An Analysis of Lexical Cohesion in Building Textual Coherence in Narrative Texts by EFL Senior High School Students in Surakarta

Oleh :
Nabila Aina Wafa - K2222055 - Fak. KIP

This study aims to identify the types of lexical cohesion used by EFL senior high school students in narrative texts and to analyze how these students use lexical cohesion in building textual coherence in their narrative texts. Employing a qualitative discourse analysis design, the study analyzed twenty narrative texts purposively selected from forty-four texts produced by two classes, using Halliday and Matthiessen's (2014) five-category framework of repetition, synonymy, hyponymy, meronymy, and collocation. The data were analyzed through coding, tabulation, and interpretation. Trustworthiness was established through method triangulation and prolonged observation, including cross-checking the written texts against classroom observation checklists and students' self-checklists. The findings revealed 479 lexical cohesion devices across the twenty texts, dominated by repetition (42%) and collocation (33.4%), while hyponymy (9.8%), synonymy (8.4%), and meronymy (6.5%) appeared less frequently. A comparison of a high distribution text (50 items) and a low-distribution text (17 items) showed that textual coherence depends not on the total frequency of cohesive devices but on the span, density, and continuity of lexical chains across the Orientation, Complication, Resolution, and Coda stages. The study concludes that all five types of lexical cohesion are identifiable in EFL students' narrative writing, and that cross-stage continuity of lexical ties plays a more decisive role than frequency alone in how coherence is built. These findings provide insights into the relationship between lexical cohesion and coherence in EFL narrative writing and may contribute to the development of more effective writing instruction at the senior high school level.