RHETORICAL STYLES OF THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK IN THESIS REPORTS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDENTS: PROBLEMS AND SUGGESTED ACTIONS

Teaching


INTRODUCTION
Final project work is one of the compulsory subjects which becomes a main requirement for a student's graduation in higher education levels.This final assignment can be in the form of writing a thesis, which is written from the results of the research study carried out to demonstrate an optimum understanding and ability in a particular study field, or the final paper writing assignment which is generally in the form of ideas set forth in the format of a scientific paper.As the heart of any final project, the theoretical framework section is often regarded crucial.How the writer approaches the selected problem can be seen from how the framework section has been written and supported with relevant information and data.Often an interesting topic of study is ruined by the inadequate arguments proposed in the theoretical framework.Investigations of how students' final projects are developed and whether they are written in accordance with certain guidelines would provide insights on how creativity flavors the forms of scientific work reports.An important point related to this effort is that it allows readers to review different types of articles and how this may attract future researchers (Paul & Criado, 2020).
The final project, as part of a scientific work, must be made according to the rules of scientific writing.Regulations, guidelines, and procedures for preparing thesis are usually derived from general guidelines that apply universally to all writings or scientific work, which are often colored with additional provisions agreed upon by limited groups.Besides the important knowledge of the subject matter and language skills, there is also another important skill related to the development and flow of ideas.In this regard, according to Fitzmaurice and O'Farrell (2010), there are three important skills that a writer must be proficient in: the skills to write a good summary, paraphrase, and direct quotation.
In the global scope, there are various different writing systematics, which will also affect the number and names of sections, chapters or units that must exist (Pandey & Pandey, 2015).For citations only, there are various styles, for example, the Modern Language Association (MLA) style, American Psychological Association (APA), The Chicago Manual of Style, Turabian, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), American Chemical Society (ACS), and others with their own distinctive characteristics.
Often, the adaptation of a certain model which is then reduced to a kind of format that must be guided by all related parties then acts as a standard and reference used to regulate the procedure for the implementation of scientific work (Perianto et al., 2021).Strict and rigid regulations will of course result in a uniform pattern that makes it easier for readers or users, but on the other hand it often creates problems, especially when a beginner is writing his scientific work for the first time, as is generally the case for most undergraduate or graduate thesis students (Chakma, Li, & Kabuhung, 2021).
With very clear guidelines, support for courses related to the ability to write scientifically conducting research, it turns out that theses and non-thesis final assignments are sometimes considered one of the scary things (Hadi, 2019).The long period of completing the thesis writing at the English Education department, for example, is proof that writing a thesis is not an easy thing.One of the elements that is considered difficult is the use of English as the medium of instruction in the final project.Another problem that probably hinders is the lack of mastery of academic writing skills which are the soul and main element of writing the thesis or academic paper.Dwihandini et al. (2013) find that the difficulties faced by students come from three sources: psychological, sociocultural, and linguistic factors.The second factor, sociocultural, is related to the main issue that this paper addresses: how the ability to connect sentences into meaningful piece of writing using appropriate lexical items and linguistic elements and to apply the rules of local, unique conventions regarding the thesis formats.
This paper describes the efforts to identify the writing problems through a study aiming to find recommendations for students and practitioners of scientific writing in general.The aim of the paper is to reveal the rhetorical styles used by students in writing their theoretical framework section of the research report final project.The empirical data from the writings of students were used and analyzed to present the information and answer to the research questions which concern the rhetorical styles of the conceptual framework of the final projects written by English Education department students when compared to the standards for writing scientific papers and some suggested actions to improve the quality of scientific papers in terms of the citation techniques.With a series of research steps that analyze a collection of students' writings, the main aspects that were revealed include the ability to argue and compile main and supporting theories to state the standing position of students and the ability to do citations in accordance with applicable regulations without violating anti-plagiarism regulations.This may provide initial information to the parties particularly interested in investigating the patterns of reporting research processes and results of EFL students in Indonesia.

