128 DISCOURSE STRUCTURE CONCLUSION SECTION BEYOND WORDS Vol. 10 No.2 November 2022 Graduate School, Widya Mandala Catholic University Surabaya The Discourse Structure of Conclusion Section in Indonesian and International Journals Tiara Azzahra Marpaung1, Safnil Arsyad2, and Azwandi3 1tiaraazzhra28@gmail.com, 2safnil@unib.ac.id, and 3Azwandi22@gmail.com English Education Postgraduate Program University of Bengkulu Indonesia Article History Abstract Received: 11-11-2022 Reviewed: 2-12-2022 Accepted: 6-12-2022 Keywords: Rhetorical structure; conclusion section; research article; applied linguistics DOI https://doi.org/10.33508/bw.v10i2.4298 In research articles, the conclusion section has an important role because it provides a summary of the overall study and the significance of the findings. However, authors often consider this section less important than other sections in a journal article. The purpose of this study is to investigate the differences and/or the similarities of the rhetorical structure in the conclusions section used in the national journals written by Indonesian authors, non-native speakers, and international journals written by native speakers. This study used a content analysis method using Yang and Allison's model (2003). The data were collected from 60 journal articles from national and international journals articles in Applied Linguistics. The findings show that Move 1 (the summary of the study results) is categorized as obligatory in both national and international journals. Meanwhile, other moves (Moves 2 and 3) are classified as conventional and optional because there are significant differences where the frequency is found. This study provides information about rhetorical structure in the conclusions section of research articles to increase authors’ awareness of the importance of the three moves in the conclusion section. Introduction The conclusion section has an important role because in this section authors present a summary of the overall study and the significance of the findings (Adel & Moghadam, 2015). By reading the conclusion section readers can get an overview of the research results and other important things such as introductions, implications, and recommendations (Morales, 2012). The answers of the research questions are also provided in this section. This is the reason why readers of journal articles tend to read the conclusion section than the whole section of the journal articles. In addition, Borja (2014) states that without a clear conclusion section, reviewers and readers will find the articles difficult to evaluate the study and whether it merits publication in the journal. mailto:tiaraazzhra28@gmail.com mailto:safnil@unib.ac.id mailto:Azwandi22@gmail.com https://doi.org/10.33508/bw.v10i2.4298 DISCOURSE STRUCTURE CONCLUSION SECTION 129 Aside from the importance of the conclusion section of journal articles, in fact writing the conclusion section is difficult (Lentz, 2022). According to Borja (2014) a common mistake in writing the conclusion section is that writers tend to repeat the abstract, or only include experimental results. In this section, writers must provide a clear scientific justification for the study and indicate its use and extension where appropriate. In addition, the writers provide suggestions about future experiments by pointing out ongoing experiments which are related to the objectives included in the introduction. Because of the importance of the conclusion section in journal articles and the problem of common mistakes that writers often had in writing this section, the framework of the rhetorical structure of the conclusion section is suggested. This rhetorical structure model is made as a guide for writing a good conclusion section in research articles. Without following this model, the conclusions written by the researcher cannot represent summaries and the results of the research. There are some models of the rhetorical structure in the conclusion section proposed by experts, such as Yang & Allison (2003), Bunton (2005), and Moritz et al. (2008). Even though there are many studies examining the rhetorical structure of journal articles in different sections, such as abstract by Shah (2017) and Arsyad, et al., (2021) and introduction by Rahman et al., (2017) and Arsyad, (2018); however, studies on the conclusion section is still limited (Amnuai & Wannaruk, 2013). This is probably because many authors assumed that this section included at the end of the discussion section (Swales, 1990; Posteguillo, 1999). Several studies already analyzed the rhetorical structure of conclusion section focusing on discussing cross-disciplinary, cross-cultural, and the comparison of moves in international and national journal articles. Studies from Adel and Moghadam (2015) compared the rhetorical structure of the conclusion section used by international authors and Persian in applied linguistics. The results showed that although cross-disciplinary and cross- language revealed the important