Assessing EFL Learners’ Authorial Stance in Academic Writing: A Case of Out Theses and Dissertations Authors

This study was an assessment of authorial stance using engagement framework by Tanzanian EFL academic writers so as to reveal the linguistic resources that enable authors to present a stance toward the research they are reviewing and presenting. Specifically, the study sought to i) explore pattern of expanding and contracting in presenting authorial stance in the selected dissertations and theses, ii) assess the authors‟ linguistic resources for expanding moves, and iii) assess the linguistic resources for contracting moves by the authors. The study adapted Martin and White (2005) engagement system framework focusing on heterogloss. The study was conducted at the Open University of Tanzania. We analyzed the engagement of 20 EFL postgraduate theses and 20 Dissertations at Master‟s and Doctoral levels by the EFL candidates/authors and used document analysis as a sole tool of data gathering. In conducting analyses of these texts, each was first broken down into non-embedded clauses and analyzed based on the engagement system belonging to heterogloss categories then their respective sub-categories. Findings revealed that the dissertation/theses writers varied in their mode of registering their stances towards the subject matter and thence proven heteroglossic rather than monoglossic. In that way they were able to establish their authorial territory and claim their visibility or presence instead of being compilers or reporters of findings by others. It was further noted that author stance was more noticed in literature review and introduction chapters.