THE USE OF COHESION IN STUDENTS’ ARGUMENTATIVE WRITINGS.
ABSTRACT
This research study aims at discovering the use of cohesion in students’ argumentative writings in terms of its frequency and function. The participants of the study are seventeen students of English Language and Literature study program UPI who have learned how to compose argumentative writing as well as cohesion. To answer all research questions, this study employs a qualitative method research design embracing the characteristics of a case study approach. The data are obtained from students’ argumentative writings. This research study is grounded by the framework of Cohesion Taxonomy proposed by Halliday and
Hasan (1976), which is also a tool for analyzing students’ texts. Results reveal that
grammatical cohesive devices—by the use of reference and conjunction as the dominant devices—are slightly more preferable to be used as cohesive resources than the lexical ones. Moreover, it is also found that cohesive devices generally have two major functions which are to remind the readers of the points under discussion and to clarify and affirm semantic relationship between clauses so that the position of the author is clear. Furthermore, this research study recommends students should expands their repertoire both in vocabulary and sentence structure since analysis finds indication of their heavy reliance on repetition device.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE OF APPROVAL ... i
STATEMENT OF AUTHORIZATION ... ii
PREFACE ... iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ... iv
ABSTRACT ... vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS ... vii
LIST OF FIGURES ... xi
LIST OF TABLES... xii
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ... 1
A. Background ... 1
B. Research Questions ... 5
C. Purposes of the Study ... 5
D. Scope of the Study ... 5
E. Significance of the Study ... 5
F. Clarification of Terms ... 6
G. Organization of the Paper ... 8
CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ... 10
A. Cohesion ... 10
1. Cohesion, Texture, and Coherence ... 10
2 Cohesion and Text ... 14
3. Taxonomy of Cohesive Devices ... 14
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1) Reference ... 15
2) Substitution ... 20
3) Ellipsis ... 21
4) Conjunction ... 24
b. Lexical Cohesion ... 27
1) Reiteration ... 27
2) Collocation ... 30
B. Genre and Writing ... 32
1. Definition of Genre ... 32
2. Genre and Grammar ... 33
3. Argumentative Writing as a Genre ... 34
4. Writing in Indonesian Context ... 36
5. Features in Argumentative Writing ... 37
C. Previous Related Studies ... 41
D. Concluding Remarks ... 44
CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ... 45
A. Research Design ... 45
B. Research Site and Object ... 46
1. Research Site ... 46
2. Object ... 47
C Data Collection ... 48
D. Data Analysis ... 48
1. Identification of Cohesive Devices ... 48
2. Examination of Functions of Cohesive Devices ... 49
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CHAPTER IV FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS ... 50
A. Identification of Cohesive Devices ... 50
1. Grammatical Cohesion Use ... 52
a. Reference Devices Use ... 52
b. Substitution Devices Use ... 57
c. Ellipsis Devices Use ... 59
d. Conjunction Devices Use ... 59
2. Lexical Devices Use ... 62
a. Reiteration Devices Use ... 62
b. Collocation Devices Use ... 65
B. Function of Cohesive Devices to Argumentative Writings ... 66
1. Function of Grammatical Cohesion ... 66
a. Function of Reference ... 66
b. Function of Substitution ... 70
c. Function of Ellipsis ... 71
d. Function of Conjunction ... 72
2. Function of Lexical ... 75
a. Function of Reiteration ... 75
b. Function of Collocation ... 78
C. Concluding Remarks ... 79
CHAPTER V CONCLUSION, LIMITATION, AND RECOMMENDATION .... 80
A. Conclusion ... 80
B. Limitation ... 81
C. Recommendation ... 82
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APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1 ARGUMENTATIVE WRITINGS
APPENDIX 2 ARGUMENTATIVE WRITINGS ANALYSIS
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CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The previous chapter has elaborated the theories relevant to this research study: Cohesion, Coherence, and Texture as well as the relationship between those three concepts; and Genre, especially genres in writing, including genres taught in Indonesian setting. This chapter focuses on the methodological aspects of this research study. It covers four main aspects: Research design, elaborates the method employed in this study includes its principles and characteristics. Research site and objects that emphasize on the place where this research study takes place, and the discussion on the object of this study. The data collection section presents the instrument and data collection technique. The data analysis elaborates the procedure of analyzing the data. This chapter is closed by concluding remarks at the end of this chapter.
