CÁCH SỬ DỤNG THÌ HIỆN TẠI HOÀN THÀNH TRONG BÁO ANH VÀ BÁO MỸ

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL
STUDIES
FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION
GRADUATION PAPER
A STUDY OF PRESENT PERFECT USAGE IN
AMERICAN AND BRITISH ELECTRONIC
NEWSPAPERS
Supervisor: Nguyễn Thị Thùy Linh,
M.A
Student: Đỗ Thị Vân Anh
Course: QH2010.F1.E9
HÀ NỘI - 2014
ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI
TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ
KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH
KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP
CÁCH SỬ DỤNG THÌ HIỆN TẠI HOÀN THÀNH
TRONG BÁO ANH VÀ BÁO MỸ
Giáoviênhướngdẫn:Nguyễn Thị Thùy Linh, M.A
Sinhviên:Đỗ Thị Vân Anh
Khóa: QH2010.F1.E9
HÀ NỘI - 2014
Acceptance
I hereby state that I: Do Thi Van Anh, class 10E9, being a candidate for the
degree of Bachelor of Arts (TEFL) accepts the requirements of the College
relating to the retention and use Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the
library.
In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in
the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in
accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care,

loan or reproduction of the paper.
Acknowledgements
First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my
supervisor, Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh, M.A, for the continuous support of my B.A
thesis paper, for her patience, motivation, enthusiasm, and immense knowledge.
Her guidance helped me in all the time of research and writing of this thesis. I
could not imagine having a better advisor and mentor for my B.A study.
Besides my advisor, I would like to thank Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Tam for
her advice and assistance in keeping my progress on schedule.
My grateful thanks are also extended to staffs at my university library and
all staffs at Faculty of Linguistics and Cultures of English Speaking Countries for
their enthusiastic support during my process of carrying out the thesis.
I would also like to extend my thanks to my parents, brothers and sister and
friends for their constant encouragement without which this research would not be
possible.
5
Abstract
This bachelor thesis deals with the use of Present Perfect in British and
American news. The aim of the investigations is to find out which type(s) of
Present Perfect uses is/are the most preferable in English news reports and the
possible differences in the use of Present perfect in relation to Past Simple
between British and American English.
To begin with, a theoretical part summarized various opinions from
different linguists toward Present Perfect, and earlier researches by various authors
before the main part of the thesis is presented. Both qualitative and quantitative
research methods were applied in order to answer the two research questions.
First, the researcher counted the uses of Present Perfect and classified them into
four main uses; then analyzed the frequency of these uses. Specific cases were
consulted to illustrate the other issues related to Present Perfect usage including
time expressions, verb voice, and the difference in choosing Present Perfect and

Past simple for indefinite past actions.
Looking at data collected, it is striking that Present Perfect was mostly used
for indefinite past actions in event reports, followed by the use for resultative
actions. Also, active voice of verbs was also more preferable than the passive
voice. Meanwhile, there was a difference in the way British and American English
referred to actions started in unspecific time in the past. British reporters tended to
use Present Perfect while American preferred Past Simple to indicate indefinite
past actions in event reports.
Considering the result from research, teachers and students should pay
more attention to the most frequent use of Present Perfect when teaching and
learning, especially for news report activity.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE
Acknowledgements i
Abstract ii
List of tables and charts v
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1
1.1. Statement of the problem and the rationale for
the study 1
1.2. Aims and objectives of the study 2
1.3. Significant of the study 3
1.4. Research design 3
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 4
2.1. Theoretical background 4
2.1.1. Tense 4
2.1.2. Time 5
2.1.3. Aspect 5
2.1.4. Present Perfect 8
2.1.5 Comparison between the use of
Present Perfect in relation to Past Simple

in British English and American English 14
2.2. An overview of related studies 14
2.2.1. International related studies 15
2.2.2. Related studies in Vietnam 15
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 16
3.1. Research design 16
3.2. Sampling 17
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3.3. Data collection and analysis method 18
3.3.1. Data analysis framework 18
3.3.2. Data analysis method and procedure 22
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 23
4.1 Research question 1 23
4.2 Research question 2 35
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 38
5.1. Summary of findings 38
5.2. Implications 39
5.2.1. Teachers 39
5.2.2. Students 40
5.3. Limitations and suggestions for further studies 40
REFERENCES 41
APPENDICES 43
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LIST OF TABLES/CHARTS
List of table Page
1. Perfect aspect in English 7
2. The number and percentage of Present Perfect uses in
the chosen articles 24
3. The percentage of Verb voice with Present Perfect in
chosen article 31