Rhetorical Styles
Generally, the word rhetoric is often associated with effective language skills, the study of the effective use of language, and the art of bombastic speech.In the context of scientific writing, rhetoric means the effective use of language in composition, which can then be further studied.The term rhetoric was introduced by sophists, such as Gorgias and Isocrates, through their orations, and was continued by Aristotle's language observer, through his book, Rhetoric (Smith, 2017).Several linguistic terms eventually developed within the scope of the rhetorical curriculum.The first idea offered is an invention regarding the content and flow of thoughts or argument, followed by a judgment related to the content appropriateness.Then the third is the arrangement of the selected parts to be presented.Next is about preceding memory which is related to the internalization of text for the process of remembering, and lastly is delivery which is related to voice and body management (Fahnestock, 2011).Rhetorical theory develops describing small-scale units, called moves, to find substantial spoken or written arguments on a particular topic.In other words, these moves can be interpreted as a whole arrangement of issues and various other parts that are put together to form an oration or discourse.
The term "rhetorical style" is often used to indicate that each piece of writing has a different style which is influenced by three factors: the individual author, historical era, and text genre (Biber & Conrad, 2016, Brinton & Bergs, 2017).Fahnestock (2011) states that rhetoric can be better understood through the five main elements of a rhetorical situation, namely: text, author, audience, purpose, and setting.Rhetorical style is used to denote the writing methods used by different writers from the point of view of the individual writer.Rhetorical style from a historical era perspective, on the other hand, is generally used to denote the method of writing used during a certain period of time.Meanwhile, from the perspective of text genre, rhetorical phrases are used to show a unique organization of writing in any text genre.In other words, the rhetorical style used in a book is necessary to convey the distinctive qualities of various authors, historical periods, and genres to reflect individual aesthetic preferences.
Furthermore, the discussion of rhetoric is very diverse because it involves various artefacts, which proves the multifaceted nature of rhetoric as a concept and field of study (MacDonald, 2017).The artifacts in question include computing games, legal cases, speeches, plays, buildings, advertisements, novels, botanical atlases, music, poetry, philosophical dialogues, jokes, and many others.However, in this study the discussion of the literature was limited to an academic context.

Rhetorical Styles in Academic Writing
In academic writing, writers are required to be able to present the ideas through various written works such as essays or research products presented in theses, articles, or reports.According to Akkaya & Aydin (2018), several elements or ground rules that must exist in academic writing include belief, persuasion, evidence, and documentation.Belief raised in the discourse presented by the academic community is then supported by persuasive elaboration, supported by evidence and documentation, and then reaffirmed by several expressions regarding the author's position which is subjective, but also objective in terms of truth.This belief is also conveyed in a way that is relatively correct according to the author, still holding the principle of balance in perspective, without taking sides on right, wrong, good or bad emotionally.
In writing research papers, the academic community, including university students, presents facts that are written according to a predetermined writing procedure while still paying attention to the guidelines and ethics of scientific writing in general, which are still in line with the opinion above.In the introductory sections, theoretical studies, results, discussion, and thesis conclusions, for example, students are required to be able to write well, while paying attention to whether the paragraphs they write contain descriptive, narrative, argumentative, or causal information.Specifically for the theoretical study section, moreover, student writing must contain a synthesis of various information presented or published and then arranged in such a way as to meet the proper criteria.(Meyers, 2014) According to Meyers (2014), paragraphs in the theoretical review section should contain the author's main ideas and support in the form of a synthesis of ideas from various sources.The main ideas to be discussed can be organized in two ways, namely point-by-point or sourceby-source.This is also known as the CEL paragraphs, where in academic writing all paragraphs are developed by following a certain arrangement, starting from Claim (C) which contains the author's arguments or position, followed by Evidence (E) where the author presents support or evidence for the claim being carried, and Link (L) where the author connects his main ideas with evidence or support that supports his ideas.McNeill and Martin (2011) also conveyed a similar idea regarding paragraph development with the term CER (Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning).In addition to discussing paragraph writing, of course, rhetoric has many elements to analyze that appear in academic texts, such as the selection of grammatical and lexical elements, and so on (Kolln & Gray, 2013).