A. Research Design
In an attempt to answer the research questions, this research study employed a descriptive-qualitative method. Descriptive-qualitative method was used as the method since it provided holistic description of complex phenomena (Fraenkel, et al, 2012). Moreover, as stated by Hancock (1998), qualitative research aims at helping researcher understand the social phenomena. It naturally describes social phenomena as it is; besides, it concerned with the opinions and experiences of people to produce subjective data. This research study also used quantification to identify the frequency of occurrences of the cohesive devices in the form of percentage. Since this research study was intended to analyze, describe, categorize and interpret the data to identify
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the type of cohesive devices used and how these cohesive devices function to the argumentative writings; a qualitative method was considered as the ideal method.
The application of qualitative method with case study approach was chosen because its characteristics (Hancock, 1998: 1-2; Creswell, 2007: 36-38; Patton & Cochran, 2007) fit into this research study. The characteristics were: firstly, this research study was conducted in natural setting which was English class in which the students learn to write; secondly, writing was a social phenomena; thirdly, this research study analyzed how cohesive devices were used and utilized; lastly, this research study investigated, analyzed, described, categorized, and interpreted the data that were writing products—argumentative writings—composed by students; and after conducting the text analysis, the data were presented and interpreted qualitatively as general findings and conclusions.
This research study also applied Discourse Analysis as the approach because as stated by Hancock, Ockleford, and Windridge (2007: 13), it focuses on text as social practices, besides, it is interested in “how discourses are organized to present particular word view and how the words are used and utilized”. Furthermore, since this research study used text analysis that was limited to a specific environment, the design applied in this study could be considered a case study approach, which is an in-depth exploration of a bounded system (Hancock, 1998; Creswell, 2012; Patton & Cochran, 2007). The text analyzed in this research study was argumentative writing composed by English Language and Literature Study program students of Indonesia University of Education (UPI).
B. Research Site and Object 1. Research Site
The study was conducted at English Language and Literature Study Program of UPI. The institution was chosen because the situation and context of the study
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were familiar with the researcher since he was one of students in that department; besides, this familiarity provided the researcher mutual trust with both the lecturers and the students, so that the researcher had the access to conduct the research study.
Moreover, the students in English Language and Literature Study Program were selected because they were third semester students who have learnt how to compose argumentative writing, a genre investigated in this research. Besides, it has been taught since High School (See Chapter II). Although the concept and taxonomy of cohesion have not explicitly and specifically been taught in early semester, some of the features have been taught implicitly. Therefore, the students were believed to be able to apply them in their writing.
2. Object
The object of this study was seventeen argumentative writings composed by third-semester students of English Language and Literature study program in Department of English Education, UPI. The participants were all from one class. The selection was based on the assumption that the third-semester students were most likely capable of composing argumentative writings since it had been taught in High School, moreover, they were taught to write argumentative writing in classroom sessions before asked to write argumentative writings. Moreover, as stated earlier in this chapter, the students have developed understanding related to cohesion and could apply what they have learned in their writing.
The rationale of selecting seventeen argumentative writings was because as stated earlier, this study applied qualitative method with case study as a design so that this study was limited to one class only. Moreover, qualitative research naturally is “time consuming and consequently data is collected from smaller number...than quantitative method" (Hancock, 1998: 9). Besides, qualitative
(9)
approach includes richness of data and deeper insight into phenomena under study (Creswell, 2012; Patton & Cochran, 2007). Therefore, this study analyzed only seventeen argumentative writings due to the reason of manageability—the researcher was limited in terms of time and energy—and it was because the analysis was intended to be deep, so that the data were not too many.
C. Data Collection
As stated before, the nature of data collection in qualitative research was intensive and time consuming; moreover, in order to provide a deep analysis, the data should be relatively in small numbers. Therefore, it was necessary to use small samples that demonstrated representativeness of findings through random selection technique. The data were obtained from one out of two Writing-in-Professional-context classes in English Language and Literature study program year 2014/2015, which meant the sample was 50 percent of the total population.