variations on Move 2; however, there is no significant difference of the articles on applied psychology and linguistics. Persian articles feature more variety, indicating that national authors followed their own standards for writing concluding sections. Similarly, Zamani and Ebadi (2016) observed the conclusion section of Persian and English articles published in international journals in civil engineering and applied linguistics. The results revealed that there is no significant difference between the conclusion section of civil engineering and applied linguistics in research papers. In addition, Jalilifar and Mehrabi (2014) studied about a cross-disciplinary and cross- cultural study between English and Persian research articles. They found that there was no significant difference between the discussion and the conclusions of the section of English soft and hard research articles, Persian and English research articles. Another comparative study between international and national journals was conducted by Vukonic and Bratic (2015). They investigated the rhetorical structure of conclusion sections in Montenegrin national journals and international journals of linguistics. The results showed that there were important differences in the pattern of moves in the two types of journals. On the other hand, a study from Amnuai and Wannaruk (2013) who compared between international and Thai journals found that all moves in the proposed model used by the others in both journals, although with differences in their frequency of occurrence. 130 DISCOURSE STRUCTURE CONCLUSION SECTION In the different field, a comparative study was conducted by Aslam and Mehmood (2014) in Natural and Social Sciences. They found that there were significant differences in the rhetorical structure of conclusion section of research articles in various disciplines. Similarly, Tabatabaei and Azimi (2015) compared Persian and English journals in Social studies. They found that there were some differences between the two corpora. Based on the previous studies mentioned above, several studies compared the rhetorical structure in the conclusion section of local journals such as Thai, Persian, Malay, and Montenegrin with international journals. However, none of the studies compared the rhetorical structure published in Indonesian national journals and international journals. This is important because the research articles that published in national journals are assumed as lower in quality compared to the reputable international journals. Thus, national and international authors have the possibility of using different structures or patterns for writing journal articles, especially in the conclusion section because they have different quality (Amnuai & Wannaruk, 2013; Tabatabaei & Azimi, 2015). The study is important to know what the differences of the conclusion sections published in national journals and international journals in Applied Linguistic are. The research questions of the study are the followings. 1. How do authors of journal articles in English Language Teaching published in accredited national journals organize the conclusion sections? 2. How do authors of journal articles in English Language Teaching published in reputable international journals organize the conclusion sections? 3. What are the similarities and/or differences of the discourse structure in the conclusion sections of ELT journal articles published in national and international journals? Method A quantitative content was used in this study. Qualitative content analysis is one of research techniques used to analyze and draw conclusions from existing text data (Kheryadi & Suseno, 2017). According to Shava et al. (2021) using qualitative data analysis can help the research authors participate in data collection with or without direct contact with the participants studied. The Corpus of the Study The data of this study were collected from 60 journal articles, divided into 30 national journal articles and 30 international journal articles. The details of the object of this study are presented in the following table: DISCOURSE STRUCTURE CONCLUSION SECTION 131 Table 1 The object of the study No. Journals Code Sinta / Quartile Value / SJR Average Length of Conclusion Number of Articles 1. N a tio n a l Journal of English Language Teaching and Linguistics JELTL Sinta 3 3023 10 2. Journal of English Education and Teaching JEET Sinta 4 2137 10 3. Wanasta: Jurnal dan Bahasa Sastra JBS Sinta 5 2385 10 4. In te rn a tio n a l Journal of Asia TEFL JAT Q1 / 0.38 5242 10 5. Journal of Research in Applied Linguistics RALS Q2 / 0.16 5175 10 6. World Journal of English Language WJEL Q3 / 0.1 4149 10 Total 60 The international journals were selected because they had quartile values Q1, Q2, and Q3 which are reputable journals, so these journals can be used as guidelines or examples of a good conclusion section. Meanwhile, the national journals were selected because they are in Sinta 3, Sinta 4, and Sinta 5, which have had