A rhetorical analysis of examination essays in three disciplines: The case of Ghanaian undergraduate students

Abstract

AbstractResearch on disciplinary variation has covered both expert as well as novice writing (e.g. Dudley-Evans, 1986; Hyland, 2000; Samraj, 2004, 2005a, 2005b; Varghese & Abraham, 2004). However, the rhetorical aspects of student writing in Africa, and particularly Ghana, remain largely under-researched. The present study seeks to fill this research gap through a Swalesian (1981, 1990) rhetorical analysis of the introductions and conclusions of 180 examination essays written by Ghanaian second-year undergraduates, across the disciplines of English, Sociology and Zoology. The textual data are supported by interview data from faculty and students at the research site. Specifically, I consider four parameters: (1) the frequency of each move; (2) the sequencing of moves; (3) the textual space allocated to each move; and (4) the linguistic features instantiating each move. The findings, seen properly as tendencies, have important implications for writing pedagogy, and future research in the rhetoric of disciplinary writing.