The Use of Cohesive Devices by EFL Learners of English at Saber Faculty of Education

Abstract

The present study investigated the use of cohesive devices in the writings of EFL learners of English at Saber Faculty of Education in Yemen. It focused on the learners’ ability to select and use appropriate grammatical and lexical cohesive devices in their writing. Ten paragraphs by third-level students were analyzed to assess the students’ ability in the use of cohesive devices in their writings and discover sources of incoherence. The subjects were randomly selected from among the third-level students at Saber Faculty of Education, who have been studying English as a foreign language in a four-year program. The students’ writings were examined for appropriate use of cohesive devices and for overall cohesive harmony. The analysis indicated statistically significant differences between students in sentence construction and the use of cohesive devices in both sentence and paragraph levels.