Supporting Vietnamese Efl University Students'' Development Of Argumentative Writing Through Systemic Functional Linguistics-Based Genre Pedagogy

University of Wollongong Research Online University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2021 Supporting Vietnamese EFL university students’ development of argumentative writing through S

University of Wollongong

Research Online

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection

2021

Supporting Vietnamese EFL university students’ development of

argumentative writing through Systemic Functional Linguistics-based genre pedagogy

Thanh Liem Dinh

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Supporting Vietnamese EFL university students’ development of argumentative writing through Systemic Functional Linguistics-based genre pedagogy

Dinh Thanh Liem

Bachelor of Arts, University of Danang Master of Applied Linguistics (TESOL studies), University of

Queensland

A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

School of Education Faculty of the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities

University of Wollongong

2021

DECLARATION

I certify that the present thesis, submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award

of Doctor of Philosophy, in the Faculty of the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Wollongong, does not include without any acknowledgement any material previously submitted for a degree or diploma in any university

I also certify that this thesis has been written by me Any help that I have received in my research work and the preparation of the thesis itself has been acknowledged

Signature of Student:

Dinh Thanh Liem

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to acknowledge the organisations who provided sponsorship, and the individuals who gave encouragement, inspiration and constant guidance for the completion of the present thesis Without their support, this thesis would not have reached the status of submission

My special thanks first go to the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) and University of Wollongong (UOW) for granting a jointly research scholarship which covers a full-time annual stipend and tuition fees

My sincere thanks are then extended to my two respected supervisors: Associate Professor Honglin Chen and Doctor Erika Matruglio I owe a debt of gratitude to Honglin for her continued, careful and clear supervision, timely thought-provoking feedback, inspiration and invaluable insights Honglin is the first teacher who introduced me to the Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) research community in Sydney and encouraged

me to audit SFL-based courses for developing knowledge of the field She has provided useful writing mentoring during the supervisory meetings and apprenticed me into academic writing conventions She has always developed in me an increasing level of confidence in my capacity She is the best teacher, mentor and supervisor that I have ever met in my life I also owe a debt of gratitude to Erika for her continuous encouragement, and immediate, detailed constructive feedback and knowledge Erika has always created

a very positive mentoring experience and provided needed support at every step of my candidature I highly appreciate the clarity in her feedback on multiple drafts of my writing I also value the knowledge, insights and explanations about SFL concepts that Erika brings to discussion

A word of thanks is then sent to Dr Meeta Chatterjee for being a co-supervisor in my first year of candidature Meeta has always been my favourite teacher who contributed a significant part in shaping my research proposal I am thankful to her for sharing useful resources and providing helpful comments on drafts of the proposal My thanks are also sent to Ms Catriona Taylor and Dr Bradley Smith for proofreading and editing

I would like to thank James Martin, Peter White, David Rose, Sally Humphrey, Shoshana Dreyfus and Pauline Jones for teaching me about the architecture of SFL and genre-based pedagogy I would also like to thank all members of the IDEAS research group in the Faculty of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (UOW) for broadening my understanding of SFL and all PhD mates, including Annette Turney, Ika Damayanti, Lilian Ariztimuno, Carolina Badillo, Nguyen Tien Ngo and many others for sharing ups and downs in the academic world and beyond

Finally, I would like to deliver my special thanks to my extended family members – my dad, mum, brothers and sister for sending care and love from overseas via video calls; and to my nuclear family members – my wife, son and daughter for always being by my side and sharing with me in every aspect of life

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

DECLARATION II ACKNOWLEDGEMENT III TABLE OF CONTENTS V LIST OF FIGURES IX LIST OF TABLES X ABSTRACT XII

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1.0.CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1

1.1.ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING IN EFL CONTEXTS 1

1.2.ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING INSTRUCTIONS IN VIETNAMESE TERTIARY CONTEXTS 4

1.3.OVERVIEW OF THE THEORETICAL LENS 7

1.4.AIM AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS 12

1.5.SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 15

1.6.THESIS ORGANISATION 17

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 20

2.0.INTRODUCTION 20

2.1.APPROACHES TO CONCEPTUALISING ARGUMENTATION 21

2.1.1 An Aristotelian approach to argument 21

2.1.2 A Toulmin approach to argument 22

2.1.3 An SFL approach to argument 24

2.2.KEY COMPONENTS OF AN EFFECTIVE ARGUMENTATIVE TEXT 26

2.2.1 Effective organisation of structural elements of arguments as an important indicator of a quality text 26

2.2.2 Evaluation as a key element in argument 30

2.3.KEY CHALLENGES IN CONSTRUCTING ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING 36

