TEACHING COHERENCE AND COHESION IN ACADEMIC WRITING

Abstract

Academic writing requires more than grammatical accuracy; it demands clarity, logical organization, and effective textual connectivity. Coherence and cohesion play central roles in achieving these qualities, as coherence ensures the logical flow of ideas, while cohesion provides linguistic devices that link sentences and paragraphs. This article examines the theoretical foundations of coherence and cohesion, analyzes their pedagogical importance, and discusses practical strategies for teaching them in academic contexts. It further highlights the challenges teachers face, including cultural differences in rhetorical traditions, overuse of cohesive markers, and curriculum constraints. Through scholarly perspectives and classroom-based examples, the paper argues that effective instruction in coherence and cohesion equips students with the ability to construct clear, persuasive, and academically credible texts.