Rhetorical patterns in abstracts of undergraduate students in a public university in Ghana
Abstract
This study adopted a qualitative approach and employed a case study research design. Twenty abstracts were randomly sampled from the Faculty of Computing and Information Systems (FoCIS), the Faculty of Engineering (FoE), and the Business School (BS). The research instruments comprised students’ abstracts and focus group interviews. The framework we adopted for an in-depth analysis of the rhetorical patterns in the abstracts was Hyland’s (2000) Five Move Patterns. The product of this study indicated that the students applied different rhetorical patterns in the abstracts.
The participants’ most significant rhetorical moves and choices were manifested in the sequencing and placement of these moves within the rhetorical patterns. The responses from the participants on the functions of abstracts in research were positive. The researchers concluded that there should be rules and conventions in writing abstracts across the disciplines and writing of abstracts should be guided by a framework and carefully supervised to enhance the students' writing skills.
Keywords
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