The Analysis of Cohesive Devices in Psychology Research papers using Discourse Analysis Technique

Abstract

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the cohesive devices used in psychology research papers. It highlights the usage of different types of cohesion with the range of cohesive devices used in writing and reading. The research papers are selected from the American Psychology Association, Journal of personality and social psychology which is widely read for academic purposes by psychology students as references. The analysis is done using the discourse analysis technique which helps in refining the findings. The findings reveal the types of cohesion used and the range of cohesive devices for each type & focus on the importance of cohesion in reading and writing .It highlights the reasons of why psychology academic articles are written employing cohesive devices layered in the text. The paper also show implications to ESP (English for specific purposes).It shows the importance of teaching cohesion to psychology students to help them comprehend and interpret the meanings from the written discourse. The importance of written discourse in psychology discipline is highlighted as they are enriched with lexical bundles. A lesson plan is also formulated in order to help ESP practitioners to teach reading and writing using cohesion to psychology students. It is formulated in such a way that it will facilitate and help the students to both read and write psychology research articles. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to provide a deep insight into the importance of cohesion for reading and writing skills for academic purposes for psychology students.