An Analysis of the Use of Cohesive Devices in Palestinian Undergraduate Students' Essay Writing
Essay Writing
Abstract
This study investigated the use of cohesive devices in personal profile essays written by Palestinian undergraduate EFL students. The study aimed to identify the types of cohesive devices used, examine their frequency, and analyze the challenges encountered in their use. A qualitative descriptive design with content analysis was employed based on Halliday and Hasan’s (1976) cohesion framework. The participants consisted of three Palestinian undergraduate EFL students at As-Syafi’iyah Islamic University, and three personal profile essays were analyzed. A total of 100 cohesive devices were identified in the essays. Reference devices were the most frequently used, accounting for 51.0% of the total cohesive devices, followed by conjunctions (25.5%) and lexical cohesion (23.5%). The findings indicate that the students relied heavily on personal references, additive conjunctions, and lexical repetition. At the same time, limited variation and the overuse of certain cohesive devices affected the coherence of their writing. Although the students demonstrated a basic understanding of cohesive devices, several problems were identified, including excessive repetition and inappropriate use of conjunctions. These findings suggest that explicit instruction in cohesive devices is essential for improving students’ writing coherence and overall discourse competence in academic writing.
Penelitian ini meneliti penggunaan perangkat kohesi (cohesive devices) dalam esai profil pribadi yang ditulis oleh mahasiswa sarjana EFL asal Palestina. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi jenis-jenis perangkat kohesi yang digunakan, mengkaji frekuensi penggunaannya, serta menganalisis tantangan yang dihadapi dalam penggunaannya. Penelitian ini menggunakan desain deskriptif kualitatif dengan metode analisis isi berdasarkan kerangka kohesi Halliday dan Hasan (1976). Partisipan penelitian terdiri atas tiga mahasiswa sarjana EFL asal Palestina di Universitas Islam As-Syafi’iyah, dan tiga esai profil pribadi dianalisis. Sebanyak 100 perangkat kohesi berhasil diidentifikasi dalam ketiga esai tersebut. Perangkat referensi merupakan jenis yang paling sering digunakan, yaitu sebesar 51,0% dari total perangkat kohesi, diikuti oleh konjungsi (25,5%) dan kohesi leksikal (23,5%). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa mahasiswa lebih banyak mengandalkan referensi personal, konjungsi aditif, dan pengulangan leksikal. Namun, variasi penggunaan perangkat kohesi yang masih terbatas serta penggunaan berlebihan terhadap beberapa jenis perangkat kohesi memengaruhi koherensi tulisan mereka. Meskipun para mahasiswa telah menunjukkan pemahaman dasar mengenai penggunaan perangkat kohesi, masih ditemukan beberapa permasalahan, seperti pengulangan yang berlebihan dan penggunaan konjungsi yang kurang tepat. Temuan ini menunjukkan bahwa pembelajaran yang secara eksplisit membahas perangkat kohesi sangat diperlukan untuk meningkatkan koherensi tulisan mahasiswa serta kompetensi wacana mereka dalam penulisan akademik.
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