Thesis and Dissertation Writing in a Second Language: a handbook for Supervisors

The social and cultural context of thesis 
and dissertation writing
We have found that a useful way to discuss thesis and dissertation writing
with our students is by starting with an examination of the social and cultural
context in which the student’s thesis or dissertation is being produced.
Factors that might be discussed with the student, for example, include:
●
the setting of the text;
●
the focus and perspective of the text;
●
the purpose/s of the text;
●
the intended audience for the text, their role and purpose in reading the
text;
●
the relationship between writers and readers of the text;
●
expectations, conventions and requirements for the text;
●
the background knowledge, values, and understandings it is assumed the
student shares with their readers, including what is important to their
reader and what is not;
●
the relationship the text has with other texts.
Each of these is important to consider as they all, in their way, have an
impact on what the student writes and the way they write it. Often these
issues are mutually understood by people working in the university, but not
explicitly stated to students. This discussion can include values and expec-
tations that are held in a particular area of study, the audience students are
writing for, and different expectations at different levels of study. We have
found it useful to have this discussion with students before they start writ-
ing their thesis or dissertation, as well as before we look at examples of
actual texts with them. Some of the issues we raise with our students are
discussed below.