The Effect of Applying the Theory of Cohesion to the Teaching of Writing to EFL Learners

Abstract

It is essential for the students to be fully aware of the theory of cohesion

(Halliday & Hasan, 1976) so as to allow for continuity of thought while

writing compositions (Qing- feng, 2009) . Therefore, this study investigates

the effect of applying cohesion (Halliday & Hasan, 1978) in the students’

compositions when the quality of their writing and frequency of cohesive ties

are analyzed. The sample of the study consisted of an experimental group and

a control group; each group consisted of 30 non- English majors studying

English I; a university required course at An- Najah National University. A

pre- writing test was developed and its validity and reliability were established.

The findings of the study revealed that cohesion had a positive effect on the

quality of the students’ writing. It was also found that cohesion increased the

frequencies of conjunctions which formed the largest percentage, followed

by reference items and then synonyms in favor of the experimental group.

Apart from that, certain differences were found in terms of the frequency of

use of some cohesive ties after applying cohesion in relation to the in- group

or among groups analyses. In light of the findings, it is recommended that

students should be trained on how to use cohesion to positively affect their

writing skills.