The instrument in this study was documentation—the argumentative texts composed by the English Language and Literature study program students. In collecting the data, the researcher took several steps, namely: 1) asked permission from third-semester-writing lecturer in English Language and Literature study program to use the students’ argumentative writings as well as the score as the data in this study; 2) asked permission from all the students to use their argumentative writings as the data in this study; and 3) collected the text from the students.
D. Data Analysis
1. Identification of Cohesive Devices
In analyzing students' argumentative writing documents, this study applied taxonomy of cohesion (see Chapter II). In the analysis, firstly, the researcher read the entire text to understand the context; then, based on taxonomy of cohesion, the researcher marked every cohesive device in every text that belonged to
(10)
reference, substitution, ellipsis, conjunction, reiteration, and collocation as well as their subclasses.
The purpose of this procedure was to know what type of cohesion used mostly in each argumentative writings as well as the distribution of all cohesive devices mentioned in Chapter II. Furthermore, the types of cohesion were counted into percentages by dividing the frequency of occurrences by the total occurrences, then multiplying it with a hundred percent.
Results of the cohesion analysis were interpreted based on the realization of cohesive devices in each text as well as the number of ties in every type of grammatical and lexical cohesion. The dominant kind of cohesive devices used in the reading text emerged after they were identified and counted.
2. Examination of Functions of Cohesive Devices
After finishing the process of analysis and identification; the next step in this study was to examine the function of using cohesive devices to the argumentative writing. In the analysis, the researcher reread the entire text to examine the relationship between the tied elements. The researcher, then, examined the pattern or structure in argumentative writing to find the general tendency to which parts certain cohesive devices were used as well as the effect.
E. Concluding Remarks
This chapter has presented the methodological aspects applied in this study covering the research design, research site and participants, data collection and data analysis that is based on the research questions mentioned in Chapter I as well as the theories informed in Chapter II. In the next chapter, Chapter IV, the data of students' writings are presented and analyzed in detail.
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APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1 ARGUMENTATIVE WRITINGS
APPENDIX 2 ARGUMENTATIVE WRITINGS ANALYSIS
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CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The previous chapter has elaborated the theories relevant to this research study: Cohesion, Coherence, and Texture as well as the relationship between those three concepts; and Genre, especially genres in writing, including genres taught in Indonesian setting. This chapter focuses on the methodological aspects of this research study. It covers four main aspects: Research design, elaborates the method employed in this study includes its principles and characteristics. Research site and objects that emphasize on the place where this research study takes place, and the discussion on the object of this study. The data collection section presents the instrument and data collection technique. The data analysis elaborates the procedure of analyzing the data. This chapter is closed by concluding remarks at the end of this chapter.
A. Research Design
In an attempt to answer the research questions, this research study employed a descriptive-qualitative method. Descriptive-qualitative method was used as the method since it provided holistic description of complex phenomena (Fraenkel, et al, 2012). Moreover, as stated by Hancock (1998), qualitative research aims at helping researcher understand the social phenomena. It naturally describes social phenomena as it is; besides, it concerned with the opinions and experiences of people to produce subjective data. This research study also used quantification to identify the frequency of occurrences of the cohesive devices in the form of percentage. Since this research study was intended to analyze, describe, categorize and interpret the data to identify
(3)
the type of cohesive devices used and how these cohesive devices function to the argumentative writings; a qualitative method was considered as the ideal method.
The application of qualitative method with case study approach was chosen because its characteristics (Hancock, 1998: 1-2; Creswell, 2007: 36-38; Patton & Cochran, 2007) fit into this research study. The characteristics were: firstly, this research study was conducted in natural setting which was English class in which the students learn to write; secondly, writing was a social phenomena; thirdly, this research study analyzed how cohesive devices were used and utilized; lastly, this research study investigated, analyzed, described, categorized, and interpreted the data
that were writing products—argumentative writings—composed by students; and
after conducting the text analysis, the data were presented and interpreted qualitatively as general findings and conclusions.
This research study also applied Discourse Analysis as the approach because as stated by Hancock, Ockleford, and Windridge (2007: 13), it focuses on text as social
practices, besides, it is interested in “how discourses are organized to present
particular word view and how the words are used and utilized”. Furthermore, since
this research study used text analysis that was limited to a specific environment, the design applied in this study could be considered a case study approach, which is an in-depth exploration of a bounded system (Hancock, 1998; Creswell, 2012; Patton & Cochran, 2007). The text analyzed in this research study was argumentative writing composed by English Language and Literature Study program students of Indonesia University of Education (UPI).
