Constructing arguments in engineering student case studies

Abstract

Student case studies in engineering have received little attention from English from Specific purposes researchers, in contrast to case studies in business, law and medicine. This article addresses this gap in an analysis of the rhetorical moves of student case studies in engineering. Drawing on Swales’s (1990) move analysis framework, the study found three obligatory sections: Introduction, Analysis and Recommendations. A total of eight moves within these sections are proposed, which writers use in building arguments concerning the recommendations they make. Drawing on background information, identifying problems and questions regarding the case, and employing conceptual frameworks, students analyse the cases from a variety of perspectives in order to make recommendations about the problems in the case. All eight of the proposed moves are found in multiple sections rather than being confined to a single section, a finding unusual in academic genres. A key contribution of this study is the fine-grained analysis of rhetorical moves and strategies within all case study sections. We anticipate that this analysis will benefit writing instructors teaching engineering students, as well as engineering instructors.