IMPROVING COHERENCE IN PARAGRAPH WRITING AMONG ESL
LEARNERS: A CASE STUDY
MALINI KARUPPIAH
UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA
UTPSZ 19:16 (Pind.1/97)
UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA
BORANG PENGESAHAN STATUS TESIS
JUDUL: ______________________________________________________________________
IMPROVING COHERENCE IN PARAGRAPH WRITING AMONG ESL
______________________________________________________________________
LEARNERS: A CASE STUDY
________________________________________________________________
2007/2008
SESI PENGAJIAN: _______________
MALINI KARUPPIAH
Saya _________________________________________________________________________
(HURUF BESAR)
mengaku membenarkan tesis (PSM/Sarjana/Doktor Falsafah)* ini disimpan di Perpustakaan
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia dengan syarat-syarat kegunaan seperti berikut:
1. Tesis adalah hakmilik Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.
2. Perpustakaan Universiti Teknologi Malaysia dibenarkan membuat salinan untuk tujuan
pengajian sahaja.
3. Perpustakaan dibenarkan membuat salinan tesis ini sebagai bahan pertukaran antara institusi
pengajian tinggi.
4. **Sila tandakan ( )
SULIT
(Mengandungi maklumat yang berdarjah keselamatan atau
kepentingan Malaysia seperti yang termaktub di dalam AKTA
RAHSIA RASMI 1972).
TERHAD
(Mengandungi maklumat TERHAD yang telah ditentukan oleh
organisasi/badan di mana penyelidikan dijalankan).
TIDAK TERHAD
Disahkan oleh
(TANDATANGAN PENULIS)
(TANDATANGAN PENYELIA)
Alamat Tetap:
__________________________________
D-733, LRG. BKT. SETONGKOL 125,
__________________________________
TAMAN ROS, JLN. KG.JAWA,
__________________________________
25200 KUANTAN, PAHANG D.M.
________________________________
DR. MASPUTERIAH HAMZAH
NAMA PENYELIA
2 MEI 2008
Tarikh: ___________________________
2 MEI 2008
Tarikh: __________________________
CATATAN:
*
**
♦
Potong yang tidak berkenaan
Jika tesis ini SULIT atau TERHAD, sila lampirkan surat daripada pihak
berkuasa/organisasi berkenaan dengan menyatakan sekali sebab dan tempoh
tesis ini perlu dikelaskan sebagai SULIT atau TERHAD.
Tesis dimaksudkan sebagai tesis bagi Ijazah Doktor Falsafah dan Sarjana
secara penyelidikan atau disertasi bagi pengajian secara kerja kursus dan
penyelidikan atau Laporan Projek Sarjana Muda (PSM).
“I hereby declare that I have read this thesis and in my
opinion this thesis is sufficient in terms of scope and quality for the
award of the degree of Bachelor of Science with Education (TESL)”
Signature
: ________________________________
DR. MASPUTERIAH HAMZAH
Name of Supervisor : ________________________________
Date
2 MAY 2008
: ________________________________
i
IMPROVING COHERENCE IN PARAGRAPH WRITING AMONG ESL
LEARNERS: A CASE STUDY
MALINI KARUPPIAH
A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the
requirements for the award of the degree of
Bachelor of Science with Education (TESL)
Faculty of Education
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
APRIL 2008
ii
I declare that this thesis entitled
“Improving Coherence in Paragraph Writing among ESL Learners: A Case Study” is
the result of my own research except as cited in the references.
The thesis has not been accepted for any degree and is
not concurrently submitted in application of any other degree.
