The Role of Lexical Cohesion in Improving Twelfth Graders’ Essay Writing Quality
Date
2023
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Abstract
The current study was conducted to examine the role of lexical cohesion in
improving the quality of twelfth graders’ essay writing. The study specifically aimed
at examining the correlation between lexical cohesive devices (LCD) and the quality
of written texts as well as investigating the barriers of employing these devices for
twelfth graders. The context was a private American curriculum school in the UAE.
The present paper adopted the quantitative correlational and the quantitative survey
research approaches. Data were collected using document analysis of 30 twelfth
graders’ essays and an online survey attempted by 113 English teachers. Data were
analysed using correlational statistics, multiple linear regression, and exploratory
factor analysis. The results indicated that there was a significantly positive, moderate
association between cohesive ties and students’ essay scores. The results also demon strated that there was a significantly linear relation between hyponyms and synonyms
and students’ writing scores although hyponyms had more effect on the writing score
than synonyms. The findings of exploratory factor analysis identified three factors as
major barriers encountered by learners while using lexical cohesion in their written
texts including (1) lack of resources and instructions, (2) impact of L1 interference
and (3) limited lexical awareness.