Analysis of the Writing Quality of Senior High School Students’ Research Introductions
Abstract
Research introduction as a genre has been a fertile subject of inquiry in recent years. However, much of the research has focused primarily on the analysis of its generic structure, paying less attention to its other equally important elements. Hence, examining the quality of research introductions using multiple criteria, particularly among novice research writers, is pivotal in the field of second language (L2) academic writing in a secondary education context. This study was conducted to examine the writing quality of research introductions among senior high school (SHS) students and to further probe whether a significant difference existed in the students’ writing quality when grouped according to their chosen educational track. The data involved 60 research introductions collaboratively written and submitted as preliminary examination papers by SHS students in an online research writing course. Using a modified rubric from Tuyen et al. (2018), the research introductions were rated in terms of their content, organization, language use, mechanics, and citation, and were subjected to descriptive and inferential analyses. Triangulation using qualitative evidence was undertaken to illustrate the students’ actual writing quality. The results show that the overall writing quality of the students’ research introductions was poor, and there was a significant difference in their writing quality when they were grouped according to educational track. The results indicate a need for a more holistic theoretical framework on academic writing and a call for a genre-oriented approach to teaching academic writing in a secondary education context.
https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.23.5.12
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