From monologic to dialogic: Conceptual and methodological issues in metadiscourse studies

Abstract

Metadiscourse has predominantly been studied in monologic written academic discourse, especially in research articles and student writing, largely due to the influence of two widely adopted models of metadiscourse developed by Hyland (2005) and Ädel (2006). In this article, we illustrate several conceptual and methodological challenges involved in implementing the two influential models into the genre of written feedback, a non-traditional, dialogic academic genre that both depends on and responds to another genre (student writing). We conclude by proposing potential pathways for addressing these conceptual and methodological challenges. The pathways may also be applicable to other written dialogic genres.