different qualities from reputable international journals. Both national and international journals selected in this study are in the field of applied linguistics. From each journal, 10 research articles were taken because the number was considered sufficient to represent the entire journal. In selecting articles from each journal to be analyzed, the latest volume were taken. In addition, the research articles were based on the IMRDC (Introduction, Methodology, Results, Discussion, Conclusion). Research Instrument This study used the move theory proposed by Yang and Allison (2003) to analyse the conclusion section. The reason for choosing Yang and Allison’s model in this study is that this model is used for applied linguistics which is appropriate with the limitation of the study (Amnuai & Wannaruk, 2013). In addition, most of the previous studies which examine the similar scope used this theory as the reference for the rhetorical structure in the conclusion section. The rhetorical structure of the conclusion section suggested by Yang and Allison (2003) consists of Move 1 (Summary of the study), Move 2 Step 1 (Indicating Signific-ance/Advantage), Move 2 Step 2 (Indicating Limitations), Move 2 Step 3 (Evaluating Methodology), Move 3 Step 1 (Recommend-ing Further Study), and Move 3 Step 2 (Drawing Pedagogic Implications). Below are examples of the moves and steps of the conclusion section: Move 1 Summarizing the study: a statement or brief explanation about the important things and the overall results from the research perspective. This move consists of the summary of the study by 132 DISCOURSE STRUCTURE CONCLUSION SECTION highlighting the findings as in the following example: In conclusion, the students experienced improvements regarding the pronunciation and the fluency of delivering English speech in front of their friends after the treatment using the TED Talks videos because the finding showed that the mean of the pre-test was 73.37, while the mean of the post test was 82.40. (JELTL-10) The above extract was taken from an article conclusion titled “Boosting Students’ Speaking Skill using Ted Talks YouTube Videos: Teacher Talk Theory” published in Journal of English Language Teaching and Linguistics, 7(2) in 2022. As can be seen in the example above, the authors give the short explanation and the summary of the research findings. Move 2 Step 1 Indicating significances, advantages or contributions of the study as in the following example: This finding provides an understanding that the involvement of technology in teaching must be a collective awareness of both students and teachers. Adjustment of learning through digital is expected to be a solution as a technology-friendly global society. (JEET-8) The above extract was taken from an article conclusion titled “General English Online Teaching Within Pandemic Outbreak: Between Need and Satisfaction” published in Journal of English Education and Teaching, 6(2) in 2022. As can be seen in the example above, the authors state the significance of the study. Move 2 Step 2 Expressing the limitation of the study as in the following example: This study was also limited in terms of the number of classes that participated. Because only one reading-to-write course with one instructor was examined, it is difficult to generalize the findings to a larger context. (JAT-3) The above extract was taken from an article conclusion titled “Examining the Effectiveness of Learning-Oriented Language Assessment in Second Language Reading-to-Write Tasks: Focusing on Instructor Feedback and Self-Assessment” published in The Journal of Asia TEFL, 18(4) in 2021. As can be seen in the example above, the authors indicate the limitation of the study. Move 2 Step 3 Evaluating the methodology as in the following example: The post-interviews were carried out about one month after their third test development and almost four months after their first test development. To increase the accuracy of self-reporting in introspective research methods, however, the time interval between the event reported and the self-report needs to be as short as possible. (JAT-1) The above extract was taken from an article conclusion titled “Contrasting Views of English-Medium Instruction by Korean Professors and Students: Towards a Negotiated Language Policy” published in The Journal of Asia TEFL, 18(4) in 2021. As can be seen in the example above, the authors evaluate the methodology used in the study. Move 3 Step 1 Recommend the future research: suggestions about what can be done to solve the problems found in the study as in the following example: Besides gender, further research should be conducted to explore the elements that may influence the creation of disagreement behavior. (WJEL-1) DISCOURSE STRUCTURE CONCLUSION SECTION 133 The above extract was taken from an article conclusion titled “EFL Undergraduate Learners’ Politeness Strategies in the Speech Act of Disagreement” published in World Journal of English Language, 12 (8) in 2022. As