Rhetorical Structure Theory: Towards Writing with a Sense of Purpose

Abstract

In recent years, different writing researchers have stressed the importance of integrating text-based and reader-based approaches in writing instruction to enable EFL learners to write both coherently and purposefully. However, combining these two basic features in students’ writing remains a challenging task for both students and teachers. Given this challenge, the present paper describes a model of writing instruction that combines text-based and reader-based features based on both Rhetorical Structure Theory and the process genre approach to improve EFL learners’ writing quality.