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List of charts page
1. Present Perfect usage in both British and
American articles 25
2. Present Perfect usage in British articles 33
3. Present Perfect usage in American articles 34
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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
This chapter stated the research problem, the rationale for the study as well
as aims, significance, and design of the study. Moreover, the research questions
were also clearly stated to act as the parameter for the whole paper.
1.1. Statement of the problem and the rationale for the study
Tense is “grammatical category that is realized by verb reflection”
(Greenbaum & Quirk, 1990, p.47). Tense expresses time relations of an event or
an action when these are realized by form of verbs. In English, tense can be
divided into two main groups: the present tenses and the past tenses. Meanwhile,
aspect reflects the way in which the action of a verb is viewed with respect to
time. Present Perfect is a combination of present tense and the perfect aspect.
According to Greenbaum & Quirk (1990, p.51), Present Perfect refers to a
situation set at some indefinite time within a period beginning in the past and
leading up to present. Being well aware of the use of present perfect, teachers and
learners all over the world, including Vietnamese ones can apply knowledge in
their teaching and learning process more easily.
Moreover, there are two studies related to the Present Perfect conducted by
former students of the Faculty of English Language Teacher Education,
Ulis(FELT). The first study (Nguyen, 2000) paid attention to the Present Perfect
and the Past Simple. Here the researcher focused on the frequent grammar
mistakes on the use of Present Perfect and Past Simple made by high school
students. Meanwhile, the second project (Pham, 2007) mainly discussed various

viewpoints on the uses of Present Perfect tense. He also conducted a grammar test
for high school students which mainly put emphasis on the present perfect itself.
Both studies focused on the theoretical uses of Present Perfect, and the study
results were mostly based on the results of grammar test students had done.
However, these studies did not reflect the practical use of this tense in authentic
texts rather on test. Therefore, this study was carried out on the basis of authentic
materials in which the grammar points were illustrated through real situations.
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Finally, realizing the benefits of using English newspapers as effective
materials for English learners, the researcher chose to conduct the study on
newspaper fields. Vietnamese English learners have learned grammar categories
mostly on grammar exercises which normally lack of authenticity. Even there are
still authentic materials like stories or articles distracted from mass media
materials, this kind of learning is not widely applied, especially for learners at
lower levels.
All the above-mentioned reasons motivated the researcher to conduct a
research paper entitles “A study of Present Perfect tense usage in American and
British electronic newspapers” to fill in the identified gaps in the local literature.
1.2. Aims and objectives of the study
The first and foremost purpose when choosing this topic was to investigate
the actual use of PPT tense in English newspapers. Vietnamese learners learn
Present Perfect mostly from grammar exercises, which is lack of authenticity.
Hence the researcher did hope that English learners would learn somehow more
easily from the native using of Present Perfect.
In addition, the researcher wanted to find out the most popular use of
Present Perfect on event reports in newspapers. As a result, teachers and students
need to focus more on that use when teaching and learning English, especially in
news report activity. And finally, the paper was conducted with desire to examine
whether there would be differences between British and American English as said
in theory.

The above objectives are realized in the research questions below:
1. Which use of Present Perfect tense is most frequently used in electronic
newspapers?
2. Are there any differences in the use of Present Perfect in the chosen British and
American electronic newspapers?
1.3. Significance of the study
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The study would bring about certain benefits to teachers, students and other
researchers who share the same interest in this issue.
Firstly, the research findings may offer teachers a better look at learning
materials. Newspaper may be then considered effective materials for teachers to
apply in teaching in reality. Moreover, teachers can know how to focus on some
issues when teaching Present Perfect for reporting events. For example, they will
know which use of this tense is more popularly used, and then pay more attention
to that use when teaching.
Secondly, students also get benefits from this research by choosing
materials for their learning and focus more on the most important issues.
Last but not least, researchers who pay attention to the same topic can refer
this paper as a source of updated and reliable information.
1.4. Research design
Chapter 1: Introduction - includes statement of research problem and
rationale for the study, aims and objectives of the study, significance of the study,
and organization of the study
Chapter 2: Literature review – lays the theoretical background for the study
Chapter 3: Methodology – describes the research design, data collection
instruments as well as the procedure to carry out the research.
Chapter 4: Data analysis and discussion - presents, analyzes, synthesizes
and discusses the findings revealed from the collected data according to the
problem of the two research questions.
Chapter 5: Conclusion –encapsulates the main issues discussed throughout