Some Studies on Rhetorical Styles
Much research has been done on rhetorical style, but most of the research focuses on the rhetorical analysis of journal articles written by academics.For example, the findings of a study conducted by Rahman, Darus, & Amir (2017) showed that the rhetorical structure of research articles in the area of applied linguistics started from Swales' CARS model.In another study, Arsyad and Arono (2016) examined 400 articles from various disciplines written by Indonesian academics that were published in Indonesian journals.They focused on the way writers rationalize the topics they choose and the possible problems that might be encountered if the same rhetorical style is used for English articles.They found that these authors encountered difficulties when publishing in international English journals because their rhetorical style did not indicate the reason for choosing the topic in the introduction.Articles that write down the reasons for choosing a topic tend to use personal reasons as the foundation.
Meanwhile, Bajwa, Konig, & Kunze (2020), also using the CARS model, examined 60 introductions of papers published in US-based and Indian management journals.This study revealed that different from articles published in US-based journals, articles published in Indian journals tend to violate the rules explained in the CARS model and were therefore beyond the expectations of reviewers of US journals.
The studies above have made significant contributions to the field of rhetorical style and it is important to know how Indonesian writers rhetorically address the communicative function in the introduction, whether in Indonesian or English.However, the above studies draw data from cross-disciplinary writings so it is difficult to know whether there is a similar phenomenon in the English language education discipline, which is the focus of our research.In addition, it is very rare for research to focus on students' rhetorical styles in writing their final assignments.Even though the research conducted by Rochma, Triastuti, and Ashadi (2021) focused on students' ability, the data were taken from journal articles published by students.Because of the many different characteristics between journal articles and student final assignments (such as length of articles or input from partners), another study was needed with a special emphasis and focus on the student final project on thesis writing.This is considered important considering the demands of universities to accelerate student graduation without reducing the quality of the final project they write.
The research presented in this paper continued and deepened what had been investigated by Lubis (2019).In his research, he collected data from 113 undergraduate thesis students majoring in English education in Indonesia and found out the rhetorical patterns of their arguments using the move analysis method.He found the absence of criticality as a fundamental element and several mistakes related to grammar and ideas occurred.Therefore, he recommended the need to hold a special English language pedagogy for the purpose of research publication.However, the present study has several limitations as disclosed in the article, including the limitations of the qualitative method used.The research presented in this paper was different from previous research in terms of the methods used (using quantitative and qualitative) as well as several other approaches and analyzes which will be specifically explained in the next subsections.

RESEARCH METHOD
The paper focuses on several main points.It is intended to reveal information concerning rhetorical styles in the conceptual framework of the thesis reports written by students of English education department, so that the aspects of writing that need improvement can be identified and recommended actions for research report writers particularly in developing their conceptual framework sections can be suggested.The method section covers the design of study, research participants, instruments for data collection, and the technique of data analysis.

Research Design
This research was a descriptive research study conducted with data in the form of the entire corpus of final assignment scripts written by students of the English Education department of UNY in the 2021/2022 academic year.With a purposive sampling technique, a sample was drawn to be observed with an observation rubric that had been prepared to observe the rhetoric of the students in making descriptions and arguments about the topics raised in their writing.The observation was focused on how the students expressed the grand theory, supported the theories, and positioned him/herself in the vortex of the theory.The aspects of the novelty studied from the exploration of previous researchers, for example by using the IMRAD (Introduction, Method, Results, and Discussion) scheme, procedures for citing according to a certain style, plagiarism boundary conditions, and argumentation techniques in compiling a conceptual framework were also reported.

Research Participants
The participants of this study consisted of all final thesis reports written by students of the English Education department of UNY in the 2021/2022 academic year.In the academic year, a total of 110 students submitted their research reports to be examined by the board of examiners appointed by the faculty and department.All papers submitted throughout the academic year became the population, and then by the purposive sampling technique, a sample was taken by using Slovin's formula (Susanti, et al., 2019).The sample includes a total of 86 works, written by 66 female and 20 male students.The sample was selected to meet the balanced proportion of work by research types, so that it covered the representatives of all types of study commonly conducted at the English education department.

Research Instruments
The types of data in this study were quantitative data and qualitative data.The quantitative data were in the forms of profiles and proportions or frequencies of various observation items obtained from the forms and object observation checklists.The frequencies of occurrences of each of the rhetorical functions were reported in percentages, how links written to connects ideas were identified and presented in frequencies, and citation techniques were then reported.The qualitative data were gathered from observations and the researchers' notes.Different parties were involved to maintain confirmability of the results.

