ERIC Number: EJ1288092
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1017-7108
EISSN: N/A
A Search for EFL College Students' Culture-Related Rhetorical Templates of Argumentative Writing
Huh, Myung-Hye; Lee, Inhwan
English Teaching, v74 n3 p55-77 Aut 2019
This study investigated EFL college students' culture-related templates of written texts along the possibility of inter-cultural transfer. We designed a case study to explore how certain cultural assumptions contribute to EFL students' rhetorical decisions while writing an argumentative writing. The participants were four EFL college students. Multiple data sources include background questionnaires, argumentative essays, and in-depth retrospective interviews. To analyze rhetorical choices in the participants' writing, we identified choices of argumentation subtypes, and introduction and conclusion components. We also categorized the location of the writer's main claim and thesis statement. The interview data were qualitatively analyzed to see what rhetorical resources participants draw from the cultural/educational contexts, and which factors had influenced the participants' rhetorical strategy. Data analyses indicate that each participant manipulated different rhetorical structures to strengthen the rhetorical impact of their writing. Indeed, the complex constellation of individual participants' cultural resources was at play in their L2 writing. This study contributes to our understanding of the rhetorical templates of L2 texts as constructs that are always in process, and therefore adaptable and negotiable.
Descriptors: Persuasive Discourse, Writing (Composition), College Students, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, English (Second Language), Transfer of Training, Decision Making, Student Attitudes, Essays, Cultural Context, Educational Environment, Cultural Traits, Contrastive Linguistics, Majors (Students), Teacher Education Programs, Foreign Countries, Student Characteristics, Writing Strategies, Thinking Skills, Cultural Influences, Text Structure
Korea Association of Teachers of English. 6105 English Education Department, Chinju National University of Education, 369beon-gil 3, Jinyangho-ro, Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do, 52673, Republic of Korea. Tel: +82-42-629-7381; Fax: +82-42-629-7320; e-mail: katejournal29@gmail.com; Web site: http://journal.kate.or.kr/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Korea
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A