the study, the limitations of the paper, several pedagogical implications and some
suggestions for further study. This chapter is followed by the References and
Appendixes.
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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter provided the theoretical background for the whole paper, in
which the key concepts were thoroughly elaborated on. Besides, the review of
related studies worldwide and in Vietnam helped to point out the gaps which the
research aimed to bridge through this study.
2.1. Theoretical background
2.1.1. Tense
English second language learners sometimes find “time” and “tense” in
English interchangeable. As a result, in some English materials present tense,
past tense and future tense are easily used in order to refer to actions happening in
the present, in the past and in the future time. Greenbaum & Quirk (1990) defined
tense as “grammatical category that is realized by verb reflection” (Greenbaum &
Quirk, 1990, p.47). Tense expresses time relations of an event or an action when
they are realized by verb form. Since when indicating the future events, English
has no inflected verb form, English tense can be divided into two subgroups: the
present tenses and the past tenses.
In line with Greenbaum’s & Quirk’s (1990) argument, some educators (e.g.,
Yule, 1998; Quik et al., 1993; Huddleston, 1984) characterized English as
containing only two tenses: the present and the past. Future events are considered
as predictive, and conveyed by means of a modal auxiliary. Therefore, in this
study the researcher decided to apply the concept of tense with two main subtypes:
present and past tenses.
The basis for the choice of tense is the relationship between three time
points: event time (ET), reference time (RT), and speech time (ST) (Rechenbach,
1947). The event time is the point of time when the events or actions take place,
while the speech time indicates when the utterance is made, and the reference time

is the point of time at which the event is seen or described. In case of the present
tense, the event time is related to the reference time, which is almost associated
with the speech time (ET=RT=ST). On the other hand, in the case of past tense,
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the time referred to is also the time of state of affairs indicated in the utterance
which precedes the time of speaking (Rechenback, 1947).
2.1.2. Time
Time which is distinct from tense merely refers to the actual physical time
in the real world. According to Quirk, Greenbaum & Leech (1976), the units of
time are extra-linguistic which is independent on the grammar of any particular
language.
Each language has its own way to show the relation between time and
tense. English time and tense, for instance, are associated by means of verbal
inflections and auxiliaries. The use of tense in relation to time reference is
relatively subjective and context-centered. Users choose tense based on the time
point that he or she wants to focus on in a particular context. English learners have
to thoroughly understand the correspondence of three notions of time (event time,
speech time and reference time) to tense, but the context as well in order to
determine tenses.
2.1.3. Aspect
Aspect refers to the way in which the action of a verb is viewed with
respect to time (Greenbaum & Quirk, 1990, p.51). An event can be seen as a
completed whole, in progress, durative, or continuative to a more recent time.
Different languages use different linguistic forms to convey aspect. According to
Richarch (1995), English has been divided into two grammatical aspects: perfect
and progressive. Perfect aspect is used when event time may begin before and
extend up to the reference time, and may or may not be simultaneous with the
speech time. Also, perfect aspect can be subdivided into three types: the Present
Perfect (I have eaten the food), past perfect (The trained had left before I arrived),
and the future perfect (The plan will have landed by then). Meanwhile, progressive

aspect indicates an action, event or condition which is continuing. Progressive
aspect includes past progressive (She was having breakfast when her father came
in), present progressive (I am painting the house), future progressive (I will be
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going to the movie theater with my friends) and perfect progressive (She has been
driving for a long time).
Meanwhile, it is said according to Svalberg and Chuchu (1998) that English
have four aspects: simple aspect, perfect aspect, progressive aspect and perfect
progressive aspect. Here, Svalberg & Chuchu (1998) added simple aspect and split
perfect progressive aspect out of progressive aspect in comparison with Richarch’s
classification. The simple aspect depicts an event as a whole, as incomplete, as
seen unfolding from beginning to end, or as unchanging (Richarch, 1995).
Meanwhile, perfect aspect is marked by means of the auxiliary verb have, together
with the past participle form of a lexical verb. The perfect aspect can be divided
into three subtypes as in the following examples ( Huddleston & Pullum, 2002) :
Aspect Present perfect Past perfect Future perfect
Characteristic Used to
express the event
that starts before
and extends up to
the reference time,
which happens
exactly at the same
time with the
Used to
express the event
that begins before
and extends up to
the reference time,
which happens

