Cohesion and Coherence of Students Recount Texts in Indonesia

Arif Suryo Priyatmojo

doi:10.15294/lc.v15i2.29003

Abstract

This study aimed at analyzing the cohesion and coherence of recount texts and their implication to teaching writing. The data was fifteen recount texts which were non-randomly chosen from the first-grade students of high school in Central Java, Indonesia. This was qualitative research employing cohesion theory by Halliday and Hasan (1976) and thematic progression proposed by Butt et al. (1995). The result of this research showed that most of the cohesive devices employed by the students were personal reference with 58.11%; demonstrative reference and definite article with 7.18%; comparative reference with 0.93%), lexical (repetition 22.21%; synonym 0.66%; superordinate 0.13%), conjunction (temporal conjunction 7.45%; adversative conjunction: 1.33%; additive conjunction 1.06%; causal conjunction 0.66%), and ellipsis with 2%. The presuppositions of the presupposed items and presupposing items were achieved anaphorically and cataphorically; most of them were anaphoric. The distances of the presuppositions were in the forms of immediate ties, mediated ties, and non-mediated ties. Furthermore, immediate ties occurred extensively. Based on the analysis, most of the texts were cohesive due to the achievement of presupposing and presupposed items in every sentence of the texts. Then, coherence of the students recount texts was achieved by employing three kinds of patterns: reiteration/ constant, zig-zag, and multiple thematic progression patterns. Most of the texts were developed by using a reiteration/ constant pattern. Based on the analysis, most texts were not coherent because of the unrelated clauses. As the result, they broke the signposted progression of the texts. The finding was expected to possibly contribute to the process of teaching writing by encouraging the students to create a good text in a cohesive and coherent way.

Highlights

In the Indonesian curriculum, from the school-based curriculum to the newest one called K-13, the teaching and learning process is based on a genre-based approach
This research investigated cohesive devices used by the students and the way the texts were organized for some reasons
To create cohesion of the texts, there were three cohesive devices that most of the students employed; personal pronoun, repetition, and temporal conjunctions. It indicated that the students created recount texts in a good structure since the personal reference and temporal conjunction are the lexicogrammatical features of a recount text

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Based on the Indonesian curriculum, the students by the end of the learning process are supposed to create a text. The students are demanded to produce those texts. As a result, they need to have ideas to create the text. The ideas are based on the generic structure of the texts. When I observed students in English learning processes with a topic about writing recount text, they seemed to produce unrelated sentences. The students had problems in organizing ideas systematically For the worst, they were unable to create a unified paragraph. Writing activity produces a text (Halliday, 1976). This research investigated cohesive devices used by the students and the way the texts were organized for some reasons.

LITERATURE REVIEW

AND DISCUSSION

CONCLUSION