B. Research Site and Object
1. Research Site
The study was conducted at English Language and Literature Study Program of UPI. The institution was chosen because the situation and context of the study
(4)
were familiar with the researcher since he was one of students in that department; besides, this familiarity provided the researcher mutual trust with both the lecturers and the students, so that the researcher had the access to conduct the research study.
Moreover, the students in English Language and Literature Study Program were selected because they were third semester students who have learnt how to compose argumentative writing, a genre investigated in this research. Besides, it has been taught since High School (See Chapter II). Although the concept and taxonomy of cohesion have not explicitly and specifically been taught in early semester, some of the features have been taught implicitly. Therefore, the students were believed to be able to apply them in their writing.
2. Object
The object of this study was seventeen argumentative writings composed by third-semester students of English Language and Literature study program in Department of English Education, UPI. The participants were all from one class. The selection was based on the assumption that the third-semester students were most likely capable of composing argumentative writings since it had been taught in High School, moreover, they were taught to write argumentative writing in classroom sessions before asked to write argumentative writings. Moreover, as stated earlier in this chapter, the students have developed understanding related to cohesion and could apply what they have learned in their writing.
The rationale of selecting seventeen argumentative writings was because as stated earlier, this study applied qualitative method with case study as a design so that this study was limited to one class only. Moreover, qualitative research
naturally is “time consuming and consequently data is collected from smaller number...than quantitative method" (Hancock, 1998: 9). Besides, qualitative
(5)
approach includes richness of data and deeper insight into phenomena under study (Creswell, 2012; Patton & Cochran, 2007). Therefore, this study analyzed only
seventeen argumentative writings due to the reason of manageability—the
researcher was limited in terms of time and energy—and it was because the
analysis was intended to be deep, so that the data were not too many.
C. Data Collection
As stated before, the nature of data collection in qualitative research was intensive and time consuming; moreover, in order to provide a deep analysis, the data should be relatively in small numbers. Therefore, it was necessary to use small samples that demonstrated representativeness of findings through random selection technique. The data were obtained from one out of two Writing-in-Professional-context classes in English Language and Literature study program year 2014/2015, which meant the sample was 50 percent of the total population.
The instrument in this study was documentation—the argumentative texts
composed by the English Language and Literature study program students. In collecting the data, the researcher took several steps, namely: 1) asked permission from third-semester-writing lecturer in English Language and Literature study
program to use the students’ argumentative writings as well as the score as the data in
this study; 2) asked permission from all the students to use their argumentative writings as the data in this study; and 3) collected the text from the students.
D. Data Analysis
1. Identification of Cohesive Devices
In analyzing students' argumentative writing documents, this study applied taxonomy of cohesion (see Chapter II). In the analysis, firstly, the researcher read the entire text to understand the context; then, based on taxonomy of cohesion, the researcher marked every cohesive device in every text that belonged to
(6)
reference, substitution, ellipsis, conjunction, reiteration, and collocation as well as their subclasses.
The purpose of this procedure was to know what type of cohesion used mostly in each argumentative writings as well as the distribution of all cohesive devices mentioned in Chapter II. Furthermore, the types of cohesion were counted into percentages by dividing the frequency of occurrences by the total occurrences, then multiplying it with a hundred percent.
Results of the cohesion analysis were interpreted based on the realization of cohesive devices in each text as well as the number of ties in every type of grammatical and lexical cohesion. The dominant kind of cohesive devices used in the reading text emerged after they were identified and counted.
2. Examination of Functions of Cohesive Devices
After finishing the process of analysis and identification; the next step in this study was to examine the function of using cohesive devices to the argumentative writing. In the analysis, the researcher reread the entire text to examine the relationship between the tied elements. The researcher, then, examined the pattern or structure in argumentative writing to find the general tendency to which parts certain cohesive devices were used as well as the effect.
E. Concluding Remarks
This chapter has presented the methodological aspects applied in this study covering the research design, research site and participants, data collection and data analysis that is based on the research questions mentioned in Chapter I as well as the theories informed in Chapter II. In the next chapter, Chapter IV, the data of students' writings are presented and analyzed in detail.