scholarly journals Cohesive Devices and Academic Writing Quality of Thai Undergraduate Students

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 994 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natthapong Chanyoo
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Writing Assessment ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Writing Quality ◽  
Cohesive Devices ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Writing Scores ◽  
Junior Students

The current study aims to investigate (1) common cohesive devices used in the writing development of Thai undergraduate students majoring in English, (2) the frequency of cohesive devices used in the writing of Thai undergraduate students majoring in English, and (3) the relationship between the number and types of cohesive devices and the quality of the writing as rated by writing experts. Thirty junior students majoring in English contributed thirty academic essays as sample texts in the study, with a total number of 16,856 words. Halliday & Hasan’s (1976) taxonomy of cohesion was used as an analytical framework of cohesive devices, while a writing assessment rubric developed by Hogue & Oshima (2007) was used to determine students’ writing quality. His findings revealed four types of cohesive devices frequently used by Thai undergraduate students including reiteration, reference, conjunction, and ellipsis. A one-way ANOVA revealed significant difference numbers of cohesive devices used in the students’ writing. In addition, students’ writing scores positively correlated with the total number of words used in the writing task, the total number of cohesive devices used, and the number of references.

scholarly journals A Systemic Functional Linguistic Analysis of Cohesion and The Writing Quality of Saudi Female EFL Undergraduate Students

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khawater Fahad Alshalan
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Writing Assessment ◽  
Writing Quality ◽  
Lexical Cohesion ◽  
Cohesive Devices ◽  
Systemic Functional Linguistic ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Qualitative Data Analysis Software ◽  
Writing Scores

This study aims to investigate how frequently Halliday and Hasan’s (1976) cohesive devices were used as well as their relationship with the writing quality of 100 Saudi EFL undergraduate students in Al Imam Muhammed Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It uses a mixed method approach, where the students’ essays were analyzed using systemic functional linguistics (SFL) in terms of the textual meta-function of cohesive devices. The five types of the cohesive devices are the following: lexical cohesion, reference, conjunction, substitutions, and ellipses. Moreover, each of their subcategories were analyzed in the students’ texts. The NVivo qualitative data analysis software and the corpus analysis (conducted using AntConc) were used to calculate the frequencies of each cohesive device found in the data. The IELTS writing assessment scale was also used to evaluate the students’ writing scores. The results show that the most frequently used device was lexical cohesion, specifically repetition. Saudi EFL undergraduate students tended to repeatedly stay focused on the central idea of the topic. Furthermore, Pearson’s correlation coefficient found a relationship between the students’ writing scores and length of their essays, the use of cohesive ties and the scores, and cohesive ties and the length of the students’ essays. This study recommends that EFL teachers provide Saudi EFL students several cohesive tools in order to help them improve their writing skills and connect their ideas smoothly.

Comparability of students’ writing performance on TOEFL iBT and in required university writing courses

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorena Llosa ◽  
Margaret E. Malone
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Writing Proficiency ◽  
Writing Quality ◽  
Five Dimensions ◽  
Writing Courses ◽  
Toefl Ibt ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Lower Magnitude

Investigating the comparability of students’ performance on TOEFL writing tasks and actual academic writing tasks is essential to provide backing for the extrapolation inference in the TOEFL validity argument (Chapelle, Enright, & Jamieson, 2008). This study compared 103 international non-native-English-speaking undergraduate students’ performance on two TOEFL iBT® writing tasks with their performance in required writing courses in US universities as measured by instructors’ ratings of student proficiency, instructor-assigned grades on two course assignments, and five dimensions of writing quality of the first and final drafts of those course assignments: grammatical, cohesive, rhetorical, sociopragmatic, and content control. Also, the quality of the writing on the TOEFL writing tasks was compared with the first and final drafts of responses to written course assignments using a common analytic rubric along the five dimensions. Correlations of scores from TOEFL tasks (Independent, Integrated, and the total Writing section) with instructor ratings of students’ overall English proficiency and writing proficiency were moderate and significant. However, only scores on the Integrated task and the Writing section were correlated with instructor-assigned grades on course assignments. Correlations between scores on TOEFL tasks and all dimensions of writing quality were positive and significant, though of lower magnitude for final drafts than for first drafts. The TOEFL scores were most highly correlated with cohesive and grammatical control and had the lowest correlations with rhetorical organization. The quality of the writing on the TOEFL tasks was comparable to that of the first drafts of course assignment but not the final drafts. These findings provide backing for the extrapolation inference, suggesting that the construct of academic writing proficiency as assessed by TOEFL “accounts for the quality of linguistic performance in English-medium institutions of higher education” (Chapelle, Enright, & Jamieson, 2008, p. 21).

scholarly journals The Effect of Using Conjunction as Cohesive Device on the Undergraduates’ Quality of Writing in Argumentative Essays of Jordanian EFL Learners

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rawhi Yousef Salman Al Shamalat ◽  
Che An Binti Abdul Ghani
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Mixed Method Research ◽  
Writing Quality ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Cohesive Devices ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Argumentative Essays ◽  
Mu'tah University