can be seen in the example above, the authors give the recommendation for future study. Move 3 Step 2 Drawing the pedagogic implication as in the following example: In summary, this study has implications for the use of the attitude system in researching the linguistic nature of engineering writing, and provides insights into professional writing style which will be beneficial for the engineering industry’s understanding of its practice, and in designing education programmes for the development of future engineers. (RALS-9) The above extract was taken from an article conclusion titled “EFL Undergraduate Learners’ Politeness Strategies in the Speech Act of Disagreement” published in Journal of Research in Applied Linguistics, 12 (2) in 2021. As can be seen in the example above, the authors indicate the pedagogic implication of the study. The checklist instrument was used to analyze the research object. The sentences in the conclusion section were classified into the rhetorical framework from Yang and Allison (2003) based on the definition, function, keywords, and location related to each move and step. Each sentence of the conclusion section was elaborated in this checklist instrument for the selected journal articles. Data Analysis Procedure The research data were analyzed using content analysis of qualitative methods (Drisko, 2013). This method was used to collect data with results obtained from selected articles published in Indonesian national journals and international journals. The data obtained were classified using Yang & Allison’s model of the conclusion section that consists of three moves. For the frequency of move occurrences were classified into three categories. If the move appears in 100% of the corpus of the study, it is included in obligatory. If the move appears in range 60-99%, it is classified as conventional. For optional, if the move appears less than 60% of the corpus of the study (Kanoksilapatham, 2005). Then the moves were put into the checklist instrument table of each article which as the corpus of the study. Keywords in the form of words, phrases, or terms that refer to the function of each move and step in Yang and Allison's model were used to simplify the process of classifying each sentence in the conclusion section. In addition, the location of the sentences was also seen to classify the data. Subtitles or subheadings in the conclusion section can also be a clue for analyzing the data. Meanwhile, to determine the differences and/or similarities from the conclusions of national and international journals, it was seen from the frequency of occurrence of each move used. If these two types of journals tend to use the same rhetorical structure according to Yang and Allison's framework in the conducting conclusion section, it shows similarities. However, it shows differences, if, for instance, journal articles written by national authors tend to use only a few moves in terms of frequency of occurrence, while journal articles written by international authors mostly use all rhetorical moves 134 DISCOURSE STRUCTURE CONCLUSION SECTION according to the framework of Yang and Allison. Finally, after the rhetorical structure in the conclusion sections of the selected journal articles were figured up, the results were graphed, answered the research questions, and made the conclusion. Reliability Cohen's Kappa coefficient was used to analyze the reliability of the data in this study. Airasian (1992) states the reliability is expressed as the extent to which a test can measure reliably an object. The data can be categorized as reliable if the results obtained from the object of research are consistent. This reliability test can be carried out with the co-researcher, which is the same data used to assess the reliability of different people. Co-researcher reliability (inter-observer reliability) is used when the authors collect the data and define the ratings, scores, or categories to some variables. The alumnus of the English Education Postgraduate Program of Bengkulu University who previously studied about the rhetorical structure of research articles in applied linguistics journal was invited to assess the reliability of the data. The research instrument was provided to the co- raters as guidance for analyzing the data. The instrument contains the rhetorical structure of Yang and Allison framework along with explanations and examples for each move and step. The number of journal articles given to co-raters for analysis was 20% of the total, which is 12 journal articles. These journal articles were selected randomly from each journal. Hence, there were 6 journal articles from national journals and 6 journal articles from international journals. Subsequently, Cohen's Kappa principle was used to calculate the correlation that existed between their results. Then the results were classified in Cohen's Kappa score with the strength of agreement as mentioned by Kanoksilapathan (2005). The score below 0.40 was classified as bad, 