The impact of games on improving the English speaking skills of sixth-grade students

Abstract

The study examines the utilization of evaluative language in argumentative essays by first-year English-major students at VNU–International School using Martin and White (2005)’s Appraisal framework. Twenty essays on the prompt “Do the benefits of technology in education outweigh the drawbacks?” were reviewed and divided into high-quality (Band 6–7 IELTS) and low-quality (Band 4–5 IELTS) categories. The results suggest clear disparities between the two groups regarding both the quantity and quality of Appraisal resources (Attitude, Engagement and Graduation) emerged. Good essays used a broader range of lexis, a greater range of dialogic strategies and poor ones were characterized by emotive, subjective language and a lack of argument. This shows that academic writing competence is developed through knowledge of both grammar, coherence, and evaluative uses of language. It suggests that a genre-based pedagogy and the Appraisal theory can be integrated into writing pedagogy in cultivating students’ critical thinking and academic voice building.