Baltic Journal of English Language, Literature and Culture (Nov 2011)
Moves in The Introductions of Problem-Solution Essays
Abstract
Structuring of texts is one of the major problems in essay writing for learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). However, there is little research on the distinction between the moves of a genre and the elements of the rhetorical pattern in essay introductions. The goal of this article is to investigate the use of moves and the elements of the problem-solution pattern in the essay introductions written by 35 undergraduate students majoring in English at a university of Latvia. The analysis of the problem-solution essays revealed that the students mainly used a one- or two-move sequence in the essay introductions, and more than half of the students did not provide the thesis statement. The analysis of the elements of the rhetorical pattern demonstrated that the essay introductions contained information about the problem, situation and/or solutions. It has been concluded that the students using the problem-solution rhetorical pattern neglect the moves typical of essay introduction. Thus, an analysis of the rhetorical pattern and generic features of essay introduction may help to determine the text correspondence to the expectancies of academic community.