0.40-0.59 as average, 0.60-0.74 as acceptable, and the score higher than 0.75 was classified as exceptional. If there is a contrasting result, then a discussion is needed to find out the problems that arise in the process of analyzing the data so as make differences in understanding and analyzing. From the discussion, the final result of data analysis will be obtained. Inter-rater Reliability Results The co-rater, who is the alumnus of the English Education Postgraduate Program of Bengkulu University was given 20% of 60 articles. It consists of 6 national articles and 6 international articles selected randomly. Then the results were collaborated using Cohen Kappa Agreement, as presented in Table 2. Based on this table, there is no difference in perception between raters 1 and 2 in analyzing the rhetorical structure of the conclusion section. The test results obtained a kappa coefficient value of 0.692 and a p-value of 0.000. DISCOURSE STRUCTURE CONCLUSION SECTION 135 Table 2 Symmetric Measures for Conclusion Section Symmetric Measures Value Asymptotic Standard Error Approximate T Approximate Significance Measure of Agreement Kappa .692 .140 5.452 .000 N of Valid Cases 12 Results Rhetorical Structure of Conclusion Section Accredited National Journals The rhetorical structure of the conclusion section in the accredited national journal article is presented in the following table: Table 3 Rhetorical Structure of Conclusion Section in Accredited National Journal Move / Step Frequency (n = 30) Percentage Category Move 1 Summarizing the study 30 100% Obligatory Move 2 Step 1 - Indicating significances, advantages or contributions of the study 12 40% Optional Step 2 - Indicating the limitation of the study 13 43,3% Optional Step 3 - Evaluating the methodology of the study 6 20% Optional Move 3 Step 1 - Recommend the future research 19 63,3% Conventional Step 2 - Drawing the pedagogic implication 10 33,3% Optional Table 3 shows that out of the three moves, only move-1 is categorized as obligatory. Below is an example of Move 1 taken from the data of the study. Example 1 (Move 1, Summarizing the study). This study concluded that commissive acts were also used in advertising media, such as the written prospectus. (P1S1 - JELTL 7) Example 1 above was taken from Journal of English Language Teaching and Linguistics with the title of “Comparison of Commissive Acts between University of Oxford’s and Universitas Indonesia’s Prospectuses” in the first paragraph. In the example above, the authors provide a brief description of the study and the findings by stating this study concluded. Table 3 also shows that Move 2 and Move 3 are categorized as optional. Below are the examples. Example 2 (Move 3 Step 1 - Recommend the future research). 136 DISCOURSE STRUCTURE CONCLUSION SECTION For further researchers, it is recommended to conduct a study that more in-depth research related to staying fit needs and characteristics of respondents, materials, or indicators of success to be achieved. (P1S12 - JBS 3) Example 2 above was taken from Jurnal Bahasa dan Sastra with the title “The Effect of Vocabulary Mastering and Reading Habits on The Ability of Writing Description Texts” at the end of the paragraph. The phrase for further researchers, it is recommended to conduct a study is used by the authors to give some suggestions to other researchers. This sentence indicates the recommendation for further research that interested in the same field. Example 3 (Move 2 Step 2 - Indicating the limitation of the study). This research has only been carried out within the scope of the targeted is still limited, which is related to the relationship between vocabulary mastery and reading habits on writing descriptive text skills. (P1S9 - JBS 3) Example 3 above was taken from Jurnal Bahasa dan Sastra with the title “The Effect of Vocabulary Mastering and Reading Habits on The Ability of Writing Description Texts” at the middle of the paragraph. The phrase this research has only been carried out within the scope of the targeted is still limited states that the author realizes shortcoming in the research. Therefore, this example indicates the limitation of the study. Table 3 reveals that the majority of the steps are also categorized as optional. Below are the examples. Example 4 (Move 2 Step 1 - The significance of the study). The present study has contributed to provide a comparison of different authors in using engagement markers for their works. (P2S1 - JEET 2) Example 4 above was taken from Journal of English Education and Teaching with the title “Engagement Markers in Discussion Section of Research Articles written by English Education Students and Articles Published in Reputable English Journal” in the second paragraph. To indicating the significances or the advantages of the study, the authors use the present study has contributed to provide. Example 5 (Move 3 Step 2 - Drawing the pedagogic implication). This research, like many others, has pedagogical implications for both