Developing a program-based on scientific discourse analysis to enhance engineering students' scientific argumentative writing skills

Abstract EN

The aim of this study was to introduce scientific discourse analysis (SDA) as a new research technique for enhancing scientific argumentative writing skills of engineering students through a suggested program based on this research technique.

The participants were 30 sophomore students from civil engineering department at the Higher Institute of Engineering, El Shorouk Academy.

The training was conducted during the academic year 2016-2017.

To collect data, the researcher prepared an argumentative writing skills questionnaire, an argumentative writing test (pre-post) and an argumentative writing assessment rubric.

The program consisted of two parts; the instructor's guide and the course material in which the participants practiced three levels of (SDA); textual analysis, contextual analysis and genre analysis as well as some argumentative writing activities.

Data was processed by using the statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS).

The findings revealed the suggested program based on SDA can be effective in developing engineering students' argumentative writing skills.