Technique of Data Analysis
The research methodology employed in this study involved a meticulous analysis of two distinct types of data, namely qualitative and quantitative data.This analytical process adhered to the embedded mixed-method type, as delineated by Sugiyono (2015).In the context of this research, the embedded type was applied, prioritizing quantitative methods as the primary approach, complemented by the integration of qualitative methods as a secondary investigative tool.This methodological framework facilitated a comprehensive exploration of the research questions, leveraging the strengths of both qualitative and quantitative data analysis to yield a nuanced and well-rounded understanding of the phenomena under investigation.The sequential utilization of these methods in the embedded mixed-method type contributed to the robustness and depth of the research findings.
For the quantitative data, the frequency and percentage of each element were reported, while the qualitative method was carried out following the interactive pattern presented by Miles, et al. (2014) which carried out the stages of data collection, data display, data reduction and drawing conclusions in an interactive manner.The data were classified into several categories in accordance with the proposed aspects being investigated, grouped, and then a board of experts work to give interpretation and write conclusion about the patterns.Any issue related to the codes of ethics in research was carefully addressed, including the confidentiality aspect.To ensure the validity of the data in this study, several procedures were carried out, including increasing the accuracy in the research stages and ensuring confirmability (Sugiyono, 2010).Improvement of accuracy and assurance of confirmability is carried out by involving many parties to make observations on the research process and results, so that the element of subjectivity of the findings can be minimized.Lecturers who usually teach the research-related subject and several thesis supervisors were asked to review, recheck, and crosscheck the results of the study.

Research Findings The Distribution of Rhetorical Function Elements
The general results of the research showed that English Language Education students of UNY do not include too many elements of critical thinking in their thesis literature review.In general, they use more attribution, followed by elements of establishing links between sources, and comparing their own findings or interpretations with other sources (comparison of one's own findings or interpretation with other sources).Meanwhile, application, evaluation and statement of use elements have the smallest number.Table 1 shows the data in general.From Table 1 above, it is clear that there is a very large gap between students' ability to compare, evaluate, and apply various reference sources with their ability to attribution and relate reference sources.More detailed findings along with examples can be seen in the explanation below.

Attribution
In scholarly discourse, a particular mode of citation is employed to ascribe information or actions to a specific author, constituting a fundamental element in the acknowledgment of intellectual contributions.The pertinent information may manifest in diverse forms, encompassing propositions, terminologies, or textual passages, while associated activities may encompass research endeavors, discursive pursuits, or cognitive actions.The act of citation, within this paradigm, can manifest through distinct manifestations, including summaries, paraphrases, or direct citations, each serving the purpose of attributing credit appropriately.Moreover, the surface forms of citation, such as integral or non-integral, reporting or nonreporting, offer nuanced approaches to express attribution, thus contributing to the precision and accuracy of scholarly communication.Subsequently, this study's findings furnish illustrative instances of the application and nuances associated with the aforementioned citation types.These findings, emerging from a systematic inquiry into the patterns and conventions of scholarly attribution, provide concrete examples that underscore the varied ways in which authors employ citation practices in academic writing.Through the presentation of these examples, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of the complexities inherent in the attribution of information and activities within scholarly discourse, shedding light on the multifaceted nature of citation practices across different contexts.The table above was extracted from the thesis numbered S4, where there are 33 thesis pages containing citations for attribution purposes.In the samples of several pages of the thesis above, it can be seen that the verbs that appear most frequently are "mention", "state", "argue", "indicate", "find", or verbs that lead to definitions such as "define", "describe", or "explain".
The attribution of ideas that the students use can be seen from the following examples of quotation.In the two excerpts of the theoretical review section in the following table, the two authors used idea attribution, in which the views, concepts, or ideas of other authors regarding a phenomenon were conveyed to other readers or prospective writers through the thesis.
(S4) Moon ( 2000 The second type of attribution is the method, approach, or procedure attribution.In its use, the author described a method, approach, or procedure that had existed before, which might also be one of his considerations or bases in developing or applying a concept.In the following figure, it can be that a procedure for developing learning materials is conveyed.In the following excerpt, the author considers the steps for developing learning materials proposed by Jolly and Bolitho (1998: 98).
The research procedure adapted the model proposed by Jolly and Bolitho in Tomlinson (1998: 98).The steps of the research are presented in the figure below.The analysis of numerous theses within the theoretical framework reveals a notable pattern concerning the frequency of attributions, as documented in Table 3.This tabular presentation delineates the highest occurrences of attributions across the theoretical studies examined.Notably, three exemplary instances are showcased in the table, representing instances characterized by an exceptionally high frequency of attribution in relation to alternative methodologies.The inclusion of these extreme samples serves to underscore the prevalence and distinct prominence of attribution within the theoretical discourse of the examined theses.Through the systematic presentation of such empirical evidence, the table elucidates the significance and prevalence of attributions as a predominant feature in the theoretical analyses undertaken in the sampled theses, thereby contributing valuable insights into the prevailing trends and emphases within this academic domain.Establishing Links between Sources The function of this citation is to show links, usually comparisons and contrasts, between or between the various sources used.This type of citation can be used to show different views that exist on a topic, thus showing that the writer is able to identify controversial issues, which is very important in the discursive field.The following are some examples of the findings of this study.