2.3.1 Insufficient awareness of writing purposes and audiences 37

2.3.2 Difficulty in constructing generic structures 38

2.3.3 Lack of competency in using the language of evaluation 40

2.4.GENRE-BASED PEDAGOGIC APPROACHES 42

2.4.1 Rhetorical Genre Studies 42

2.4.2 English for Specific Purposes (ESP) 43

2.4.3 The SFL genre tradition 44

2.4.4 Implicit versus explicit genre-based writing instruction 45

2.4.5 SFL genre-based explicit writing instruction 46

2.4.6 Research on the development of linguistic resources in argumentative writing from an SFL perspective 49

CHAPTER 3: THEORETICAL UNDERPINNINGS 53

3.0.INTRODUCTION 53

3.1.WRITING DEVELOPMENT FROM A SYSTEMIC FUNCTIONAL LINGUISTICS PERSPECTIVE 54

3.1.1 Genre and writing development 56

3.1.2 Register and writing development 60

3.1.3 Metafunction 62

3.1.4 Stratification and realisation 63

3.1.5 Instantiation 66

3.2.SFL CONCEPTUAL TOOLS FOR EXPLORING WRITING CHANGES 68

3.2.1 SFL theory of genre 68

3.2.2 Periodicity 72

3.2.3 A PPRAISAL system 74

CHAPTER 4: METHODOLOGY 79

4.0.INTRODUCTION 79

4.1.THE QUALITATIVE RESEARCH PARADIGM 79

4.2.CONTEXT 81

4.3.UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT WRITERS IN AN EFL CONTEXT 82

