Vocabulary and move analysis of high school essays from an eap writing perspective

Abstract

The importance of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in tertiary education has been widely recognized; however, practitioners have had difficulty helping learners transition from English for General Purposes (EGP) to EAP due to a lack of empirical research on prospective EAP learners in Japan. To fill this gap, the current study analyzed the vocabulary and rhetorical structures of 44 high school students’ essays. The results indicated a large percentage of general vocabulary and a lack of academic vocabulary in high school students’ essays, and the largest number of proper nouns in the Off List category. In terms of rhetorical structures, the moves that represent signposts and thesis were missing. This suggested that students often wrote without using transitional words and restating the thesis. Additionally, the move required to develop arguments using external sources was missing. Based on the study results, we discuss the pedagogical implications for students during the transition from EGP to EAP.