Tense in academic discourse: a study of two disciplines

Abstract

The study examined the types of tense used in the results and discussion sections of academic writings in M.Phil. theses in English and Health Science in the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. The mixed method approach was used for the study. The sample was drawn, using purposive and simple random sampling techniques. The total sample for the study was 20 M.Phil. theses. The quantitative approach of data analysis was used to analyse research question one and results presented in frequencies and percentages. Research questions two and three were analysed qualitatively. The descriptive, content, case and inductive analyses were generally adopted in organising the data for analysis. The study revealed that the simple present and simple past tense occurred most frequently in the results and discussion section of the M.Phil. theses in English Language and Health Sciences. The analysis revealed that the use of tense in the results and discussion section of the English and Health Science theses writing has some functions which include: advance labelling, recapitulation, commentary and evaluation, signalling, and references to previous research. The study revealed that there are number of factors that play a crucial role in tense choice and variation; the temporal references factors, the basic meanings of tenses, and uses of tense affect tense choice in academic writing. Variation in the choice of tense in thesis writing is also influenced by the author’s point of view, disciplinary culture, and purpose of writing. It was recommended that in a follow-up activity, the candidates could take partial or complete authentic texts from their own disciplines and identify the categories of the future, occurrences in each rhetorical section, and communicative purposes.