Diajeng Findusia Aulia Agant , 2201410134 (2016) THEMATIC DEVELOPMENT OF EFL STUDENTS’ WRITING IN ENGLISH WRITING COMMUNITYOF ENGLISH DEPARTMENT OF SEMARANG STATEUNIVERSITY. Under Graduates thesis, Universitas Negeri Semarang.

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Abstract

The purposes of this study are to find out the thematic development patterns in the writings of EFL students of English Writing Community UNNES and to examine to what extent the students achieve coherence in their writings in terms of thematic development.This study is a discourse analysis. The thematic structure and thematic development were realized through thematic system (Theme and Rheme). The object of the study is the texts that were written by the members of EWC in the academic year of 2014/2015. The unit of the analysis were the forms of clauses and clause complexes. There were 18 texts from two different genres(decription and exposition) and three different grades (first, third, and fifth semesters). The analysis of the data was done based on the following steps: first, the texts were divided into clauses and then analyzed based on Theme-Rheme theories offered by Gerrot & Wignell(1995). Next step was analyzing the Thematic development based on the theory suggested by Eggins (1994). The last step was drawing the conclusions based on the finding. After analyzing the data, there are three typs of Theme found in the texts. The Themes are topical, textual, and interpersonal. The Theme mostly used is Topical Theme. It is because the writers are beginner writers who prefer to choose the simplest way in producing a text. The writers produce the clause with the same pattern, which states the subject at the beginning of the clause as the starting point. It was also revealed from the analysis that there are more than one types of Thematic development found in their text. Each text has two or three patterns of Thematic development. Theme reiteration is the most often used pattern in EWC members’ writing. It is because the pattern is the easiest way that the students can use in developing a text. Based on the findings, there are some of the texts that still lack of cohesion or coherence. In other words, the members still find difficulties in the way they organized the information into a good writing. Therefore, for the lecturers, especially who teach writing subject, they should find alternative way to teach writing.Thematic structure and thematic development can help the students to decide which part should be put in the first and which elements that follow. In addition, the students also can choose the pattern that they will use in their texts in order to make it organized better. Therefore, their writing will achive both coherence and cohesion. If their products of writing achive the coherence and the cohesion, it will be easier to the readers to get the point of the writing itself.

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