Signature
: _______________________
Name
MALINI KARUPPIAH
: _______________________
Date
2 MAY 2008
: _______________________
iii
To my beloved father Mr. Karuppiah S/O Rengasamy;
mother Mrs. Vanitha D/O S. Subramaniam;
and sisters
Miss Shasheela Devi and Miss Maithily
iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In preparing this thesis, I was in contact with many people. They have
contributed towards my understanding and thoughts. In particular, I wish to express my
sincere appreciation to my thesis supervisor, Dr. Masputeriah Hamzah for her
encouragement, guidance, critics and friendship. I am also very thankful to my
examiners Dr. Wan Fara Adlina Wan Mansor and Pn. Khairuzillah Khalil for their
guidance, advices and motivation. My gratitude also goes to Assoc. Prof. Khairi Izwan
Abdullah for being the marker of the data scripts as well as my interviewee. Without
their continued support and interest, this thesis would not have been the same as
presented here.
My sincere appreciation also extends to all my friends; Sumitha Malar Vasu,
Shereena Sreetharam, Salveen Kaur Gill and Elango Munusamy as well as to others who
have provided assistance at various occasions and for giving me moral support. Their
views and tips are useful indeed. Unfortunately, it is not possible to list all of them in
this limited space. I am also grateful to all my beloved family members.
v
ABSTRACT
This study sets out to examine the problems faced by ESL learners of the Faculty
of Education, UTM in relation to coherence in writing. The objectives of this study are
to assess the coherence of ESL learners’ writing as well as to present ideas and
suggestions to help students to improve coherence in their writing. Ten first year TESL
students of UTM were involved in this study. The instrument used to assess and analyze
coherence in writing was topic-based analysis adapted from Todd (2004). Scores of
coherence and coherence breaks as well as interviews were used for data analysis.
Finally, this study hopes to be a valuable resource for not only the learners to overcome
incoherence in their writing, but also to both content and English language instructors of
these learners. It would provide insights to the language teachers on how to help students
become more aware of elements of coherence in writing and what can be done to
improve coherence in writing.
vi
ABSTRAK
Kajian ini adalah bertujuan untuk mengkaji masalah-masalah yang dihadapi oleh
para pelajar yang mengambil kursus Bahasa Inggeris sebagai Bahasa Kedua, Fakulti
Pendidikan, UTM dari segi kesinambungan dalam penulisan karangan. Objektif utama
kajian tersebut adalah untuk menilai tahap kesinambungan penulisan para pelajar. Selain
itu, beberapa idea dan cadangan untuk memperbaiki tahap kesinambungan dalam
penulisan karangan juga turut disertakan dalam kajian yang ini. Sepuluh pelajar tahun
satu TESL dari UTM merupakan responden kajian. Instrumen yang telah digunakan
untuk mengukur tahap kesinambungan dalam penulisan merupakan analisis berasaskan
topik yang diadaptasikan daripada Todd (2004). Analisis data dilakukan dengan
menggunakan markah-markah yang diperolehi daripada tahap kesinambungan serta
temu bual dengan pensyarah. Diharap agar kajian ini akan menjadi sebuah sumber yang
berguna bukan sahaja untuk para pelajar malah kepada para pendidik Bahasa Inggeris
pelajar-pelajar tersebut. Kajian ini akan memberi kesedaran kepada para pendidik
Bahasa Inggeris tentang cara-cara untuk membantu para pelajar memberi fokus terhadap
elemen-elemen kesinambungan dalam penulisan serta bagaimana untuk memperbaiki
kesinambungan dalam penulisan mereka.
vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER
TITLE
DECLARATION
ii
DEDICATION
iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
iv
ABSTRACT
v
ABSTRAK
vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
PAGE
vii-x
LIST OF TABLES
xi
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
xii
INTRODUCTION
1.0
Introduction
1
1.1
Background of the Study
2
1.2
Statement of Problem
4
1.3
Purpose of the Study
5
1.4
Objectives of the Study
5
1.5
Research Questions
6
1.6
Significance of the Study
6
1.7
Scope of the Study
7
1.8
Key Terms Related to the Study
7
1.8.1
Writing
7
1.8.2
Coherence
8
viii
2
1.8.3
Cohesion
8
1.8.4
Paragraph
8
1.8.5
Unity
9
LITERATURE REVIEW
10
2.0
Introduction
10
2.1
Writing
11
2.2
Characteristics of Good Writing
12
2.2.1
Unity and Coherence
12
2.2.2
Supporting the Main Idea
13
2.2.3
Mechanics
14
2.3
Coherence in Writing
14
2.4
Cohesion in Texts
17
2.5
Previous Study on Coherence in Writing
18
2.5.1
Analyzing Coherence
18
2.5.2
Problems in Coherence
20
2.5.2.1
Text Based Coherence
20
2.5.2.1.1
Unity of Ideas
20
2.5.2.1.2
Organization of
21
Points
2.5.2.2
2.5.3
Reader Based Coherence
22
Strategies to teach Coherence
24
2.5.3.1
Introductory Activities
24
2.5.3.2
Explicit Teaching
25
2.5.3.3
Awareness-Raising Tasks
26
2.5.3.4 Writing Practice
27
2.5.4
Teaching Coherence in Different Genres
28
2.5.5
A Coherence Checklist
30
ix
CHAPTER
3
TITLE
PAGE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
32
3.0
Introduction
32
3.1
Research Instrument
33
3.2
Respondents of the Study
34
3.3
Research Procedure
34
3.4
Data Analysis
35
3.4.1
36
Stage 1: Preparing the text for
analysis
3.4.2
Stage 2: Identifying key concepts
37
3.4.3
Stage 3: Identifying relationships
38
between key concepts
3.4.4
Stage 4: Identifying topics and
38
measuring coherence
4
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
40
4.0
Introduction
40
4.1
Findings for Research Question 1
41
4.1.1
47
Discussion
4.2
Findings for Research Question 2
52
4.3
Summary
55
x
CHAPTER
5
TITLE
PAGE
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
56
5.0
Conclusion
56
5.1
Limitations of the Study
57
5.2
Recommendations
58
5.2.1
58
Recommendations for English
Language Teaching Classrooms
5.2.2
Recommendations for Further
59
Research
5.3
Summary
60
REFERENCES
61-64
APPENDICES A-J
65-74
xi
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE NUM.
TITLE
PAGE
4.1
Lecturer’s marks for coherence
41
4.2
Coherence scores
42
4.3
Problems identified by the lecturer (marker)
44
4.4
Audience, context and purpose
45
4.5
The use of propositional content in writing
46
xii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
ESL
-
English as Second Language
L2
-
Second Language
TESL
-
Teaching English as Second Language
UTM
-
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
ELT
-
English Language Teaching
PMR
-
Penilaian Menengah Rendah
SPM
-
Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia
MUET
-
Malaysian University English Test
SPL
-
Bachelor of Science with Education (TESL)
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.0
Introduction
This chapter will focus on the background of the study, highlighting on the
statement of problems that leads to the study conducted. The purpose of the study
is also stated in this chapter. Based on the statement of problems, a few research
questions have been identified and will be discussed later in this chapter. This
chapter will also discuss the research scope of the study as well as the significance
of the study conducted. Some key terms which are related with the study are
discussed at the final part of this chapter.
2
1.1
Background of the Study
Language learning is a process where knowledge is gained through
conscious understanding of the rules and patterns of the language. Learning is
defined as a change in performance which occurs under the conditions of practice.
Writing is one of the four skills which a learner has to acquire when learning a
language. According to Lannon (2004), writing is a conscious, planned process
but not the result of interference, magic, miracles or last-minute inspiration.
Nothing ever leaps from the mind to the page in one neat and simple motion. The
conscious condition is designed to meet the students’ needs in acquiring the skills
and elements in the language.
In order to write effectively, a writer has to acquire certain skills and learn
to apply them effectively. Each ESL learner has his or her own level of
proficiency in applying the writing skills while producing a piece of writing.
Writing is also a mental activity the students have to go through in order to
construct proper written texts and language development. It is also part of the
students’ ongoing learning experience. Besides that, writing could be a learning
style for students who take a longer time to think things through and to produce
language in a slower way. Writing is not a skill to be learned in isolation whereby
in the classroom, language acquisition is facilitated by teachers integrating all the
four skills in the teaching and learning process. It normally comes after learners
have acquired the receptive skills of listening and reading.
