An Exploration of Three Voices in a New Curriculum

Abstract

A high proficiency in English is seen by many in Hong Kong to be one of the keys to future educational success. One reason is because Hong Kong universities use English as a medium of instruction. If students are to learn effectively, they need to develop their ability to use English for academic purposes. In 2000, the Hong Kong Government increased undergraduate study from three to four years. One large-scale Hong Kong university responded to this change by developing an inter-disciplinary curriculum to fill the extra year, conceptualized into four Areas of Inquiry (AoI) - two disciplinary AoIs (Science and Humanities) and two geographically-focused AoIs (Global Issues and China: Culture, State and Society). For this study, the academic English language demands placed on students by this curriculum were analyzed. 13 A-grade argumentative essays were gathered from two Science and Humanities AoI courses. Patterns in the use of Attitude were analyzed to identify how successful students express a stance. Three voices were identified in the essays. A Student Voice was characterized by the absence of first person Affect and the frequent use of Valuation. A Science Voice was characterized by frequent use of Composition and appraisal of people on the basis of Capacity. A Humanities Voice was characterized by the appraisal of people on the basis of Propriety. This paper will exemplify how these voices are construed through patterns of invoked and inscribed Attitude.