A cross-disciplinary study of value arguments in doctoral theses submitted to universities in Hong Kong

Abstract

The doctoral thesis is a key academic genre that documents doctoral students' socialisation into their disciplinary knowledge-making practices and their contributions to disciplinary knowledge. However, little attention has been paid to how doctoral students promote the value of their research in their theses. Using Carter's value arguments (VAs) framework, this study explored how doctoral students construct VAs strategically to underscore and promote the significance of their research. Analyses of 90 doctoral theses in the disciplines of applied linguistics, psychology, and physics, submitted to UGC-funded Hong Kong universities, revealed disciplinary differences in the formal and functional classes of VAs. Formally, applied linguistics theses employed explicit VAs significantly more frequently than those of psychology and physics did. Functionally, significant disciplinary differences were found in the use of VAs to narrow the focus of a study, intensify the importance of research gaps, justify the importance of gaps in literature, demonstrate the overall value of the research, and demonstrate the value of research findings. These findings highlight disciplinary influences on VAs as a promotional strategy for doctoral students to persuade readers of their research's value and merits. Based on these findings, implications are derived for English-for-academic-purposes pedagogy, doctoral supervision, and further research on promotion.