Utilizing the Genre-Project Based Approach for Enhancing Students’ English Research Article Writing: A Rhetorical Move Analysis

Lulus Irawati; Erlik Widiyani  Styati

doi:10.31849/pbhyqv09

Authors

Lulus Irawati Universitas PGRI Madiun, Madiun, Indonesia
Erlik Widiyani Styati Universitas PGRI Madiun, Madiun, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31849/pbhyqv09

Keywords:

Rhetorical moves, English research article writing, Genre based approach, Project based learning

Abstract

Situated within English for Specific Purposes (ESP) writing, this study addresses the limited evidence on how genre based instruction can be combined with project based learning to develop novice writers’ control of rhetorical moves in research articles. It investigates how a genre project based approach enhances the rhetorical organization of English research article (RA) sections and why particular moves are selected by students. Using a qualitative content analysis design, the study draws on 23 RAs produced in pairs by 46 Indonesian EFL undergraduates over a ten week course, complemented by a focus group interview with 10 volunteers. The pedagogy integrated three genre stages and five project phases, while the students’ texts were analysed using Swales and Feak’s move framework and the interview data were thematically coded and validated through peer debriefing. The findings show that students successfully deploy core moves in the abstract, method, and results sections, yet display fragmented control of move 1 (establishing a territory), move 2 (establishing a niche), the articulation of limitations, and recommendations in the introduction, discussion, and conclusion. At the same time, they develop emerging genre and metacognitive awareness, evident in more principled decisions about section purpose, title construction, and alignment between research design and move choices. Overall, the study demonstrates that a genre project based approach can scaffold ESP RA writing while raising rhetorical consciousness, with implications for the design of academic writing courses in EFL teacher education and for future work that traces students’ move development over time.

Author Biographies

Lulus Irawati, Universitas PGRI Madiun, Madiun, Indonesia

Dr. Lulus Irawati, S.S., M.Pd., is a senior lecturer in the English Education Study Program, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas PGRI Madiun, Indonesia. Her academic interests include English language education, academic writing, genre based pedagogy, and curriculum development. She is also actively engaged in school based teacher training and community service programs that promote innovation in the Merdeka Belajar context. She serves as one of the members of the university research ethics committee.
Erlik Widiyani Styati, Universitas PGRI Madiun, Madiun, Indonesia

Erlik Widiyani Styati, M.Pd., is a lecturer in English Language Teaching at Universitas PGRI Madiun, Indonesia. Her teaching and research focus on teaching writing, TEFL, and interaction based tasks in EFL classrooms. She has published on students’ writing performance and classroom interaction in national and international journals and is actively involved in teacher professional development activities and curriculum implementation workshops for English teachers.

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