4.4.DATA COLLECTION 83

4.4.1 Stage I: Analysis of the literature and the research context 84

4.4.2 Stage II: Design of the intervention program 85

4.4.3 Stage III: Implementation and Evaluation of the intervention 92

4.4.4 Data sources 93

4.5.DATA ANALYSIS 95

4.5.1 Argumentative genre analysis 96

4.5.2 Periodicity analysis 99

4.5.3 Appraisal analysis 101

4.5.4 Interview data analysis 113

4.6.ETHICAL ISSUES 115

4.7.CONCLUSION 116

CHAPTER 5: TEXTUAL STRUCTURES OF STUDENT ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING 117

5.0.INTRODUCTION 117

5.1.VARIED STRUCTURES IN THE PRE-INTERVENTION TEXTS 118

5.1.1 Varied structures in the high achieving pre-intervention texts 119

5.1.2 Varied structures in the low achieving pre-intervention texts 121

5.2.ARGUMENT GENRES APPROXIMATED IN THE MID- AND POST-INTERVENTION TEXTS 127

5.3.MISSING EVIDENCE IN THE PRE-INTERVENTION TEXTS 133

5.4.EMERGING ELABORATION STRATEGIES IN THE MID- AND POST-INTERVENTION TEXTS 136

5.4.1 Adding evidence as a persuasive device 136

5.4.2 Adding analysis 138

5.4.3 Adding concession 139

5.5.THE TEXTUAL ORGANISATION OF INFORMATION IN THE STUDENT TEXTS 141

5.5.1 High achieving pre-intervention texts 142

5.5.2 Low achieving pre-intervention texts 144

5.5.3 Using macroTheme to predict content in the mid- and post-intervention texts 155

5.5.4 Predicting hyperThemes through macroTheme 156

5.5.5 Greater use of hyperNew 158

5.6.THE PARTICIPANTS’ VIEWS ON THE INTERVENTION PROGRAM 160

5.6.1 The impact of the intervention on genre knowledge 161

5.6.2 The positive aspects of the intervention 164

CHAPTER 6: THE PROFILE OF ATTITUDES IN STUDENT ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING 169

6.0.INTRODUCTION 169

6.1.INSCRIBED ATTITUDE 169

6.1.1 A more to less personalised expression of emotions 170

6.1.2 Development of more delicate evaluative resources 172

6.1.3 Wide to narrow distribution of AFFECT resources 174

6.1.4 Shift towards nominalised AFFECT 175

6.1.5 Preferences for resources of JUDGEMENT 177

6.1.6 A less to more effective use of evaluative resources beyond the level of clauses 179

6.2.GRADUATION 187

6.2.1 Similar patterns of GRADUATION 188

6.2.2 Developing control over the pattern of GRADUATION resources and APPRECIATION 190

6.2.3 Growing repertoire of intensification resources 191

6.3.TYPES OF INVOKED ATTITUDE 193

6.4.THE INTERPLAY OF INSCRIBED AND INVOKED ATTITUDE 201

CHAPTER 7: ENGAGING WITH OTHER VOICES IN STUDENT ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING 205

7.0.INTRODUCTION 205

7.1.FROM A SINGLE-VOICED TO MULTIPLE-VOICED ARGUMENTATIVE TEXT 206

7.1.1 Single-voiced pre-writing 207

7.1.2 Using attribution to create multiple-voiced post-intervention writing 210

7.2.FROM LIMITED INEFFECTIVE TO WIDER-RANGING, EFFECTIVE USES OF ENGAGEMENT RESOURCES BEYOND THE LEVEL OF CLAUSES 224

7.2.1 Limited effectiveness in pre-intervention texts 224

7.2.2 Greater effectiveness in post-intervention texts 226

CHAPTER 8: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION 229

8.0.INTRODUCTION 229

8.1.IMPACT OF SCAFFOLDED,SFL-BASED GENRE APPROACH ON ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING DEVELOPMENT 230

8.1.1 Changes in generic structures 230

8.1.2 Changes in the organisation of ideas 232

8.1.3 Changes in evaluative language use 232

8.2.PARTICIPANTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE SFL-BASED GENRE WRITING INTERVENTION 235

8.3.KEY FEATURES OF EFFECTIVE ARGUMENTATION 238

8.3.1 The role of genre staging and evidence in argumentation 238

8.3.2 The role of field knowledge about writing topics 240

8.3.3 The role of evaluative meanings 241

8.4.A LINGUISTIC CONCEPTION OF ABILITY TO ARGUE IN ENGLISH 243

8.5.IMPROVING KEY CRITERIA FOR ASSESSING ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING SKILLS IN VSTEP 246

8.5.1 Current descriptors of Band 10 rubric 247

8.5.2 Proposed descriptors of Band 10 rubric 248

8.6.IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE STUDY 250

8.7.PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 251

8.8.LIMITATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE STUDIES 254

REFERENCES 256

APPENDICES 275

APPENDIX 1–GENRE ANALYSIS 275

APPENDIX 2–PERIODICITY ANALYSIS 296

APPENDIX 3–INSCRIBED ATTITUDE ANALYSIS 315

APPENDIX 4–INSCRIBED ATTITUDE ANALYSIS WITH GRADUATION + INVOCATIONS 331

APPENDIX 5–ANALYSIS OF ENGAGEMENT RESOURCES 347

APPENDIX 6–INTERVIEW DATA ANALYSIS 363

LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE 3.1STRATAL HIERARCHY OF REALISATION - STRATA OF LANGUAGE IN SOCIAL CONTEXT AFTER MARTIN AND ROSE

(2008) 65

FIGURE 3.2THE CLINE OF INSTANTIATION RELATING SYSTEM TO INSTANCE 67

FIGURE 3.3LAYERING OF THEME AND NEWS IN DISCOURSE (MARTIN &ROSE,2007B, P.186) 73

FIGURE 3.4THE APPRAISAL SYSTEM FROM MARTIN AND WHITE (2005, P.38) 76

FIGURE 4.1THREE STAGES OF DATA COLLECTION 83

FIGURE 4.2THE INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL OF THE INTERVENTION, AFTER ROTHERY (1994) AND ROSE AND MARTIN (2012) 86 FIGURE 4.3SYSTEM NETWORK OF RESOURCES IN GRADUATION FROM MARTIN AND WHITE (2005) AND HOOD (2004A) 107 FIGURE 4.4THREE MAIN MECHANISMS IN WHICH AN EVALUATIVE MEANING IS SIGNALLED, AFTER MARTIN AND WHITE (2005) 109

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE 3.1GENRES AND GENRE FAMILIES IN EDUCATIONAL CONTEXTS (ROSE,2012) 70

