The CARS model for writing introductions

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The CARS model for writing introductions

• John Morgan
• Language and Learning Centre
• University of Wales Aberystwyth

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The shape of academic text

• As you start to write, the ideas in your text
  should narrow in focus (cf. Davies, inverted
  pyramid intro, session 8)
• from a general opening
• to specific information

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CARS (Create a Research Space)John Swales, 1990

• Move 1 Establishing a territory
• Step 1 Claiming centrality and/or
• Step 2 Making topic generalizations and/or
• Step 3 Reviewing items of previous research
• Move 2 Establishing a niche
• Step 1a Counter-claiming or
• Step 1b Indicating a gap or
• Step 1c Question-raising or
• Step 1d Continuing a tradition
• Move 3 Occupying the niche
• Step 1a Outlining purposes or
• Step 1b Announcing present research
• Step 2 Announcing principle findings
• Step 3 Indicating Research article structure

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Move 1

• Establishing a territory

• Providing background information that previews
  the main issue or problem that you will discuss

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Optional steps in Move 1

• Step 1 Claiming centrality
• and/or
• Step 2 Making topic generalizations
• and/or
• Step 3 Reviewing items of previous research
• As your text narrows from general to specific,
  the need to convince your reader of your claims
  is declining

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Claiming Centrality

• Many public opinion surveys confirm that
  Americans expect school leaders to focus on two
  top priorities keeping children safe and
  increasing student achievement. At a time when
  Internet usage among children and adults is
  rising dramatically, however, these priorities
  sometimes may seem contradictory. Is it possible
  for schools to protect students from
  inappropriate content without denying them access
  to engaging and valuable educational content? Can
  adults craft approaches that strike a balance
  between safe and smart Internet usage by
  children? These questions are at the crux of the
  dilemma we face with increasing frequency and
  urgency.
• Safe and Smart Research and Guidelines for
  Childrens Use of the Internet http//www.nsbf.org
  /safe-smart/full-report.htm

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Making topic generalizations

• The Internet poses a singular challenge for
  public school leaders and parents
• Safe and Smart Research and Guidelines for
  Childrens Use of the Internet http//www.nsbf.org
  /safe-smart/full-report.htm

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Reviewing items of previous research

• Several researchers 2 have reported that
  managers are wary of information technology (IT)
  and display considerable variation in the
  patterns and levels of microcomputer usage.
• Lakhanpal, B. (1994). Assessing the Factors
  Related to Microcomputer Usage by Middle
  Managers. International Journal of Information
  Management, 14/1 (39-50).

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Move 2

• Establishing a niche

• Identifying the main issue or problem area that
  you will discuss, from the perspective of your
  aims

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Optional steps in Move 2

• Step 1a Counter-claiming
• or
• Step 1b Indicating a gap
• or
• Step 1c Question raising
• or
• Step 1d Continuing a tradition
• As you identify the main issue or problem in
  relation to the background information in your
  first move, you should be questioning or
  challenging existing claims to knowledge

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Counter-claiming

• This article argues that learner autonomy should
  not be seen as a goal only for highly committed
  students completing optional courses, or for
  students operating within selected educational or
  cultural contexts. Rather, it should be seen as
  an essential goal of all learning.
• Cotterall, S. (2000). Promoting Learner
  Autonomy through the Curriculum Principles for
  Designing Language Courses. ELT Journal 54/2,
  Pp. 109-117.

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Indicating a gap

• Until now, this dilemma has been complicated by a
  dearth of credible information. There was a lack
  of good data about where children access the
  Internet, what they do once they're connected,
  what kinds of sites they visit, and how much
  adult supervision and guidance they receive,
  among many other basic issues. Nor did we know
  much about parents' perceptions of and
  expectations for their children's Internet usage.
  Without sound research, there is a tendency to
  react to the headlines and hype of the moment
  and that tack may not result in wise school
  policymaking and parental oversight.
• Safe and Smart Research and Guidelines for
  Childrens Use of the Internet http//www.nsbf.org
  /safe-smart/full-report.htm

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Question-raising

• Given the increasingly heavy dependence on
  microcomputers within todays organizations, and
  the discretionary nature of their use, it is
  vitally important to examine the factors that
  influence the variation in managerial
  microcomputer usage.
• Lakhanpal, B. (1994). Assessing the Factors
  Related to Microcomputer Usage by Middle
  Managers. International Journal of Information
  Management, 14/1 (39-50).

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Continuing a tradition

• The main task proposed here is centred on
  student-written reading logs. The original idea
  comes from Benton and Fox (1985 121), who were
  writing for first language contexts. Below is
  a rationale for reader response theory in
  general, and for reading logs as a practical
  application of the theory.
• Carlisle, A. (2000). Reading Logs An
  Application of Reader-Response Theory in ELT.
  ELT Journal 54/1, Pp. 12-19.

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Move 3

• Occupying the niche

• Indicating the contents, structure and/or aims of
  your paper in relation to the background
  information and main issue

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Optional steps in Move 3

• Step 1a Outlining purposes
• or
• Step 1b Announcing present research
• Step 2 Announcing principle findings
• Step 3 Indicating research article
  structure
• In relation to the background information and
  main problem or issue you have presented in moves
  1 and 2, you should now be identifying the
  explicit focus of the paper

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Outlining purposes

• This paper tries to throw light on what a
  follow-up system of the kind Rudduck outlines
  might look like in Practice. Our ideas stem
  mainly from a recent ELT INSET project located
  within the state secondary school sector, but we
  feel that the principles involved are relevant to
  a wide variety of ELT settings.
• Waters, A. Vilches, M.L.C. (2000).
  Integrating Teacher learning The School-based
  Follow-up Development Activity. ELT Journal,
  54/2, Pp. 126-134.

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Announcing present research

• Against this backdrop, the National School Boards
  Foundation worked with Grunwald Associates, a
  leading market research and consulting firm
  specializing in technology, to develop an
  unprecedented national survey of parents and
  children. The Dieringer Research Group conducted
  the survey and tabulated the data. With generous
  support from the Children's Television Workshop
  and Microsoft Corporation, we surveyed a
  significantly large random sample of 1,735
  households nationwide to learn about children's
  Internet usage. In telephone interviews, we asked
  parents of children aged two to 17 a number of
  questions about the role the Internet plays in
  their children's lives. We also asked children
  themselves, aged nine to 17, from the same
  households, for a reality check on the role of
  the Internet in their own lives.
• Safe and Smart Research and Guidelines for
  Childrens Use of the Internet http//www.nsbf.org
  /safe-smart/full-report.htm

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Announcing principle findings

• There were 13 subjects in each group. When we
  compared our dyslexics with these other three
  groups on a range of cognitive and reading tasks
  we found that they differed in a number of
  respects.
• Ellis, A.W., Mc Dougall, S.J.P. Monk, A.F.
  (1997). Are Dyslexics Different? III. Of Course
  They Are! Dyslexia, 3/1, Pp. 2-8.

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Indicating research article structure

• The article starts with an outline of the main
  approaches currently being applied to teach
  reading. This is followed by a pilot case study
  relating to kindergarten children, and an
  explanation of the results obtained. Finally,
  other groups of children are identified who would
  benefit if more emphasis were given to reading in
  the programmes they follow.
• Dlugosz, D.W. (2000). Rethinking the Role of
  Reading in Teaching a Foreign Language to Young
  Learners. ELT Journal, 54/3, Pp. 284-290.

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References

• Swales, J. (1990). Genre Analysis English in
  Academic and Research Settings. Cambridge CUP.