A Comparative Move Analysis of Principals’ Messages of Independent Schools in the UK and British International School in Thailand
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Abstract
This study compares the moves and passive voice found in principals' messages from British international schools in Thailand and independent schools in the UK. The increasing trend of Thai students studying abroad and the importance of principals' messages in school marketing provide the background of parent decision making. The objectives were to compare the moves in the promotional genre and the passive voice used in these messages. A corpus of 64 principals' messages (32 from each country) was analyzed for rhetorical moves and passive voice. The findings indicated that while both types of schools generally adhere to standard promotional genre norms, fine differences in linguistic features can be seen, particularly in the use of passive voice, and in the specific emphasis of their persuasive appeals. British international schools in Thailand used passive voice more extensively, especially in relaying information on curriculum and standards, allegedly to formalize their offer and emphasize their British heritage. Thai schools emphasized international recognition and UK quality, whereas UK schools highlighted tradition and cultural values. The study provides insight into the rhetorical climate of education marketing across markets and cultures.
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