Van Geyte, Els (2018). Persuasion in higher education: a comparative investigation of argumentational strategies in student and expert opinion essays. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.
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VanGeyte18PhD.pdf
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Abstract
In order to succeed in Higher Education, students need to be able to argue effectively in writing. This thesis focuses on the argumentational skills of international students as manifested in short essays, similar to the written English proficiency tests for university admission.
The study compared these essays to opinion pieces produced by expert academic writers. First, insights from the field of rhetoric were used to compare how the writers argued. An analytical tool was designed to deconstruct arguments into their essential parts to determine the number and distribution of these components in the texts. The results from this analysis then informed an investigation into selected types of cohesive markers and their role in managing writer-reader dialogues. The study found differences in both the argumentational and linguistic strategies used by the writers to persuade their readers, especially with regard to the integration of other voices.
The thesis discusses implications for the teaching of argument in the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) curriculum and beyond, and advocates a more rhetorical approach. Recommendations include the use of a new generative model of argument in the classroom and the use of the analytical tool for further research across different argumentational genres and academic disciplines.
| Type of Work: | Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.) | |||||||||
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| Award Type: | Doctorates > Ph.D. | |||||||||
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| College/Faculty: | Colleges (2008 onwards) > College of Arts & Law | |||||||||
| School or Department: | School of English, Drama and American & Canadian Studies, Department of English Language and Linguistics | |||||||||
| Funders: | None/not applicable | |||||||||
| Subjects: | P Language and Literature > P Philology. Linguistics | |||||||||
| URI: | http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/eprint/8636 |
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