Developmental Patterns in Persuasive Writing: A Study of Upper Primary ESL Students.

Abstract

The ability to write persuasively in English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms necessitates the incorporation of rhetorical elements, including goal announcement, stage labelling, person markers, and sequencing (Hyland, 2004). This research investigates the persuasive writing techniques employed by upper primary ESL learners, utilizing a coding framework (Swales, 1990) to analyse 22 texts produced by students. This study examines the intricacies of ESL writing, focusing on persuasive writing and the application of rhetorical structures. Through discourse analysis, we explore the significance of goal announcement and sequencing in the context of upper primary education, highlighting their impact on writing development. The results demonstrate that sequencing emerges as the predominant rhetorical feature utilized, while goal announcement and stage labelling are observed to occur with irregularity. This research elucidates the developmental trajectories associated with persuasive writing, identifying specific domains in which students necessitate further assistance. The findings present significant pedagogical implications for the advancement of persuasive writing instruction within ESL contexts (Gibbons, 2015). The findings indicate that the deliberate instruction of rhetorical frameworks, combined with scaffolded teaching methods, can markedly enhance the capacity of ESL learners to formulate persuasive arguments with efficacy.