before the speech
time.
Used to
refer to events
which occur
before the
reference time in
the future
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speech time.
Examples I have done
homework.
She has
graduated from
university.
The bus had
left before she came.
All the
students had passed
the graduation
examination.
The plane
will have landed
by then
Table 1: Perfect aspect in English
Huddleston and Pullum (2002) stated that the perfect aspect expressed the
time relation of anteriority. The perfect aspect is used when the speaker refers to
the event time that may begin before and extend up to the reference time, which
may or may not be simultaneous with the speech time.
Progressive aspect is represented by means of the verb “be” followed by a

lexical verb in the present participle form (or –ing form). According to Huddleston
and Pullum (2002), the characteristics of the Present Perfect are:
(1) The situation is presented as in progress
They are playing computer games when I come in. (the time of their playing
game is simultaneous to the time of my coming in)
(2) The situation is viewed imperfective
When I arrived, Mary was cooking dinner. (the act of cooking happened
before the time of arriving and continued after it)
(3) The situation is interpreted as mid-interval
Peter is repairing the TV set. (the act of repairing started in the past and
will continue for at least some time into the future)
(4) The situation is presented as durative
The train was arriving. (the train was in progress of arriving)
(5) The situation is presented as dynamic
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When I came in, Jack had his head buried in a book but David was
watching TV. (Although “have” was happened at the time of speaker’s come, it has
non-progressive aspect because it is a state, not an activity like “watch”)
(6) The situation is presented as having limited duration
The train was arriving.
Perfect progressive aspect can suggest the results of an event/situation at
the reference time with the emphasis on the temporary duration of such a situation.
Marry has watching TV when I came in.
In summary, the researcher applied the classification of aspect from
Svalberg and Chuchu (1998) because of its convince and logic. Therefore, in this
study, English aspect is considered including four main ones: simple aspect,
progressive aspect, perfect aspect and perfect progressive aspect.
2.1.4. Present perfect
2.1.4.1. Definition
The Present Perfect often refers to “past with present relevance” or “past

involving the present” (Leech, 1987, p.36). By means of present perfect, a past
event can show its relation to the present in two particular ways:
− It may include a time period leading up to the present.
− Or it may have results lasting up to the present.
Present Perfect is a combination between present tense and the perfect
aspect. In general, the Present Perfect creates a connection between the events
happening in the time of speaking or writing. For present perfect, the event time
precedes the reference time which is the same as the speech time.
In English, the Present Perfect is formed with the present form of the
auxiliary verb HAVE plus the past participle: I have worked or She has worked
etc.
2.1.4.2. Usage
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There are different ways of classifying the uses of Present Perfect according
to many authors. Its uses can be divided into two-use system, three, four or five
-use systems.
2.1.4.2.1 Two-use system
Swan (1992) stated that Present Perfect has two main uses, and divided it
into 5 smaller ones:
(1) Actions or situations continue up to the present
- actions or situations start in the past and continue up to present
- long actions and situations begin in the past and very recently
- actions or situations repeat in a period up to present
(2) Actions or event that finished
- actions or events that have some present importance
- past of action as part of our experience and knowledge
Meanwhile, Alexander (1980) also split two main uses of the Present
Perfect into five sub-uses:
(1) Actions began in the past continuing up to the present and may in the
future. This can be subdivided into two smaller types based on time expressions:

- adverbials: before, ever, never
- “since” and “for”
(2) Actions happened at unspecific time in the past but still have some
connection to the present
- without time reference
- with reference to present time
- repeated or habitual actions
In general, it can be seen that Alexander (1980) and Swan (1992) have the
relatively same view on dividing Present Perfect uses. However, Alexander (1980)
mostly divided Present Perfect use on the base of time expression while Swan’s
base (1992) is the connection of the action to the present time.
2.1.4.2.2 Three-use system
Feigenbaum (1981) named three uses of Present Perfect as Completed
Perfect, Continuative Perfect, and Indefinite Perfect. Completed Perfect refers to
the actions that have finished while Continuative Perfect indicates actions that
started in the past and still continue to the present time. Meanwhile, Indefinite
Perfect is in the middle between the above two. It can be Continuative if the action
is still going on or it can be Completed if the action has finished. To sum up, it can
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be seen that Feigenbaum divided Present Perfect use into three types based on the
time of completion of the action.
2.1.4.2.3 Four-use system
Leech & Svartvik (1989) state that the Present Perfect can be used in four
different ways, one of them happens with state verbs and the other three with event
verbs.
(1) A state leading up to the present
The Present Perfect can be used with state verbs to refer to a state that
began in the past and extends over a period of time leading up to the present
moment. E.g.:
She has owned the house since her father died.

