Analyzing descriptive report writing among English language learners in Japan through a genre-based approach to secondlanguage writing

Abstract This mixed-methods study evaluated the evolution of thematic development in descriptive report writing among 12 first-year English for Academic Purposes (EAP) university students in Japan over the course of a 15-week program. The program employed a genre-based approach within a Systemic Functional Linguistic framework. Four consecutive information report essays (two pre-essays, a post-essay, and a delayed test essay) were analyzed to assess the student’s writing progress. The results revealed a general progression, starting with limited Theme development in the first pre-essay, to some students exhibiting a growing familiarity with coherence and cohesion in terms of the generic structure of descriptive reports.