Evaluating the Impact of Genre-Based Writing Instruction on Academic Writing Quality among English as a Foreign Language University Students in Bangladesh

Abstract

Academic writing remains a significant challenge for many English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, particularly in contexts where explicit instruction in genre conventions is limited. This study examines the effectiveness of genre-based writing instruction (GBI) in improving academic writing quality among undergraduate EFL students at a Bangladeshi university. Employing a pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental design, 140 students were assigned to either a genre-based instruction (GBI) group or a process writing instruction (PWI) group during a 12-week academic writing course. The instructional framework was informed by Halliday and Hasan's (1985) genre theory, Martin and Rose's (2008) Sydney School approach to genre pedagogy, and Hyland's (2004) genre approach to academic writing. The GBI intervention explicitly introduced students to the schematic structures, communicative purposes, and linguistic features of three academic genres: argumentative essays, research reports, and critical critiques. Writing performance was evaluated using both holistic expert ratings and analytic rubrics assessing generic structure, discourse management, and linguistic realization. Quantitative findings demonstrated that students receiving GBI achieved significantly greater improvements in generic structure conformity (d = 0.87) and discourse management (d = 0.69) compared with those receiving PWI, while both groups exhibited comparable gains in grammatical accuracy and surface-level language use. Qualitative analysis of student reflections and writing portfolios revealed that explicit genre instruction enhanced learners' awareness of audience, purpose, and rhetorical organization, enabling more deliberate and confident writing decisions. In contrast, participants in the PWI group frequently described their writing choices as intuitive, uncertain, and dependent on trial and error. The findings suggest that integrating explicit genre instruction into EFL academic writing courses substantially strengthens students' rhetorical competence and organizational skills without compromising linguistic development. The study offers important implications for curriculum design, teacher education, and academic writing pedagogy in higher education EFL contexts, particularly in South Asian universities where academic literacy development remains a critical educational priority.