Enhancing EFL Writing through Genre Analysis: A Case of Introductory Paragraphs

Despite the crucial role the writing skill takes in EFL students’ academia, little research has so far been conducted on genre analysis with regard to introductory paragraphs. The current study aimed to investigate whether the effects of genre analysis might outweigh those of the traditional approaches to Iranian EFL learners’ writing ability to develop introductory paragraphs in thesis-led and argument-led essays. The study was quasi-experimental and focused on non-English graduate and post-graduate students of Tehran Jahad Medical Science and University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences. The 48 participants were divided randomly into two intact groups who received either genre-based treatment, as the experimental group, and the traditional instruction, in the control group. The statistical procedures of paired samples and independent-samples t-tests revealed that the effect of genre-based instruction significantly enhanced the writing performances in both thesis-led and argument-led approaches, implying the positive effects of genre-based instruction of writing in an EFL context. The results were also consistent with the speculation that genre awareness-raising could enhance composition writing. This study might have implications for IELTS takers and IELTS instructors as well.