Considerations to Rhetorical Functions in Understanding Scientific Texts The Case of 1st Year Master Biochemistry Students at Ouargla University

Abstract

EST students having difficulties to understand a scientific text, especially who learn English as a second or foreign language. As known, Rhetorical functions are effective techniques which help students to understand the meaning of scientific text even if they do not understand all vocabulary in the text. Accordingly, the present study attempts to investigate the effects of rhetorical functions in enhancing student‟s understanding. It is hypothesized that knowledge about rhetorical functions may help „Biochemistry‟ students to understand scientific texts. This hypothesis is evaluated by quasi-experimental method inferred from the results of the student‟s tests and questionnaire. The obtained results by means of a test and questionnaire administered to the intended sample of twenty six (26) participants of first master „Biochemistry‟ at Ouargla University, during the academic year 2013-2014. The pre- test is administered before planning a lesson which aims at exploiting rhetorical functions in order to understand scientific texts, followed by a post-test which is administered to the participants in order to investigate the effect of rhetorical functions. The results obtained from these three means were analyzed and compared. The outcomes of the experiment prove the hypothesis. All in all, it has been confirmed through this study that to rhetorical functions enhance students to understand scientific texts.