We have lived in Amsterdam for a long time.
Since state verbs are of undefined time-span, the state itself may extend to
the future. E.g.:
We have lived here all our lives, and intend to live here for many years to
come.
There is an exception, however, made for verbs used in one of the non-
progressive. With these verbs, the Present Perfect also refers to a period of limited
duration, normally expressed by the Present Progressive:
Why haven’t you been writing to me? – I’ve been ill.
(2) Indefinite past actions:
The Present Perfect is used with event verbs to express indefinite events
happening in the past.
e.g.: I have read the instructions but I don’t understand them.
Have you had breakfast? – No. I haven’t had it yet.
The speaker wants to refer to the past event in relation to speech time, not
to a definite moment of occurrence of the event. The speaker views the event as
happening at an unspecific time in the past.
(3) Habit leading up to the present:
The habitual use of the Present Perfect with dynamic verbs refers to past
events that repeatedly happen up to and including the present.
I’ve always walked to work.
The magazine has been published every month since 1975.
Like state use of the Present Perfect, the habit may continue through the
present moment into the future, and an adverbial of duration is usually required.
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For example, ‘Mr. Phillip has sung in this choir’ (without the adverbial phrase)
will be appropriate as example of the indefinite past meaning.
Often, the habit is usually emphasized by an adverbial of frequency: the
machine has been serviced every month since we bought it.
(4) Action result in the present

A past event is also used with the Present Perfect to imply that the result of
that event is still operative at the present time.
Tom has had a bad car crash. (He’s probably still in hospital)
The lift has broken down. (…., and we have to use the stairs)
In the line with Leech & Starvik (1989), Comrie’s classification (1976)
found four main uses of present perfect:
(1) Perfect of Resultive
She has passed the entrance examination.
(2) Experential Perfect
I have been to London for many times.
(3) Perfect of Persistence Situation
I have lived in Hanoi for four years.
(4) Perfect of Recent Past
Peter has just arrived.
In conclusion, Comrie’s (1) is similar to Leech’s (4), Comrie’s (3) is similar
to Leech’s (1) and (2), Comrie’s(4) is similar to Leech (3).
2.1.4.2.4 Five-use system
Leech (1989) further divided Present Perfect into five uses:
(1) Events or actions began in the past and have not changed (usually with
“for” and “since”)
She has lived here since 1975.
(2) General experience
I have been to England for many times.
(3) Recent events or states
Recently Peter has promoted to Assistant Manager.
(4) Very recent events (often with “just”)
She has just graduated from high school.
(5) Events whose results are still noticeable
Mike has found the dictionary that he lost long time ago.
Meanwhile, Swan and Walter (1997) also applied five-use system for

present perfect. They are:
(1) Finished actions that are important now because they have results at
present as they are news
John has got married.
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(2) For news up to now
She has graduated from college.
(3) Expressions which refer to anytime
They have been to Rome.
(4) Situations continuing up to now
The work has begun for many years.
(5) Actions repeated up to now
The worker has sneezed several times.
Considering these two systems above, it can be seen that Leech’s (1989) (1)
is similar to Swan‘s & Walter’s (1997) (4). Leech’s (5) is similar to Swan’s&
Walter’s (1). However, it is clear that Swan’s system is not as convincing as
Leech’s because the (2),(4), and (5) use can be combined together in one use.
Meanwhile, Leech’s system is constructed more logically with fewer overlap uses.
So far different linguists have different classification of Present Perfect
usage. Although the classification is various in the name of use, the semantic
meaning of these uses is similar and grouped in different ways.
Of the four above-mentioned systems, the four-use system and five-use
system seem to be more convincing while Present Perfect uses here are grouped in
a more logical way. Meanwhile, in the two-use and three-use systems, they are
grouped too generally and somehow unclearly. Therefore, the researcher decided
to consider the two last systems to make a thorough classification for the study.
However, it is necessary to consider some issues in order to come up with a
convincing classification.
Firstly, it would be better if state/situations continuing up to now and
habitual actions/repeated actions up to now are combined in one use as in Comrie

