The Use of Hedging Markers in Students' Theses: A Case Study at English Language Studies Program, Hasanuddin University

This study was aimed to explore the utilization of hedging markers in theses written by
English Language Studies (ELS) students, with specific objectives to identify common
types of hedging markers used, determine the dominant hedging marker types, and
assess the students' familiarity with hedging in academic writing. Employing a
qualitative descriptive methodology, this research utilized the AntConc application to
analyze the hedging markers within a corpus of ELS theses. Data were gathered
through observation, document analysis, and interviews to offer a comprehensive
understanding of hedging practices among ELS students. The findings revealed that
students predominantly employed four types of hedging strategies as identified by Ken
Hyland (1996): attribute, reliability, writer-oriented, and reader-oriented hedges. The
analysis showed that students preferred using attribute and reliability hedges. This
means they often made statements that could be true, but not definitely. This preference
shows that students were somewhat unsure about their arguments. Reliability hedges,
in particular, showed that students had doubts about how accurate their statements
were. This strategy allows students avoid criticism by making statements that could be
true or false. On the other hand, using reader-focused hedging was the least popular,
showing it's an area ELS students could improve in their writing. The study also pointed
out students liked to use vague language on purpose, especially in attribute hedging,
and often used words that show uncertainty in reliability hedging.