language instructors and language learners. (P3S1 - JELTL 4) Example 5 above was taken from Journal of English Language Teaching and Linguistics with the title “Sexism in Indonesia’s Tenth Grade EFL Companion Textbook” in the third paragraph. The author giving the implication of the study to pedagogic field by stating this research … has pedagogical implications for. Example 6 for Move 2 Step 3 (Evaluating the methodology of the study). Therefore, it is necessary to develop models of teaching materials that can serve as a model for teachers to develop their teaching materials and tailored to the needs of students and can be linked to real-life contexts of students as well. (P1S3 - JEET 1) Example 6 above was taken from Journal of English Education and Teaching with the title “The Social Aspect of Culture Novels Pulang for Literary Studies” in the first paragraph. The author states it is necessary to develop to evaluate the methodology of the study. In this move, DISCOURSE STRUCTURE CONCLUSION SECTION 137 the author is aware of the strengths or weaknesses of the methodology used in the research. Reputable International Journal The following table presents the rhetorical structure of conclusion section in international journal: Table 4 Rhetorical Structure of Conclusion Section in International Journal Move / Step Frequency (n = 30) Percentage Category Move 1 Summarizing the study 29 96,6% Conventional Move 2 Step 1 - Indicating significances, advantages or contributions of the study 16 53,3% Optional Step 2 - Indicating the limitation of the study 28 93,3% Conventional Step 3 - Evaluating the methodology of the study 15 50% Optional Move 3 Step 1 - Recommend the future research 26 86,6% Conventional Step 2 - Drawing the pedagogic implication 14 46,6% Optional Table 4 shows that three moves are categorized as conventional. Below are the examples taken from the data of the study: Example 7 (Move 1 - Summarizing the study). The findings show that conducting action research has a constructive role in developing ESP teachers’ professional identity. (P1S2 - RALS 1) Example 7 above was taken from Journal of Research in Applied Linguistics with the title “Role of Action Research in ESP Teachers’ Professional Identity Development” in the first paragraph. The authors state the findings show to indicate and summarize the results of the study. Example 8 (Move 2 Step 2 - Indicating the limitation of the study). Owing to limitations of space, this article has covered only a selection of conversational aspects in which men and women differ. (P4S1 - WJEL 3) Example 8 above was taken from World Journal of English Language with the title “How Gender Influences Arab Academics’ Using of Certainty Markers” in the fourth paragraph. Phrase owing to limitations of space, this article has covered only states that the authors realize shortcoming in the research. Therefore, this example indicates the limitation of the study. Example 9 (Move 3 Step 1 - Recommend the future research). Therefore, freshmen with low previous exposure depended on L1 learning strategies more than freshmen with high previous exposure to English. Future research could be carried out to further study this issue. (P1S14,15 - WJEL 6) Example 9 above was taken from World Journal of English Language with the title “Gender Differences and Language 138 DISCOURSE STRUCTURE CONCLUSION SECTION Variation: A Theoretical Framework” in the first paragraph. Phrase future research could be carried out to further study this issue is used by authors to give some suggestions to other researchers. This sentence indicates the recommendation for further research that interested in the same field. Table 4 also shows that three steps, which are Step 1 of Move 1, Step 2 of Move 2, Step 1 of Move 3 are conventional. While the other steps are optional. Below are the examples of the optional: Example 10 (Move 2 Step 1 - Indicating significances, advantages or contributions of the study). Moreover, this study may have provided some additional evidence for the researchers who work on any area germane to grammar acquisition as well as the typology of explicit instruction. (P1S13 - JAT 4) Example 10 above was taken from The Journal of Asia TEFL with the title “Explicit Instruction of English Articles: An Appraisal of Consciousness-Raising Instruction and Processing Instruction Frameworks” in the first paragraph. To indicate the significances or the advantages of the study, the authors use this study may have provided some additional evidence for. This phrase used by the authors to evaluate the study. Example 11 (Move 2 Step 3 - Evaluating the methodology of the study). One of the tremendous implications can be using other data collection methods than MDCT and WDCT such as role-play to get better results for the instruction of request, …. (P2S3 - RALS 2) Example 11 above was taken from Journal of Research in Applied Linguistics with the title “A Meta-Analytic Study of Instructed Second Language Pragmatics: A Case of the Speech