The goal of this research was to investigate the effect of use conjunctions on the overall quality of argumentative writing of Jordanian English as foreign language (EFL) learners. This mixed-method research included sixty (n=60) undergraduate students at the Department. of English Language and Literature at Mu’tah University in Jordan. The participants of the research were selected using purposive sampling method. The data of the research were collected using written essays and interviews. The data was analyzed using SPSS. The data was collected using analytical scale Jacob et al., (1981) to measure the quality of argumentative essays. The result of this research showed that there was a weak negative but irrelevant correlation between writing quality and the frequency of conjunctions as cohesive devices. This correlation indicates that the frequent and general use of devices in the writing of Jordanian students did not contribute to the quality of the writing under any conditions. Also the finding revealed that there is an extremely negative but irrelevant correlation between the use of conjunctions devices by Jordanian EFL students and their writing quality. Therefore, the correlation was negative and insignificant for Jordanian EFL students. More specifically, the result shows that the frequencies of conjunctions were not found as an indicator of good writing quality for Jordanian EFL students. This research is significant for providing a considerable number of pedagogical implications for further research that will offer great contribution to the field of teaching writing in EFL setting in Jordan in particular and English as second language (ESL) context in general. Moreover, the research has shown a better understanding of cohesive devices / conjunctions by Jordanian EFL students at Mu’tah University.

scholarly journals THE ROLE OF GRAMMATICAL COHESION IN THE TEXT QUALITY AMONG JORDANIAN EFL STUDENTS IN EXPOSITORY ESSAYS

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (42) ◽  
pp. 299-306
Author(s):  
Khaled Salem Ahmad Amayreh ◽  
Ahmad Taufik Hidayah Abdullah
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Writing Quality ◽  
Text Quality ◽  
Cohesive Devices ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Written Compositions ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Expository Essays

The present paper shares interest that many scholars and linguists have highlighted in investigating the relationship between writing quality and grammatical cohesion devices. The aim of this study is to find out the relationship between the use of grammatical cohesive devices on the overall quality of expository essays produced by EFL fourth-year undergraduate students majoring in the English language at the Department of English language and literature Hashemite University in Jordan. It seeks to determine the efficacy of academic writing by Jordanian EFL students. Thirty purposive samples of compositions were collected and analyzed by the researcher to measure the relationship between the score of the writing quality and the grammatical cohesion devices in students' writing based on (1) analytical scale Jacob et al., (1981), and (2) Halliday and Hasan (1976) taxonomy of grammatical cohesion. The results showed that grammatical cohesive devices did not constitute a statistically significant correlation with the score of writing quality. It also revealed that the EFL students' written compositions were not successful due to their incapability to utilize the different forms of grammatical cohesive devices and their lack of knowledge about effectively using these devices in their academic writing.

Quality of Root Canal Obturation Performed by Senior Undergraduate Dental Students

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 197
Author(s):  
Sundahnath Nagaraja
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Root Canal ◽  
Dental Students ◽  
Endodontically Treated Teeth ◽  
Root Canal Obturation ◽  
Root Canals ◽  
Anterior Teeth ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Mandibular Teeth

The aim of the present study was to assess the quality of canal obturation performed by undergraduate denal students at Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Chennai. Records of 200 endodontically treated teeth from patients who were visited by undergraduate students between month of November 2014 to May 2015. Periapical radiographs of all treated teeth were assessed in terms of canal obturation quality (adequate density and length). Forty-five percent of teeth fulfilled the criteria of an acceptable root canal obturation. Adequate length and density of root filling was found in 89% and 34% of teeth, respectively. There was a significant difference between maxillary and mandibular teeth regarding the length of root canal obturation. A significant difference was observed between molars and other tooth types. The frequency of root canals with an acceptable filling was significantly greater in the anterior teeth compared to premolars or molars. The technical quality of root canal treatment performed by undergraduate dental students was found to be less than ideal.

scholarly journals Comparison of Creativity and Self-Esteem in Students with Employed and Household Mothers

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Maryam Safara ◽  
Zeinab Blori Alkaran ◽  
Mojtaba Salmabadi ◽  
Najmieh Rostami
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Sampling Method ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
T Test ◽  
Quality Of Education ◽  
Statistical Population ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The University

Objective: The present study was carried out to compare creativity and self-esteem in the university students with employed and household mothers in academic years 2014-2015. Method: This research is a descriptive one which is of comparative-casual type. The statistical population includes all undergraduate students of Azad universities of Roudhen, Shahr-e Ray Central Tehran and national universities of Al-Zahra, Shahid Beheshti and Vali-e Asr that among them 240 students (120 males and 120 females) were selected by random and available sampling method. To collect the data, Arjmand’s (2003) questionnaire of creativity and Copper-Smith’s (1967) self-esteem questionnaire were used. To test the hypotheses, independent t-test was used. Findings: The results showed that there is a significant difference between self-esteem in students with employed and household mothers. Also, a significant difference was not observed between the rate of creativity in students with employed and household mothers. Conclusion: The results of the present research can be used to provide proper strategies for mothers, instructors, and those who are relevant with educational affairs to enhance the quality of education, to nurture and flourish creativity and self-esteem in individuals.