Comparison of One's Own Findings or Interpretation with Other Sources
This type of citation is used to show similarities or differences between the findings of one's own research and those of other authors' research, usually when found in the discussion chapter where the author discusses his findings.This type of citation plays an important role in meeting the requirements for thesis contribution to the field, because contributions need to be differentiated from previous work.The following are some examples of the findings of this study.From the examples of the findings above, it can be seen that most students use the words "in line with", "similarly", and "similar to" or other expressions to show similar ideas.Quite few tried to contrast or disagree.

Statement of Use
This From the above data, it can be seen that S15 used a model modified from Tomlinson's idea.Meanwhile, in S19, the author argued that students in the research participated in learning by applying or according to the views of several experts.

Application
This type of citation establishes a connection between the cited work and the author's work in order to use the arguments, concepts, terminology, or procedures of the quoted work for the author's own purposes.Therefore, the focus is on the author's work.Tomlinson (1998: 247)

(S18) ......designing materials as proposed by
In this quote, author S18 presented concepts or ideas related to the development of learning materials that were appropriate with or suggested by an expert named Tomlinson.Sometimes authors may also choose to adapt, rather than adopt, as the following example shows.
(S2) Wilkins (1972) in Webb & Nation (2017) proposes that a little can be conveyed.....(adapted from Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, 2002).(page 12) On page 12 of this thesis, the word adapted indicates an attempt by the author to adapt ideas from a source to be used in his research.

Evaluation
In this type of quotation, the work of another author is evaluated by the use of evaluative language ranging from individual words (for example, evaluative adverbs) to clauses expressing evaluation.The following are some examples of the findings of this study.
(S25) They carry not only the commercial promotion of....or organization (Goddard, 1998), Furthermore, Cook (2001) argues that advertisements can serve as… (page 3) (S31) Harmer ( 2001) proposes three main steps to conduct a textbook evaluation including selecting areas for assessment, stating beliefs, and using statements.Meanwhile, Ur (1996) offers a more simplified framework with two main stages, i.e. deciding on criteria and applying these criteria.(page 22) From these data, it appears that in S5 there was a new idea that provides an evaluation of the previous quotation, which may add elements that the previous quotation does not have.Whereas in S31, it is clear that Ur's (1996) idea seemed to provide a simpler framework than  Harmer's (2001) proposal.In this case, it can be seen that the author was able to use quotations which are not just for attribution, but can be more critical, namely evaluating other ideas that he has previously understood.

