Textual Analysis on Coherence and Cohesion to Enhance Learners' Writing in Prose

Writing is a critical macro skill in the 21st century, yet many secondary school learners struggle to produce prose that is coherent and cohesive. Classroom observations at City of Bacoor National High School – San Nicolas showed that Grade 8 learners often present disorganized ideas and use few cohesive devices. Anchored in Systemic Functional Linguistics (Eggins, 2004; Halliday & Hasan, 1976), this action research examined textual analysis, the guided study of model prose texts, as an instructional strategy for improving learners' coherence and cohesion. A mixed-method quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design was used with two intact Grade 8 groups of 30 learners each: an experimental group that received textual analysis instruction integrated with guided writing, collaborative revision and reflection, and a comparison group that received conventional instruction. Data came from writing pre- and post-tests, a performance task, textual analysis worksheets, a student feedback survey with open-ended items, and teacher observation notes. The experimental group's mean gain (+4.80) was larger than the comparison group's (+3.30), and its pre- to post-test improvement was statistically significant (t = −16.83, p < .001). The experimental group also scored higher on worksheets (9.33 vs. 8.79) and slightly higher on the expository essay performance task (15.47 vs. 15.33). Between 76.7% and 88.3% of survey respondents agreed or strongly agreed with each statement on the strategy's usefulness and on their learning needs. Learners still struggled with grammar, topic sentences, transitions and translating ideas from Filipino to English. The study recommends integrating textual analysis into writing instruction, supported by supplementary worksheets and model texts.