Analyzing Errors in Unity, Cohesion, and Coherence within Written Essays of Libyan EFL Pre-Service Teachers in the English department at University of Tripoli

الملخص

Libyan pre-service teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) study in a four-year college program to graduate and join in-service teachers across the country. Despite intensive writing courses during their undergraduate studies, they face significant challenges in writing well-structured, cohesive, and coherent essays. This study aims to identify and analyze errors related to unity, cohesion, and coherence in academic essays written by Libyan EFL pre-service teachers at the University of Tripoli. Utilizing a qualitative design, data were collected through convenient sampling of five essays written by five Libyan participants. The analysis focused on identifying errors that lead to incoherent and disconnected paragraphs, based on criteria for textual unity and the theoretical framework of the study. The findings revealed frequent issues with unclear topic sentences, multiple main ideas, faulty references, incorrect use of conjunctions, over-reliance on repetition, and lack of appropriate transitions. These insights aim to enhance writing instruction and improve the quality of academic writing in Libyan higher education.