The Aspects of Writing that Need Improvement and Recommended Actions
From the data presented in the above section, it can be seen that there are room for improving the conceptual framework written by English department students.Several aspects that need improvement are listed as follows.Related actions to overcome the problems are also presented, which can be used as an initial effort in improving the quality of quotations and citations in the theoretical framework section of a thesis report.
Firstly, comparing the students' production to the standard used as the basis for evaluating them, the study revealed the domination of attribution among the elements of rhetorical function.This type of citation has been excessively used in the sample investigated in the study, making the theoretical framework in students' thesis reports look like a collection of quotations, all with an almost similar way of borrowing others' ideas.Limiting the frequency of attribution citation type in students' production is deemed to be paramount.In this regard, a training to beginners in writing the research reports can be carried out, emphasizing the ability to master all elements of rhetorical functions.Students should also be given ideal examples of conceptual framework with a "standardized" proportion of variations in citation techniques.
Secondly, students' production showed that when two or more ideas about a proposed issue were linked, almost all links of this kind were used to show similar ideas, and then they used phrases or expressions used to support the similarity.As links between ideas are not only that one is in line with another, or that one expert agrees with another, students need to be reintroduced to the concepts of links between ideas.The relationship patterns between an idea and another idea may vary, and sensitivity is highly needed in identifying the relationship pattern.Sometimes the link cannot be easily recognized.A short training to review all possible patterns of relationship between ideas might be needed, focusing on how can two different ideas can be connected.The skill to analyze and find patterns of relationship among different ideas will help students develop a strong standpoint in the construction of theoretical description.
Then, in the comparison mode of rhetorical function, some students' productions were written in a monotonous way, mostly used to compare the similarities or to express agreement.Introductory words or phrases to express contrasts of difference were absent in the sample analyzed in the study.This clearly shows that students did not consider contrasting two or more ideas and seeing an issue from different perspectives or angles as one important aspect in the development of conceptual frameworks.A discussion of how to compare and contrast ideas might become a necessary step in a training to students.
Finally, it was evident that the last three rhetorical elements were rarely found in the sample.The very limited evidence of the elements of application, evaluation, and statement of use reflect that students might not see these as an important stance in the development of strong conceptual framework, and therefore students need to learn and relearn the whole lessons of rhetorical functions so that students will possess the ability to use variations in supporting ideas through different types of citation methods.

Discussion
The study revealed that the attribution was the students' main, favorite kind of rhetorical function in their thesis writing.The excessive use of attribution, more than three fourth of the total number of citations in the study shows that the choices of rhetorical form or function is probably related to the mindset of the students.When a student cites, what comes up in his mind is that he has to attribute information.The selection of attribution mode might be caused because it is the easiest way to include others' ideas in a piece of writing, compared to other rhetorical functions.This is in line with the findings of studies conducted by Piwowar & Vision (2013) and Hyland & Jiang (2017) revealing that generally novice writers showed the tendency to use only the bibliography for attribution.That happened because they thought that it was what they were supposed to prepare when they have to use others' ideas in their own writing.
Upon closer examination, it becomes evident that certain authors within the scope of this study employ attribution with the specific objective of acknowledging the pivotal role of antecedent research in advancing knowledge within a scientific discipline.When subjected to a more granular analysis based on the content of attribution, two discernible types emerge: (1) the attribution of ideas, activities, or concepts to other authors, and (2) the attribution of methods, approaches, or procedures to other authors.The delineation of these attribution categories facilitates a nuanced understanding of the multifaceted ways in which scholarly acknowledgment is operationalized in theoretical studies.An investigation into attribution patterns reveals that the incorporation of both ideas and methods in theoretical studies serves as a deliberate effort by authors to articulate the intellectual debt owed to predecessors who have contributed to the resolution of the problems addressed within a given thesis.However, it is imperative to underscore the need for judicious use of attribution, as an excessive frequency of such references could potentially transform a thesis into a mere compilation of literature.Striking a balance between acknowledging scholarly antecedents and maintaining the originality of one's contribution is paramount, thereby ensuring that the thesis remains a substantive and innovative scholarly endeavor rather than merely an exhaustive display of existing literature.This nuanced perspective on the role and limitations of attribution within theoretical studies adds depth to the discourse surrounding scholarly citation practices.
According to the results of the analysis, the average number of attributions that appear in theoretical studies of the students' thesis was 78%.Of the group, there were three students whose theses showed extreme examples of the use of attribution with a very high proportion compared to the use of other citation methods.This shows that students' critical thinking levels tend to be low (Arifin, 2020) compared to attribution abilities.Several of the rhetorical functions are used in a rather complicated way, for example citing relevant work for application or evaluation purposes.In order to be able to do this, students need to analyze and find the pattern of relationships between ideas.The absence of the above two complicated purposes is a clear indication that even students do not need to show this important skill in their most important phase of study: the thesis writing.
From the excerpts in the second type of rhetorical functions, establishing link between sources, it can be clearly seen that the majority of authors used quotes or citations to build links with other sources, and usually tend to support or agree in terms of ideas.The tendency to agree, and sometimes to disagree with the reference's ideas had been a favorite method of establishing links.This finding is in accordance with the opinion of Dontcheva-Navratilova (2016: 57) that explains that one way to build links with existing writings is to express similarities or differences in concepts written with other concepts "establishing links between sources pointing to similarities or contrast between concepts, methods or approaches, ideas, claims and results reported in different sources".The two ways that they can use to express these similarities or differences were the formats of author-prominent citations and information-prominent.
In the comparison of writers' own findings and interpretation with others', from the examples of the findings, most students use the words or phrases showing similarities of ideas.From this it can be seen that the comparisons made by students are more likely to compare the same sources compared to different or conflicting sources, which are usually indicated by the use of the phrases "in contrast", "contrastingly", or "by contrast."The lack of ability of undergraduate students in comparing similarities and differences between sources is in line with the results of research from Petrić (2007) that shows that the use of citations for non-attribution functions is found to be much lower than other types.This shows student weaknesses in terms of citations that college students must immediately address (Hartley &Betts, 2009 andAnyassari, 2021).
In contrast to the comprehensive spectrum of citation methods available, students, as revealed by the examination of a substantial corpus of citations in this study, appeared to assign minimal significance to elements related to the application, evaluation, and articulation of the statement of use.Notably, each of these categories accounted for a mere 1% of the total citations scrutinized.This disparity suggests that students may perceive certain citation methods as more accessible or straightforward, while encountering challenges in employing others.The observed tendency among students to predominantly utilize citations for specific purposes while neglecting other potentially valuable rhetorical functions underscores the necessity for a renewed emphasis on comprehensive instruction regarding citation methods.Such instruction is imperative for fostering a holistic understanding among students regarding the diverse applications and nuances associated with different citation techniques.The current imbalance in the utilization of citation methods indicates a potential gap in students' awareness of the varied rhetorical functions that citations can serve within the scholarly context.Reintroducing students to a balanced and judicious use of different citation methods holds the promise of enriching the texture of their theses.A well-proportioned incorporation of various citation techniques not only contributes to the density of scholarly discourse but also facilitates the articulation of ideas in a concise yet substantiated manner.Therefore, this recalibration of students' approach to citation practices is pivotal in cultivating a more comprehensive and sophisticated scholarly communication skill set.

