Toward a Model for Analyzing the Rhetorical Move Structure of the Master Thesis Introductions in Applied Linguistics

Genres are characterized by their purposes (Bhatia, 2014). Accordingly, the MA thesis and research articles (RAs) differ in their communicative purposes (Károly, 2009). The former aims to examine students’ research capability, while the latter aims to communicate research among scholars to spread knowledge. Nonetheless, since Swales’s (1990) CARS model, no model has been developed for studying the MA thesis introductions regarding their rhetorical move structure (RMS), particularly in the ELF context. This paper addresses the gap and contributes to the field of genre analysis by creating a model for representing and analyzing the RMS of MA thesis introductions in applied linguistics, taking the CARS Model as a starting point. The proposed model is created by systematically and critically reviewing existing theories and empirical research on the topic. Subsequently, a pilot study involving 10 MA theses from a Hungarian university was conducted to test the reliability and validity of the model and make necessary refinements. The results showed that some sub-moves, such as “Stating research focus,” “Stating study framework,” “Stating historical context,” “Stating research relevance,” “Methodological gap,” and “Quotation/hook,” are missing from the model and were added. The proposed model holds implications for understanding the RMS and provides a tool for researchers to analyze MA thesis introductions, particularly in Applied linguistics. Such studies are important pedagogically for teachers as well to understand the students’ writing with the view of communicative functions