ORCID
0000-0001-6382-438X
Abstract
Studies have been conducted to examine the usage of cohesive devices and writing quality. Studies report that appropriate usage of cohesive ties is positively related to writing quality. Few studies, however, have examined the relationship between cohesion, coherence, and quality of English-as-a-second-language children’s writing by comparing high- and low-proficiency groups with the use of analytic software and holistic assessment by human raters. Hence, it is important to investigate this underrepresented area because different language proficiency levels may impact the usage of cohesive devices and writing quality. In the current study, 19 Grade 4 participants (aged 9–10 years old) were given an original story, “Ruby’s Sunflower,” which was adopted from the national curriculum. They read the story and then wrote a new story with a different ending. Approximately 45 minutes were given for the participants to write a composition. Pretest, intermediate test, and posttest were used for data analysis. Results show that the lower proficiency group tended to overuse and, so, and then. Students in the lower proficiency group may not have enough knowledge of lexical collocation compared to the higher proficiency group. Through explicit teaching of cohesive devices, cohesion and coherence can be improved by using appropriate cohesive devices to connect the sentences and ideas.
Recommended Citation
Cheung, Yin Ling
(2023)
"Cohesion, Coherence, and Children Narrative Writing Quality: Topical Structure Analysis,"
Journal of English and Applied Linguistics: Vol. 2:
Iss.
1, Article 8.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59588/2961-3094.1034
Available at:
https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/jeal/vol2/iss1/8
