EXPLICIT INSTRUCTION IN COHESION DEVICES: A STUDY OF EFFECTS ON EFL STUDENTS' ESSAY WRITING

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of explicit instruction in cohesion devices on the coherence and overall quality of upper-intermediate  EFL students’ writing output. Employing a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design, a purposive sample of sixty students was assigned to an experimental group (n=35) and a control group (n=25). The former were exposed to explicit instruction in cohesive devices (conjunctions, lexical connectors, and reference words) while the latter continued with the prevalent classroom instruction. The experiment spanned six weeks during which time, the experimental group participated in weekly workshops featuring input sessions, guided practice, and feedback. Being a pre-post-test design, five essays each from before and after the intervention were obtained from both the groups and a validated rubric used toanalyse for cohesion, coherence, and logicalorganisation. Results indicated a significant increase in the use and variety of cohesive devices following explicit instruction in the experimental group, in addition to reports of greater confidence in structuring ideas and linking sentences, though challenges with more complex devices such as ellipsis and substitution persisted. These results did not replicate in the control group. Study The findings findings highlight the efficacy of explicit, scaffolded teaching of cohesion devices combined with ample practice and feedback to enhance the essential features of essay writing. Pedagogically, the study supports the integration of cohesion-focused instruction in academic writing curricula, particularly for learners preparing forstandardised tests like IELTS and TOEFL. Recommendations for future research include expanding instructional scope to include diverse cohesive features, longitudinal studies to evaluate retention, and the incorporation of learner-centered feedback techniques to foster deeper skill acquisition.