Explicit writing instruction in higher educational contexts: Genre analysis of research article introductions from the 'English Teaching' and 'TESOL Quarterly' journals

English is considered the most widely used language of international communication. Particularly, written English is the predominant medium for communication in scientific publications. For the purpose of enhancing the pedagogy of writing instruction for English language learners, this study seeks to reveal (a) the similarities and differences in research article introductions written by Korean scholars and those written by native English-speaking scholars with regard to the rhetorical structure, the use of citations, and hedging strategies and (b) Korean and English-speaking discourse community members' views on writing conventions and styles in this genre. Thirty research article introductions were selected from two journals in the field of ESL/EFL education, English Teaching from Korea and TESOL Quarterly from the United States. The results showed that situating the research in current circumstances appeared to be more important in the Korean academic discourse community, whereas situating the study within a research context seemed to be essential in English introductions from TESOL Quarterly. However, offering the implications of the research or its value---rather than its structure or findings---was considered to be crucial in the two journals. When reviewing items of previous research, differences were observed in the number of references and stance toward prior research but non-integral forms of citation and the present or present perfect tenses were frequently used in this study. Concerning the use of hedging strategies, in the Korean academic community, it may be acceptable to make bold statements when criticizing the works of non-Korean (foreign) scholars, possibly because the perceived distance of foreign researchers decreases the risk of criticisms being seen as face-threatening. At the same time, in order to avoid face-threatening of Korean scholars, Korean writers did not engage in direct criticism of their work. The results of the study can greatly contribute to the pedagogy of writing instruction for writing instructors and English language learners, providing implications for instructional practice. Teaching students specific rhetorical structures or particular features of the texts can be of great value for the students who wish to write more rhetorically effective research articles.