Students' Assessments of Global, Local Coherence and Their Psychological Impacts to Examine the Quantitative and Qualitative Disparities in ESL Students’ Persuasive Texts

Abstract

The comprehension and effectiveness of any text heavily rely on coherence. A vital aspect that enhances coherence is the organization of the text. This research delves into the impact of students' field of study on their capacity to organize text in a coherent and comprehensible manner. Additionally, it aims to examine the quantitative and qualitative disparities in the utilization of the principal form of organization in spontaneously written persuasive texts. To explore the developmental patterns of language features that contribute to the organization and coherence of persuasive texts, this study analyzed structured writings from 596 students. These students were enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate programs across six domains: law, engineering, management, sciences, language, and humanities. The texts were obtained from various universities located in the Delhi NCR region. A reader-based approach was employed for the analysis. The study's findings indicate that students' assessments of global and local coherence, which pertain to the contribution of each sentence towards developing the text's topic, improve as they advance through their academic years. Furthermore, students exhibit varying levels of awareness concerning different forms of information organization and the expectations of their readers. These awareness differences are influenced by their respective fields of study.