Wilkinson (1986) states that a person’s language abilities are complex
especially in producing writing. This may cause a lot of possibilities which might
occur in the writing of ESL students. One of the possibilities is the application of
the language input into a well written and organized text. Actually, when a
3
student writes, he or she has something in mind to write about. This means that
writing involves purposes and topics.
Lannon (2004) once again states that sometimes students know right away
what they want to say but sometimes they discover the purpose and meaning only
as they write. Each of them has their own style of producing writing by using the
language and how they elaborate the ideas through the language. There will be
difficulties among the students to apply the knowledge they have gained through
the learning process and the way they use the language in their writing.
Therefore, it may cause errors or problems in the students’ writing.
In the ESL writing classroom, learners often write essays that consist of
sentences which do not seem to connect together into a cohesive text. They may
have difficulty in making their writing coherent. This may be because very little
attention is paid to the progression and flow of information in texts. Students do
not have a mental representation of their writing, the hierarchy of their ideas and
how their ideas are related to one another. As Scardamalia & Bereiter (1986)
said, “If students get stuck in their writing, they will just start all over again using
another word in the topic that they can relate to and tell about.” Students also
spend little time planning and starting off writing although they are still confused
about the task given. Most of them do not have the tendency to plan paragraphs
or essays as a whole.
As a reader, we identify paragraphs at a glance, just by its appearance.
Most written materials are made up of paragraphs. Paragraphs vary considerably
in length because they differ in content and purpose. Usually, as we read from
paragraph to paragraph in a piece of writing, we move from one main idea to
another. Together, a series of paragraphs develop a larger and more complicated
4
idea. Each paragraph explores part of that idea and helps readers understand it
(Pemberton, 1996). Besides that, a good paragraph has coherence, meaning that
all the sentences flow smoothly from one to another and the relationships between
ideas are clear. Pemberton (1996) once again said that in a coherent writing,
relevant supporting ideas explain previous statements. Connecting words join
related ideas or make smooth transitions into contrasting ideas. Main ideas are
easy to follow because of repetition and variation of key words and concepts. As
a reader, we will recognize incoherence when we see it. This is because we will
be lurching from one idea to another, trying to follow long-winded, disorganized
statements.
Apart from the various studies conducted on the errors in students’
writing, there is a growing need to determine whether students can write
comprehensibly and coherently. This study focuses on the analysis of
incoherence in students’ composition writing. This study is also conducted to
help students improve coherence in their writing.
1.2
Statement of Problem
Although coherence is crucial to effective writing, it is often considered an
abstract, indefinable, and controversial concept that is difficult to teach and
difficult to learn. ESL students focus almost entirely on the word and sentence
levels rather than the level of the whole discourse, that is, textual coherence.
According to Enkvist (1990), the majority of ESL students feel that the only tool
they can use in writing English essays is grammar and this causes them to have
difficulty in making their writing coherent.
5
Given the situation, it is important that the students be taught alternative
strategies to improve coherence in their writing. Focus on coherence can shift
students’ attention from sentence-level grammar to discourse features such as
textual structuring and unity, which are crucial to creating meaning in texts.
Indeed, helping students improve the coherence of their writing is a significant
aspect of L2 writing instruction.
1.3
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study described in this research report is to focus
mainly on incoherence made by ESL learners in their writing, as well as to help
them to improve coherence in their writing by giving suggestions.
1.4
Objectives of the Study
The objectives of this study are:
1.4.1
to assess the coherence of ESL learners’ writing
1.4.2
to present ideas and suggestions to help students to improve
coherence in their writing
6
1.5
Research Questions
Based on the objectives of the study mentioned above, this study seeks to
answer the following research questions:
1.5.1
What are the problems that students have in relation to coherence
in writing?
1.5.2
What are some suggestions on systematic approaches that can be
adopted to make students more aware of coherence in writing?