TABLE 3.2A SYSTEM OF ARGUMENT GENRES (MARTIN &ROSE,2008) 71

TABLE 4.1THE TOTAL NUMBER OF WORDS IN EACH SET 93

TABLE 4.2THREE TASK PROMPTS GIVEN AT THREE POINTS IN TIME: PRE-, MID- AND POST INTERVENTION 94

TABLE 4.3GENERIC STRUCTURES IN STUDENT ARGUMENTATIVE TEXTS (COFFIN,2004) 97

TABLE 4.4EXAMPLES OF LINGUISTIC REALISATIONS IN THE ISSUE STAGE 98

TABLE 4.5EXAMPLES OF LINGUISTIC REALISATIONS IN THE COUNTER-ARGUMENT STAGE 98

TABLE 4.6SUB-CATEGORIES OF AFFECT AND EXAMPLES OF EACH SUB-CATEGORY FROM THE DATA 103

TABLE 4.7SUB-CATEGORIES OF JUDGEMENT AND EXAMPLES OF EACH SUB-CATEGORY FROM THE DATA 104

TABLE 4.8SUB-CATEGORIES AND SAMPLE INSTANTIATIONS OF APPRECIATION 106

TABLE 4.9AN EXAMPLE OF THE DATA AND CODES 114

TABLE 4.10AN EXAMPLE OF THE MERGING OF CODES INTO A THEME 114

TABLE 4.11AN EXAMPLE OF THEMES AND RESPECTIVE DEFINITIONS 115

TABLE 5.1AN EXAMPLE OF THE MACRO STRUCTURE OF ANALYTICAL EXPOSITION 120

TABLE 5.2AN EXAMPLE OF THE MACRO STRUCTURE OF ANALYTICAL DISCUSSION 121

TABLE 5.3AN EXAMPLE OF THE STRUCTURE OF AN INCOMPLETE HORTATORY DISCUSSION 122

TABLE 5.4AN EXAMPLE OF THE STRUCTURE OF AN UNIDENTIFIABLE GENRE 123

TABLE 5.5AN EXAMPLE OF AN INEFFECTIVE TEXTUAL ORGANISATION 124

TABLE 5.6AN EXAMPLE OF ARGUMENTS WITH LIMITED ELABORATIONS 125

TABLE 5.7AN EXAMPLE OF ARGUMENTS WITHOUT ELABORATIONS 126

TABLE 5.8FROM ANALYTICAL DISCUSSION TO ANALYTICAL EXPOSITION 128

TABLE 5.9FROM INCOMPLETE HORTATORY DISCUSSION TO ANALYTICAL EXPOSITION 129

TABLE 5.10PROGRESSION TOWARDS CLEARER RHETORICAL PURPOSE 130

TABLE 5.11PROGRESSION TOWARDS EFFECTIVE TEXTUAL ORGANISATION 131

TABLE 5.12PROGRESSION TOWARDS ELABORATED ARGUMENTS 132

TABLE 5.13.AN EXAMPLE OF LACK OF EVIDENCE IN THE LOW ACHIEVING TEXTS 134

TABLE 5.14.AN EXAMPLE OF LACK OF EVIDENCE IN THE HIGH ACHIEVING TEXTS 135

TABLE 5.15ADDING EVIDENCE 137

TABLE 5.16ADDING ANALYSIS 139

TABLE 5.17ADDING CONCESSION 140

TABLE 5.18AN EXAMPLE OF PERIODICITY IN THE HIGH-PERFORMING TEXTS 143

TABLE 5.19INCOHERENT CONNECTION BETWEEN IDEAS 144

TABLE 5.20AN EXAMPLE OF THE INEFFECTIVE PREDICTIVE FUNCTION OF MACROTHEME 145

TABLE 5.21.AN EXAMPLE OF MISMATCH BETWEEN MACROTHEME AND HYPERTHEME 147

TABLE 5.22AN EXAMPLE OF INEFFECTIVE PREDICTIVE FUNCTION OF HYPERTHEME 149

TABLE 5.23AN EXAMPLE OF MISSING MACROTHEME 151

TABLE 5.24AN EXAMPLE OF MISSING HYPERTHEMES 152

TABLE 5.25AN EXAMPLE OF MISSING HYPERNEWS 154

TABLE 5.26AN EXAMPLE OF THE SUCCESSFUL USE OF THEMES IN THE POST-INTERVENTION TEXTS 155

TABLE 5.27AN EXAMPLE OF PREDICTING HYPERTHEMES THROUGH MACROTHEME 157

TABLE 5.28 AN EXAMPLE OF GREATER USE OF HYPERNEW 159

TABLE 5.29AN EXAMPLE OF CONCLUSION IN THE POST-INTERVENTION TEXTS 160

TABLE 6.1TOTAL INSTANCES OF APPRECIATION ACROSS THE DATA SET 170

TABLE 6.2GENERALISED APPRECIATION VERSUS DELICATE VALUATION ACROSS THE DATA SET 173

TABLE 6.3KINDS OF JUDGEMENT AND THEIR TOTAL INSTANCES ACROSS THE DATA SET 178

TABLE 6.4TOTAL INSTANCES OF EXPLICIT ATTITUDE AND GRADUATION IN TEXTS CONSTRUCTED AT DIFFERENT TIMES 188