ESL Students’ writing skills an analysis of authorial stance in the argumentative essays of Senior High School Students in Accra Metropolitan Area

Abstract

In the composition of writing, writers reveal their thoughts through the use of authorial stance markers, which not only express their stance, but also help them build an interactive relationship with target readers. This thesis investigated the types of authorial stance markers used by Greater Accra SHS students in their argumentative essays and the functions they are used to explore in the language. Using a qualitative approach, data were textually analyzed from 300 purposively sampled scripts of final year General Arts students. The analysis indicates that there was significant use of all the four types of authorial stance markers, expressed through hedges, boosters, Self-mention, and attitude markers. Again, hedges and boosters appeal to their knowledge most. It was also discovered that the markers were used to express certainty, doubt, imprecision, avoid conflicts, minimize face-threatening acts, and mitigate imposition. Other functions are expressing humility, caution, and politeness. Based on the results, it is argued that it is important to take note of what to and how to use authorial stance markers as they help in taking position and making judgements about issues in writing. The study, also suggests that the higher density of authorial stance markers in argumentative essays is not absolutely an indication of a better ability in writing.