An Experimental Study Of Coherence Of Argumentative Writing From The Perspectives Of Genre Theory And Thematic Progression Theory

Nowadays, there exist a few studies that have been designed to explain how an advanced writing ability to write communicatively successful texts is embodied in language. The majority of scholars have analysed EFL learners'texts in terms of decontextualised written language forms. What their studies lack is an explanation of how a particular type of writing achieves its communicative purpose through its integral parts, such as Steps and Moves. Furthermore, these studies cannot explain how this entire genre is used to achieve its social purpose as a situated communicative practice. Therefore, such studies cannot reveal the characteristics of communicatively successful texts.A lack of appropriate descriptions of the essential characteristics of advanced language use leads to scarcity of instructional models and teachers'incompetence to teach towards advanced levels. As a result, the majority of EFL students feel that grammar is the only tool that they can use in writing English texts. This is one of the reasons why texts written by EFL learners are usually considered incoherent and rhetorically inappropriate by native speakers of English.The purpose of this study is to apply genre theory and thematic progression theory to analyse EFL learners' texts in order that we can help them to write communicatively successful texts. Specifically, this dissertation is intended to address the following three questions:(1) What kind of schematic structure is used by EFL learners across different levels and native speakers of English to achieve global coherence?(2) What kinds of genre-specific thematic progression patterns are used by EFL learners across different levels and native speakers of English to achieve local coherence?(3) What kinds of elements are thematised or foregrounded by EFL learners across different levels and native speakers of English to achieve communicative purposes?Thematic progression theory and genre theory are adopted to describe EFL learners'texts in this study because genre theory connects language to its use in explaining how coherence is achieved at a global level and theme choices and thematic progression patterns play a fundamental role not only in creating a cohesive text at a local level but also in construing global coherence by thematising or foregrounding items important for achieving communicative purposes. That is to say, if a text can achieve its communicative purpose(s) through the use of a certain schematic structure at a global level and achieve cohesion in the internal structure at a local level, it can be considered communicatively effective and successful.Theme-based genre analysis framework is established to analyse16argumentative writings of Band9written by native speakers and75argumentative writings by EFL learners across different levels. In other words, this study reveals differences between exemplars and EFL learners'texts not only in the use of schematic structures but also in the use of themes and thematic progression patterns.Findings of this study show that native speakers'texts follow the CAAS model which contains three obligatory Moves and seven Steps to build global coherence. Texts of Band8develop successfully through all the obligatory Moves and most obligatory Steps. Texts of Band4.5and Band6do not provide a very strong argument because some of obligatory Moves and Steps which are crucial for the realisation of the overall communicative purpose are missing.Native speakers of English tend to use simple linear progression patterns, derived rheme and continuous rheme progression patterns to build local coherence. EFL learners across all levels can use simple linear progression patterns to establish argumentative points, but they do not pay enough attention to rheme-rheme interaction.Native English speakers use few first person references as topical themes, but instead use more topical themes relevant to the subject-matter, grammatically complex themes, nominalisations, circumstantial elements in thematic position and material and relational process participants. Furthermore, they express their viewpoints and reasoning in a more implicit way.EFL learners, on the contrary, tend to use more first person references, fewer topical themes relevant to subject-matter, nominalisations, circumstantial elements in thematic position and relational process participants. In addition, they express their viewpoints and reasoning in a more explicit way.This study contributes to the assessment and description of EFL writing by applying genre theory and thematic development theory to the analysis of EFL learners'texts to explain what well-formed and communicatively effective texts are like. The result of the study may be used in writing teaching to help EFL learners to write communicatively successful texts.Pedagogically, this study has the following implications:(1) it is essential for teachers to raise students'genre awareness;(2) it is necessary to teach schematic structure, theme choices and thematic progression patterns at class;(3) it is important for teachers to help students analyse the relationship between social context and texts.