The Rhetorical Structure of Method Section of Research Articles in Reputable International Journal of ELT Published in Indonesia

Abstract

This study investigated the rhetorical structure of method section in English language teaching articles. A corpus consisting of 80 research articles in reputable international journal of English language teaching published in Indonesia was systematically sampled to serve as data input for analysis. The results showed that the method section of English language teaching articles were characterized by structural complexity and rich, nuanced descriptions. English language teaching researchers generally used three rhetorical moves to realize the overall communication goal of the methods section: 1) Describing the research design, 2) Describing the data collection procedures, and 3) Describing the data analysis procedures. While Move-1 was a Conventional move and did not have constituent steps, the second and third Move have a series of constituent steps, with Move-2 was an Obligatory move and the Move-3 was a Conventional. The most hypothetical model of method section in the results of this research were Describing research design (M1), Describing the Data Collection Procedure (M2): Describing the Samples (Move 2- Step B), Describing Research Instruments (Move 2- Step C), Elaborating on Data Collection Procedure (Move 2-Step D), and Describing the Data Analysis Procedure (Move 3): Relating (or recounting) data analysis procedure/s (Move 3- Step A). These Moves and Steps provide very detailed information on various aspects of the methodology. Pedagogically, the results can provide input for lecturers and students in writing research method section of English education field.Keywords: Academic writing, Rhetorical structure, Research method, Reputable international journal