Act of Request” in the second paragraph. The authors state can be using other data collection methods to evaluate the methodology of the study. In this move, the authors are aware of the strengths or weaknesses of the methodology used in the research. Example 12 (Move 3 Step 2 - Drawing the pedagogic implication). Another pedagogical implication of this study is the necessity of sustained writing practice. The results from qualitative analysis showed that students’ revisions, followed by instructor feedback, did not necessarily lead to immediate improvement in their subsequent writing. (P5S1,2 - JAT 3) Example 12 above was taken from The Journal of Asia TEFL with the title “Examining the Effectiveness of Learning- Oriented Language Assessment in Second Language Reading-to-Write Tasks: Focusing on Instructor Feedback and Self- Assessment” in the fifth paragraph. The authors are giving the implication of the study to the pedagogic field. The authors state pedagogical implication of this study. The Rhetorical Differences Between the National and International Journal The comparison of rhetorical structures used by authors in accredited national journals and reputable international journals is shown in the following figure: DISCOURSE STRUCTURE CONCLUSION SECTION 139 Figure 1 The Frequency of Moves in Conclusion Section Figure 1 shows that there are no differences between the frequency of Move 1 in two groups of articles. However, for other moves, there are important differences between the frequency of articles published in accredited national journals and reputable international journals, especially in Move 2. Figure 2 The Frequency of Steps in Conclusion Section 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Move 1 Move 2 Move 3 National Journal International Journal 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 Move 1 - Summarizing the study Move 2 Step 1 - Indicating significances, advantages or contributions of the study Move 2 Step 2 - Indicating limitation of the study Move 2 Step 3 - Evaluating the methodology of the study Move 3 Step 1 - Recommend the future research Move 3 Step 2 - Drawing the pedagogic implication National Journal International Journal 140 DISCOURSE STRUCTURE CONCLUSION SECTION Figure 2 shows that there are important frequency differences of the steps in the two group of articles. In general, the conclusion section: the international journal articles have higher frequencies of steps those published in national journals. From the overall results of the frequency of occurrence and the percentage of the rhetorical structure of the conclusion section, it can be concluded that international journals more notice and follow the framework of Yang and Allison (2003) for writing the conclusion section. Figure 1 and Figure 2 show that the moves and steps of articles published in international journals are applied more often than in national journals Discussion The first objective of this study is to find out how the authors of journal articles in English Language Teaching published in accredited national journals organize the conclusion sections. The results show that from three moves, only Move 1 (Summarizing the study) is categorized as obligatory. Meanwhile Move 2 and Move 3 are categorized as optional. It also showed that the majority of the steps are also categorized as optional. This is probably because the influence of the guidelines of each national journal that were analyzed in this study. Based on the template of these three journals, which are JELTL, JEET, and JBS, it requires the authors to provide conclusions or a brief description of the research findings and prospective for further research. In addition, according to Paltridge and Starfield (2007) the conclusion in academic writing is the authors summarize their work. The national authors considered that the conclusion sections are merely the summary of a research conducted (Amnuai & Wannaruk, 2013; Vukovic & Bratic, 2015). It concludes that most national authors assume that the conclusion means the authors must conclude the results of the study and did not realize the important of the other moves. The second objective of the study is to find out how the authors of journal articles in English Language Teaching published in reputable international journals organize the conclusion sections. The findings show that all of the three moves are found conventional. However, in term of steps, only three steps are categorized as conventional, which are Step 1 of Move 1, Step 2 of Move 2, Step 1 of Move 3. Meanwhile the other steps are optional. This is probably because most of the international authors aware that the three moves are important for the conclusion section, although not all of the steps have been implemented yet. In addition, the guidelines for writing the conclusion section in international journals are more specific. For example, in WJEL, there are instructions for the authors provide a brief explanation of the findings, the reasons why the