THE POWER OF THE PEN: AN ANALYSIS ON THE COHERENCE AND COHESION SKILLS OF THE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Effective writing requires both cohesion and coherence to be present in a text, employing various strategies in the writing process, and failure of these means that there is a lack of writing skills. This occurrence is unavoidable and happens often among students. This study analyzed the writing skills, particularly the cohesion and coherence skills of Grade 12 Humanities and Social Sciences students who participated in this quantitative study (n=54) by responding to a survey questionnaire. Results of the survey questionnaire decipher the demographic profile, level of cohesion and coherence skills, and problems encountered by the students in writing. The learners' responses were analyzed and interpreted using descriptive statistical analysis. The findings revealed that Grade 12 students lack the ability to write cohesively and coherently and find difficulties in effectively employing different writing strategies, such as paragraph structuring, vocabulary, and word choice. However, the study found that students excel in using and differentiating the various styles and tones to apply in their written texts. The findings of this study may be used as a basis for classroom policy, highlighting the significance of various written strategies in developing writing skills, particularly in a writing class.