Phraseological complexity and low- and intermediate-level L2 learners’ writing quality

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingyang Jiang ◽  
Peng Bi ◽  
Nana Xie ◽  
Haitao Liu
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
Intermediate Level ◽  
Individual Factors ◽  
Writing Quality ◽  
Combined Model ◽  
Complexity Measures ◽  
Lexical Complexity ◽  
Writing Scores

Abstract This study explores the extent to which phraseological complexity measures can predict second-language (L2) writing quality of low- and intermediate-level learners, especially in comparison with the more traditional syntactic and lexical complexity measures. To measure phraseological complexity, we evaluated phraseological diversity and phraseological sophistication by focusing on two commonly-used phraseological units (adjective-noun and verb-direct-object combinations). Our findings show that phraseological, syntactic, and lexical complexity measures can respectively explain 36.0, 34.4, and 56.5% of variance in writing scores. Although lexical complexity measures are responsible for more variance in writing scores, all three complexity dimensions contribute to the predictive power of writing scores, as evinced by the combined model explaining 63.4% of variance. Most phraseological complexity measures were loaded onto individual factors by the factor analysis, suggesting that phraseological complexity is an independent dimension of L2 complexity.

Engagement in high- and low-rated argumentative essays: Interactions in Indonesian students’ writings

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-24
Author(s):  
Anis Handayani ◽  
Nur Arifah Drajati ◽  
N. Ngadiso
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
First Year ◽  
Writing Quality ◽  
Explicit Teaching ◽  
Data Validity ◽  
Argumentative Essays ◽  
Persuasive Arguments

This study reports the use of engagement in high-rated and low-rated EFL undergraduate students’ argumentative essays. The engagement here refers to one of the aspects in interacting with the readers, which is called metadiscourse (Hyland, 2005a). The data in this study were ten highest-rated and ten lowest-rated argumentative essays written by first-year undergraduate students. The data were coded manually by two raters to maintain data validity. The results reveal that high-rated essays contain less engagement than low-rated ones. However, it also shows that the engagement in high-rated essays was more varied and grammatically sophisticated than those in low-rated essays. Furthermore, while this study reveals that the higher number of engagement used in argumentative essays does not always coincide with the improved quality of the writing, it implies that the writing quality and score do not depend on the number of engagement expressed but more on the ways students use the engagement effectively. Thus, the explicit teaching on how to use engagement effectively in persuasive writings may be useful for the students to build more persuasive arguments as well as to improve their writing quality.

scholarly journals Quality of Root Canal Obturation Performed by Senior Undergraduate Dental Students

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 197
Author(s):  
Sundahnath Nagaraja
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Root Canal ◽  
Dental Students ◽  
Endodontically Treated Teeth ◽  
Root Canal Obturation ◽  
Root Canals ◽  
Anterior Teeth ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Mandibular Teeth

The aim of the present study was to assess the quality of canal obturation performed by undergraduate denal students at Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Chennai. Records of 200 endodontically treated teeth from patients who were visited by undergraduate students between month of November 2014 to May 2015. Periapical radiographs of all treated teeth were assessed in terms of canal obturation quality (adequate density and length). Forty-five percent of teeth fulfilled the criteria of an acceptable root canal obturation. Adequate length and density of root filling was found in 89% and 34% of teeth, respectively. There was a significant difference between maxillary and mandibular teeth regarding the length of root canal obturation. A significant difference was observed between molars and other tooth types. The frequency of root canals with an acceptable filling was significantly greater in the anterior teeth compared to premolars or molars. The technical quality of root canal treatment performed by undergraduate dental students was found to be less than ideal.

scholarly journals Analysis of Cohesivenes in Descriptive text Written by Undergraduate Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 136-152
Author(s):  
Muhammad Zaki Pahrul Hadi
Keyword(s):  
Research Design ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Critical Aspect ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Lexical Cohesion ◽  
Cohesive Devices ◽  
Writing Skill ◽  
Influential Theory

Cohesiveness or the use of cohesive devices is a critical aspect of writing skill. It is one of the primary characteristics that should be mastered when writing well. The purpose of this article was to examine the use of cohesive devices in descriptive text written by undergraduate students in the Banking Department of STIE KERJASAMA Yogyakarta's third semester. This study examined the use of cohesive devices in each of the students' descriptive texts. The study's data set consisted of ten texts. The study identified four significant findings by employing a mixed research design and drawing on Halliday and Hasan's (1976) influential theory of cohesion. To begin, students' English texts contain a variety of cohesive devices (reference, conjunction, substitution, ellipses, and lexical cohesion). Whereas there are three types of cohesive devices that are frequently used in texts: reference, lexical cohesion, and conjunction. The study's findings have repercussions for pedagogy, theory, academic writing, and future research. 

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