The last two decades have witnessed increasing studies on L2 learners’ argumentative writing quality from different perspectives. However, less attention has been paid to the rhetorical structures of arguments and counterarguments in ESL/EFL argumentative essays. To fill the gap, this study investigates the rhetorical features of argument and counterargument structures in Chinese EFL learners’ argumentative writing and examines the correlation between rhetorical structures and overall writing quality. Sixty-seven argumentative essays were collected in a natural academic English writing classroom at an English medium instruction university in China. Based on Toulmin’s (2003) model, the study qualitatively analyzed the rhetorical characteristics of Claim, Data, Counterargument-Claim, Counterargument-Data, and Rebuttal in the argument and counterargument. Then the relationship between the rhetorical structures and overall essay quality was quantitatively determined. Results indicated that most sampled essays were constructed as a two-sided complete pattern consisting of a complete argument and counterargument. Our study also found a correlation between the rhetorical structures and overall writing quality. The results revealed that the essays constructed with the two-sided complete pattern achieved significantly higher quality than those of the other patterns. These findings shed light on pedagogical implications for learning to write argumentative essays in the Chinese EFL context and how to instruct students to construct the argument and counterargument in L2 writing.
Abstract 요약 Introduction Literature Review Contrastive Rhetoric L2 Argumentative Writing Toulmin’s Model of Argument Structure Empirical Research on Argument and Counterargument in ESL/EFL Contexts Methods Research Setting Participants Data Collection Data Analysis Results Rhetorical Features of Argument and Counterargument Structures Correlation between Rhetorical Structures of Arguments and Counterarguments and Overall Writing Quality Discussion Rhetorical Structures of Arguments and Counterarguments Correlation between Rhetorical Structures and Overall Writing Quality Conclusion and Implications The Authors References Appendix
The goals of Asia TEFL are to promote scholarship, disseminate information, and facilitate cross-cultural understanding among persons concerned with the teaching and learning of English in Asia. In order to accomplish this, Asia TEFL will pursue the following goals:
1. To link ELT professionals in joint research on issues and concerns regarding English teaching and learning in the Asian context.
2. To publish an academic journal, The Asia TEFL Journal, as an internationally recognized journal in the field of English language teaching.
3. To host conferences and seminars addressing important issues concerning ELT in Asia.
4. To develop proficiency guidelines and assessment methods designed for the needs of the Asian context.
5. To develop programs for Asian learners and teachers of English to build their English language proficiency and cultural understanding and provide them with the skills required to be efficient English teaching professionals.
간행물
간행물명
The Journal of AsiaTEFL
간기
계간
pISSN
1738-3102
eISSN
2466-1511
수록기간
2004~2026
등재여부
SCOPUS,KCI 등재
십진분류
KDC 740DDC 420
이 권호 내 다른 논문 / The Journal of AsiaTEFL Vol.21 No.4