The Role of Lexical Cohesion in Improving Twelfth Graders’ Essay Writing Quality
Date
2023
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer Link
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 demonstrated 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.
Description
This open access book presents contributions on a wide range of scientific areas originating from the BUiD Doctoral Research Conference (BDRC 2022)
Keywords
cohesive devices, lexical cohesion, writing quality, essay writing, twelfth graders
Citation
Khalil, A.A., Abu-Ayyash, E.A.S., Salhieh, S.M.I. (2023). The Role of Lexical Cohesion in Improving Twelfth Graders’ Essay Writing Quality. In: Al Marri, K., Mir, F., David, S., Aljuboori, A. (eds) BUiD Doctoral Research Conference 2022. Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, vol 320. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-27462-6_7