Pedagogical use of scientific abstracts to strengthen the use of discourse connectors and academic structures in the writing of university EFL students

Resumen

This study examines the pedagogical impact of using scientific research abstracts on the development of academic writing skills among university EFL students, with particular attention to academic structures and discourse connectors. A quasi-experimental mixed-methods design was implemented with 200 upper-intermediate university students. The participants were divided into control and experimental groups. The control group received no intervention, while the experimental group received the intervention using scientific abstracts. The results of the quantitative analysis indicated that instruction focused on reading has a strong impact on writing production; however, the positive effects are more pronounced when using scientific abstracts. Additionally, writing components such as rhetorical organization, use of academic structures, and the presence of discourse connectors were observed only in the experimental group.  Hence, the results of this study demonstrated that scientific abstracts can be considered rich resources for promoting reading and writing, serving as an effective bridge between them. Also, the benefits of this abstract lie in its concise and authentic modeling of academic discourse. Therefore, abstract-based instruction facilitates learners' internalization of rhetorical moves, the use of disciplinary language features, and cohesive devices central to academic writing.