Exploring Academic Discursive Competence in Chinese EFL Undergraduates Abstract Writing of Research Articles

Abstract

Effective abstract writing is critical for Chinese EFL undergraduates to succeed in academic publishing and global scholarly communication, yet their academic discursive competence in this area remains underexplored. Despite growing research on Chinese EFL learners’ academic writing (e.g., Li, 2020), few studies focus on undergraduate English majors’ research article abstracts through the lens of academic discursive competence. This study addresses this gap by applying Jiang Feng’s (2021) academic discursive competence framework and grounded theory methodology to analyze English abstracts written by 80 senior undergraduate English majors at a university in central China. Through open, axial, and selective coding, the analysis examines generic, textual, and social competence. Findings reveal significant variations in abstract move structures, with four unconventional models identified (e.g., omitting research method descriptions). Textually, students favor simple and complex sentences, present tense, and active voice, but exhibit frequent grammatical errors and redundant descriptions. Socially, disciplinary identity markers (e.g., field-specific terminology) are underused, while proximity expressions (e.g., first-person pronouns) prevail over positioning expressions (e.g., objective statements). Using grounded theory, this study identifies context-specific features of academic discursive competence, offering new insights into Chinese EFL learners’ abstract writing challenges. These findings provide practical implications for enhancing teaching strategies, improving grammatical accuracy, and fostering disciplinary identity in undergraduate English programs.