Sub-disciplinary variation and rhetoric in dissertation acknowledgements written by education students: The case of the University of Cape Coast, Ghana

Abstract

Studies have revealed differences and similarities in the generic structure and the linguistic encoding of gratitude in dissertation acknowledgements (DAs) in different socio-cultural settings. Whereas some studies have highlighted the role of disciplinarity, not all disciplines have been given equal attention. This study explores disciplinarity in the rhetoric of the acknowledgement section of Master’s degree dissertations in three sub-disciplines of Education, namely, Guidance and Counselling, Educational Administration and Management, and Science and Mathematics Education. The study adapts Hyland’s (2004) model of rhetorical analysis to examine 20 DAs form each of the three sub-disciplines. The findings show a linear three-move-structure, consisting of an initial optional reflecting move, an obligatory thanking move, and an optional concluding move, across the three sub-disciplines. Second, there are some differences in the frequency of occurrence of moves and steps across the three sub-disciplines. Finally, the thanking move is assigned much textual space in all DAs, with very little sub-disciplinary variation in the textual space allocated to the three moves across the sub-disciplines. The study has implications for the scholarship on disciplinarity, rhetoric in academic writing, and further research