topic or issue raised is important (as stated in the introduction), comments on the findings, and other things that may depend on and arise from the findings obtained. The third objective is to determine the similarities and/or differences of the discourse structure in the conclusion section of ELT journal articles written by national and international authors. The results show that in terms of moves, there is an important difference because in national journals only have one of obligatory move, while other moves are optional. However, in international journals, three moves are conventional. This is probably because the national authors assumed that the conclusion section only consists of the results of the DISCOURSE STRUCTURE CONCLUSION SECTION 141 study. They did not realize the important of the other moves. Meanwhile, the international authors are more aware of the three moves of conclusion section. In terms of steps, there is also important differences. All of the steps in national journals, except the Step 1 of Move 1, are optional. Meanwhile in international journals, there are conventional steps although most of them are optional. The findings of this study are in line with Kim et al. (2021), Zamani & Ebadi (2016), and Vukovic & Bratic (2015) who found that Move 1 (Summarizing the study) was the most widely used in national journals and categorized as obligatory. Meanwhile, they revealed that the other moves are categorized as optional. For international journals, Zamani and Ebadi (2016) and Amnuai and Wannaruk (2013) also found that all of the three moves are conventional. In terms of steps, the findings of the study supported by Amnuai and Wannaruk (2013). They found that in the national journals, the majority of the steps are categorized as optional. Meanwhile, in international journals there are conventional and optional steps. According to Vukovic and Bratic (2015) this is also probably because the conclusion section of national journals is shorter than international journals. According to table 1 of the object of the study, it can be seen that the national journals studied have fewer words in average compared to the international journals. The reputable international journals that consist of Q1, Q2, and Q3 have an average number of words above 4000 words. Meanwhile, the accredited national journals that consists of Sinta 3, Sinta 4, and Sinta 5 only have an average number of 2000-3000 words. Conclusions and Suggestions This study found three major findings. First, in the accredited national journals, only Move 1 (Summarizing the study) is categorized as obligatory. Meanwhile Move 2 and Move 3 are categorized as optional. The majority of the steps are also categorized as optional. Second, in the reputable international journals, all of the three moves are found conventional. The steps are categorized as conventional and optional. Last, there is an important difference between the conclusion section published in national and international journals. In national journals, there is only one obligatory move, while other moves are optional. However, in international journals, the three moves are conventional. Based on the findings, there is limitation of this study. The sample of this study is limited. The findings revealed only based on analyzing the rhetorical structure in the conclusion section of six selected journals from the two groups of journals. The future study could include more journals from each range in the study. There are several implications for this research. From the findings of this study, it is suggested that authors who submit their articles to national journals be more aware of the importance of the three moves in the conclusion section. Whereas for postgraduate students who are going to write for international journals, they should be familiar with the three moves and the several steps of the conclusion section because all moves and steps are important to address in the conclusion section of the research articles. 142 DISCOURSE STRUCTURE CONCLUSION SECTION student’s level. For further studies, it would be interesting to see the reaction of literature course students towards the same study. The author is also experimenting with a mini version of extensive reading for regular junior high school students. If the ideal reading amount can be measured among junior high school students, ER could be implemented at an earlier stage in regular junior high schools throughout Japan. Implementation of an ER program at an earlier stage can possibly lead to even better results in students’ English language development. Students in Japan have a similar situation as students in Taiwan based on Huang’s (2015) study. This situation might also be prevalent in other countries that have a strong focus on passing high-stakes university entrance exams. Changing the English curriculum of a school or country in this type of situation is less likely and is a difficult daunting task. 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