Exploring the Use of Cohesive Devices in Argumentative Essays: A Study of Thai English-Major Students at a Public University

Abstract

This study investigates the use of cohesive devices in argumentative essays written by Thai second-year English major students at a public university. All students in an English Writing course were assigned to write a 300–350-word argumentative essay on a specific topic. However, only 40 students agreed to participate in the research and provided their essays for analysis. The study aimed to examine the most frequently used cohesive devices. The findings indicate that references and conjunctions accounted for more than 80% of the cohesive devices used, followed by lexical cohesion, substitution, and ellipsis. The results show that both the frequency of cohesive ties and students’ knowledge of cohesive devices significantly impact the overall quality of their argumentative essays. Cohesive devices help students enhance the effectiveness of their writing, making argumentative essays more logical, coherent, and easier for readers to understand the writer’s perspective.