Corpus-Based Comparative Analysis of Quantitative and Qualitative Research Articles in TEFL: A Lexico-Grammatical and Move Structure Approach

This study examines the abstract, introduction, results/discussion, and conclusion sections of quantitative and qualitative academic papers in the field of TEFL, focusing on their lexico-grammatical and move-structure features. Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods, the research explores potential differences between these two genre-specific corpora in terms of their linguistic and rhetorical characteristics. The analysis of move-structure was based on Swales’ CARS model (2004). A mixed approach of computer-assisted and manual analysis was used to ensure validity. Fifty research articles from ELT journals, representing both quantitative and qualitative approaches, were selected for analysis. Statistical interpretation of the results, including vocabulary profiles, readability statistics, and move-step structures, was conducted using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test. The results, with a significance level of P < 0.05, indicated that most lexico-grammatical features across abstracts, introductions, results/discussion, and conclusions in quantitative and qualitative papers were not significantly different. However, move-structure analysis revealed distinct variations between the two genres across these sections. These findings provide valuable insights for academic researchers in the EFL context, suggesting that while research methodology is important, the choice of topic and the researcher’s unique perspective may be more critical in shaping the study.