A Comparative Corpus-based Analysis of Genre Specific Discourse: The Quantitative and Qualitative Academic Papers in the Field of the TEFL

This study attempts to analysis the different parts of quantitative and qualitative research articles in the field of TEFL comparatively to present a convenient pattern for novice EFL students or researchers in a non-English context. Benefited from mix method, current study investigated the similarities and differences between the two genres-specific corpora. In order to induce accurate and creditable result, data-analyzing process was implemented through both computer-based programs and hand- tagged analysis. Fifty quantitative and qualitative TEFL research articles from high-ranking ELT journals were selected and then analyzed. Swales CARS model (2004) was considered as a framework of analysis. Moreover, interpreting of obtaining results from the vocabulary profile program, the readability statistics of two corpora, fulfilled through non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test. The conducted results according to significant level of x < 0.5 or x = 0.05 demonstrated that the differences between quantitative and qualitative research articles from lexio-grammatical and rhetorical features were insignificant. On the contrary, move-structure analyzing of both genre indicated that there are some variation between some exercise of move-step structure. These findings may provide confirmatory and useful evidences for academic researchers in the EFL context