English Tenses and Conventions in Research Report Writing

摘要

Appropriate use of English tenses and conventions is a must for students who write their thesis in English. It is imperative whether they are aware of the appropriateness to translate their research activities into a written form that conform to the expectations of scientific and academic community. A survey was conducted to 65 out of a population of 124 students of the English Education Study Program of Universitas Palangka Raya who were writing the draft of their research report. The survey was done to obtain data on the use of English tenses and conventions in the Introduction part of their thesis research report writing. The results showed that the inappropriateness of the use of English tenses and conventions occurred due to the lack of understanding on the appropriate use of the English tenses and conventions in the Introduction Part. They used incorrect tenses in stating the arguments and in quoting previous research results. They did not provide a clear setting to move from the general area toward more specific topic of the research. They could not differentiate report-oriented style from research-oriented style in communicating the information about their research.