The realization of thematic progression in argumentative essays by third-year English-majored students at a public university in Vietnam

Text coherence remains a challenge for both teachers and students in ESL/EFL writing courses. Text coherence is determined by thematic progression patterns, which describe the organization of theme and rheme in a text. Using a qualitative research approach, this study aims to analyze the thematic progression patterns in argumentative essays written by third-year English-majored students at a public university in Vietnam. It was found that simple linear thematic progression was the most popular pattern in the students’ argumentative essays. The study hopes to contribute to the field as a reference for teaching academic writing to English-majored students at the tertiary level in Vietnam.