argumentative essays. Unpublished Master of Art thesis. Antalya University, Institute of Educational Sciences.
75. Köroğlu, Z. (2019). A corpus-based analysis: The types of transition markers in the MA theses of native speakers of English and Turkish speakers of English. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 15(2), 496-507.
76. Orhon, Y., PÜREN, D. K., & GÜZEL, E. (2018). A Corpus Linguistic Study on the Use of However in British Academic Spoken and Written English. The Literacy Trek, 4(2), 31-62.
77. Özbay, A., Aydemir, T. & Pektaş A.Y. (2019). The Use of Adverbial Connectors in Academic Writings of Native and Non-native Speakers. In 8th International Conference on Narrative and Language Studies (Vol. 1, No. 1). May 2-3, 2019, Trabzon, Turkey http://conference.nalans.org ISBN: 978-605-031-979-8
78. Özdamar, B. (2020). Discourse structure and Discourse markers in the Argumentative Essays of English and Turkish Language Teaching Students. Unpublished M.A. thesis. Ankara: Hacettepe University, Institute of Educational Sciences.
79. Özer, H.Z. (2017). Discourse markers in EFL classrooms: A corpus-driven research. Unpublished M.A. thesis. Adana: Çukurova University, Institute of Social Sciences
80. Özhan, D. (2012). A comparative analysis on the use of but, however, and although in the university students’ argumentative essays: A corpus-based study on Turkish learners of English and American native speakers. Unpublished PhD Dissertation. Middle East Technical University. The Graduate School of Social Sciences.
81. Şimşek, T. (2015). The use linking adverbials in academic writing of Turkish EFL learners: A corpus-based implementation on the priming of contrastive adverbials. Unpublished M.A. thesis. Çukurova University, The Institute of Social Sciences.
82. Simsek, M. R. (2018). Examining Turkish EFL learners’ Use of Conjunctions: Their Merits and Limits in Persuasive Writing. ERPA 2018, 609.
83. Tazegül, A. B. (2015). Use, misuse and overuse of ‘on the other hand’: A corpus study comparing Englısh of native speakers and learners. International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET), 2(2), 53-66.
84. Topal, E. (2019). A corpus-based study in the usage of connectors in between the dissertations of the native speakers of English and Turkish speakers of English (Master's thesis, Çağ Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü).
85. Uçar, S., & Yükselir, C. (2017). A Corpus-Based Study on the Use of the Logical Connector" Thus" in the Academic Writing of Turkish EFL Learners. English language teaching, 10(2), 64-72.
86. Yangın-Ersanli, C. (2015). Insights from a Learner Corpus as Opposed to a Native Corpus about Cohesive Devices in an Academic Writing Context. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 3(12), 1049-1053.
87. Yıldırım, B. (2022). The Use of Discourse Markers in High School EFL Learners’ Speech and Writing. Unpublished M.A. thesis. Istanbul Medeniyet University, Institute of Graduate Studies