(1976) and Leech (1987) instead of separating as in Leech and Startvick (1989). In
addition, Perfeect of recent past and experiential perfect should be separated as in
Comrie (1976) instead of separated as in Leech and Startvick (1989). These two
uses is totally different in term of time reference because experiential refers to
longer time period (often with adverbials like never, ever, before) in comparison
with Recent past which refers to nearer to the time of speaking.
Thus, from the above considerations, the researcher decided to divide
Present Perfect usage into four main uses as follow:
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(1) States/ repeated events up to the present moment: with such adverbials
like: since, for, so far, up to now, up to present time
(2) Recent indefinite past: with adverbials such as already, still, yet, just,
recently, lately
(3) Experiential perfect: often with never, ever
(4) Resultative perfect: often without adverbials
2.1.5 Comparison between the use of the Present Perfect in relation to
Past Simple in British English and American English.
According to Salama & Ghaly (1982, p.93), there are some differences
between the choices of using Present Perfect or Past Simple as stated below:
2.1.5.1. A finish act with strong current relevance
In English, this action can be only used with Present Perfect, but with both
Present Perfect and Past Simple in American English.
This discussion will be the same as we have had in the past. (BE)
This discussion will be the same as we have had in the past. / This
discussion will be the same as we had in the past. (AE)
2.1.5.2. Habitual actions during a current time period
The actions happen during a current time of period with possibility of
prepetition
I’ve received three letters this week. (BE)
I’ve received three letters this week. / I received three letters this week.

(AE)
2.1.5.3. Newspaper or broadcast introduction:
When introduce news in newspapers or broadcast, the American prefers use
Past Simple while the British uses the Present Perfect.
Three men were arrested at the London Hilton after the discovery of a
cache of machine guns in one of the room. (AE)
Three men have been arrested at the London Hilton after the discovery of a
cache of machine guns in one of the room. (BE)
2.2 An overview of related studies
2.2.1 International related studies
There have been several studies worldwide that recommended the use of
present perfect.
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ŽETKO (2010), by using material from British and American corpus from
plays, has found that the transfer of the functions of the Present Perfect into that of
the “preterite” occurs more often in informal English and American English. Also,
Hundt & Smit (2013) also recognized the more frequency of using present perfect
in American English than in British English. However, none of them carried out
their studies based on newspaper materials.
2.2.2 Related studies in Vietnam
As aforementioned, there have been several studies about on the issue of
Present Perfect in the scope of ULIS, VNU, exploring Present Perfect from the use
of Students and also comparison with the past simple (Nguyen, 2000; Pham,
2007). Unfortunately, they only focused on how students deal with grammatical
exercises related to Present Perfect without concerning the importance of authentic
materials like newspapers. Moreover, there isn’t any further concern about the
frequency use of the Present Perfect in the native use of the language. This
strongly motivates the researcher to carry out her own study to bridge the gaps and
play part in the understanding the contemporary situation.
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CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
This chapter aims at elaborating on the participants, justifying the research
instruments as well as describing in details the instruments and procedures of
collecting data and analyzing data.
3.1. Research design
As already mentioned, the core research questions are formulated as
follows:
Question 1: Which use(s) of Present Perfect is/are most frequent in the
chosen British and American electronic articles?
Question 2: Are there any differences in the use of Present Perfect in
relation with Past Simple in these articles?
In this study, the researcher applied the case study design to seek answer for
these questions because it was hard to adapt quantitative method to get in-depth
understanding about the issue (Present Perfect usage) in its real-life context (the
native language environment). According to Yin (2003, p.13), a case study is an
empirical inquiry which:
“* investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context:
when
* the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident;
* and in which multiple sources of evidence are used.”
The issue of types of research questions is the most significant in
determining the most appropriate approach. In this research, the researcher aims at
answering two questions as stated above, and both of them focus on descriptive
object. Rowley (2002) pointed out that case study approach contributes “deeper
and more detailed investigation” in comparison with other study methods, so it is
normally necessary to answer descriptive questions as in this research. Moreover,
she also recommended case study research as sufficient one for “contemporary
events” when the related behaviors cannot be manipulated, which is relevant to the
research scope.
Meanwhile, according to Baxter & Jack (2008), case study can ensure the

issue is explored through a variety of lens. This allows” multiple facets of the
phenomenon to be revealed and understood” (Baxter & Jack 2008, p.544).
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