Abstract

There have been some studies about reader awareness at home and abroad. And researchers from different fields have studied the importance and necessity of reader awareness in the process of writing from different angles. However, there is not much academic work in the field of English undergraduate education in our country.

This thesis makes a survey of the current situation of the daily writing of English majors, and the open-ended questionnaire and teacher interview are designed to explore the status quo of the reader awareness in the writing of English majors (including the level of recognition and the actual application in the daily writing). Then, the author analyzes the influence of reader awareness on the writing process of English-major writers, and gives the corresponding suggestions. The whole thesis is made up of five chapters:

Part I is the introduction that briefly introduces the theoretical background and significance of this research; Part II summarizes the related historical research and research status of reader, reader awareness and writing process; Part III elaborates on the overall design of the questionnaire and teacher interview, covering the questionnaire questions, corresponding objectives and related details; In Part IV, the results of questionnaire and teacher interview are discussed in detail. The findings of the questionnaire suggest that most of the undergraduate English-major participants in this study recognize the importance of the reader awareness and the necessity for relevant training, and reader awareness, to some extent, does exist in their mind. However, the influence of the traditional teaching model of writing causes the reader awareness to be relatively vague. Although the students acknowledge that there are different readers, most of them still treat the exam-marker (their teacher) as the target audience. In addition, the author has also found that most students have fixed and single writing patterns. In a sense, this phenomenon has become a direct result of the examination-oriented education and traditional teaching model of English writing, but it also reflects the consequences of the lack of clear and strong reader awareness. In addition, the part of teacher interview also shows the current problems of undergraduate English writing teaching, which results in the students’ insufficient knowledge about reader awareness in class. And in Part V, the author summarizes and comprehensively analyzes the above study, and puts forward some feasible practical suggestions for the teaching of undergraduate English major writing. At last, the limitations of this study and the need for further study are provided.

Key Words：Reader Awareness；Writing Process；English Majors；Questionnaire

Contents

摘要

Abstract

I. Introduction-1

II. Literature Review-3

A. Definition of Reader-3

B. Reader Awareness-4

1. Definition of Reader Awareness-4

2. The Importance of Reader Awareness in College English Writing-4

C. Studies on Reader Awareness-5

1. Reader Awareness in Rhetoric-5

2. The Cultivation of Reader Awareness-7

D. Studies on Writing-8

1. The Nature of Writing-8

2. Review of English Writing Studies-8

3. The Effect of Reader Awareness on Writing-9

III. Methodology-11

A. Research Questions-11

B. Research Methods-11

1.Subjects-11

2. Instruments-11

IV. Results and Discussion-13

A. Data Analysis-13

1. Analysis of the Questionnaire Answers-13

2. Analysis of the Interviews-14

B. Research Findings-14

1. Students’ Perceptions of Reader Awareness in Writing-14

2. Target Reader in Students’ Mind-18

3. Ways to Cultivate Reader Awareness-20

V. Conclusion-21

A. Major Findings-21

B. Pedagogical Implications-22

1. Enhancing Reader Awareness-22

2. Providing Various Opportunities in Practice-23

C. Limitations of the Study-23

Bibliography-24

Appendix -26

Acknowledgments-30