CONCLUSION
This study shows that there are a number of limitations to the use of rhetorical functions that are used for purposes other than attribution.Therefore, these findings indicate that the use of sources and citations should receive more attention in EAP (English for Academic Purposes) courses.One way to develop students' citation skills is to increase their awareness of the rhetorical functions that can be accomplished through citations.The typology of rhetorical functions described in this study can be used to develop class activities, such as an exercise in which students are given clear examples related to the various rhetorical functions of quotations and are asked to match them with the appropriate function, or a text analysis task in which students discuss meaning.the author behind the use of quotations in authentic quotations from different chapters in the thesis which received high marks.
Activities to improve language proficiency in EAP classes could focus on training in the use of phrases to express various rhetorical functions of quotations, such as evaluative adjectives and adverbs or types of reporting verbs used for different functions in student disciplines.However, such activities may not be effective if students are not cognitively prepared to use some of the citation functions or have not acquired a knowledge base in their field that allows them to be critical or make comparisons of different authors.This study also shows that research on the function of citations has great potential, especially when combined with data on the formal features of citations to provide more comprehensive insights.

Table 2
Examples of the Use of Citations for Attribution Purposes in S4 Thesis

Table 3
The Highest Number of Attributions in the Literature Review of English Department Students JOLLT Journal of Languages and Language Teaching, January 2024.Vol.12, No.1 | 319

Table 4
Examples of Expressions Stating the Comparison of Findings Apart from this in the literature review, these are also found both in the introduction and introductory paragraphs within a chapter as statements of prospective use or in conclusions or chapter summaries as statements of retrospective use.Both integral and non-integral quotes can have this function.In either case, it is the author's decision as to what references to feature.The following are some examples of the findings of this study.
type of citation is used to state what references are used in the thesis and for what Purnawan et al.Rhetorical styles of the ……….. JOLLT Journal of Languages and Language Teaching, January 2024.Vol.12, No.1 | 320 purpose.