Epistemological and interpersonal stance in a data description task: Findings from a discipline-specific learner corpus

This article examines the stance options used by writers responding to a data description task in the discipline of Statistics. Based on a small learner corpus, it uses inductive qualitative content analysis to explore both the content propositions that students included in their writing, and the ways in which they expressed evaluative stance vis-à-vis such propositions. In the light of an interview with a specialist informant, the article discusses the appropriacy of the content choices and stance options taken by students. It then discusses the potential exploitation of the learner corpus for pedagogic purposes.

► Creation of a learner corpus. ► Analysis of stance in the writing of NNES undergraduate Statistics students approaching a data description task. ► Cross comparison of stance options and content within the written task examined. ► Disciplinary perspective from a specialist informant. ► Pedagogic exploitation of the learner corpus.