Methodological-type steps in the writing of dissertations in the area of Discourse Analysis

Abstract

In this article, we analyze how master’s students from the Graduate Program in Literature at the Federal University of Piauí (PPGeL/UFPI), particularly within the disciplinary culture of the Discourse Analysis subfield, incorporate methodological steps throughout the various sections of their dissertations. This study aims to explore the specific use and distribution of these steps across sections, highlighting patterns and deviations from traditional models. Our investigation of the dissertation genre is motivated by several factors: (i) producing a dissertation is a fundamental milestone in academic careers, as it is a key requirement for obtaining a master’s degree. The process of composing, arguing, and defending a dissertation serves as a “gateway” to more advanced academic pursuits, significantly shaping a scholar’s trajectory; (ii) students faced with writing a dissertation are often relatively inexperienced in academic writing and research practices. As a result, they may “lack the confidence or the necessary metalanguage to critically reflect on the discourse, practices, and genres accepted within the academic community they are entering” (Figueiredo; Bonini, 2006, p. 441); and (iii) research on the dissertation as a genre, especially from a socio-rhetorical perspective in the Brazilian academic context, is still relatively scarce, making this an underexplored area with potential for new insights. One of our central research questions is: why are methodological steps often found in sections other than the Methodology? To address this, we analyzed a corpus of eight dissertations produced in the aforementioned graduate program, utilizing the analytical tools provided by socio-rhetorical genre studies (Swales, 1990; 2004; 2016; Askehave; Swales, 2001; Hyland, 2004; 2015; 2018). Our findings reveal a significant presence of methodological steps in the Introduction section, contrary to traditional expectations. Moreover, while certain steps are typically associated with specific sections, they are not confined exclusively to them. This suggests a more complex compositional structure. For example, the significant presence of steps related to methodology in the introduction challenges the boundaries of the sections, while also confirming them, as we observe the presence of typical academic paper sections in the corpus, even if labeled differently. Based on these findings, we argue that teaching academic writing in postgraduate programs should be reoriented to account for this structural complexity, better preparing students for the nuanced demands of dissertation writing.