1 Introduction

In recent years, academic English teaching research has been active, focusing on teaching concepts, curriculum systems, and empirical research. Improving academic English writing skills is crucial for enhancing international competitiveness and research achievements. The insufficient coherence ability of learners is a key factor restricting the improvement of writing ability, and strengthening discourse coherence teaching is the key to improving academic English writing ability.

2 Literature Review

Deeply explored the key features of discourse coherence, particularly the role of cohesion in it. Halliday and Hasan consider coherence as a part of language resources used to connect different parts of a discourse. Hasan further proposed a theoretical framework for cohesive harmony, including the concepts of cohesive knots and cohesive chains, distinguishing between the same chain and similar chains. The same chain is based on mutual reference and is the foundation of discourse coherence. Researchers have applied the coherence chain to various contexts, including children's narrative ability, the relationship between reading and writing performance, the treatment of children with communication disorders, monologue coherence, and literary narrative development. In addition, the study also involved the relationship between coherence and reading ability, as well as the use and errors of coherence devices in second language writing. Yang and Sun's research found that the correct use of cohesive devices is positively correlated with the writing quality of second language students. Although writing coherence is crucial for improving the writing skills of second language students, there is relatively little research on how to teach writing coherence in second language teaching. Lee's research shows that students' coherence is improved through classroom learning. However, coherence teaching in second language writing textbooks often lacks detailed analysis and practical examples, leading to challenges for teachers in their teaching. This study aims to explore the application of the same chain in second language writing teaching through teaching experiments and case analysis, in order to provide reference for the teaching application of linking chains and coherence teaching.

3 Research Design

This article introduces a general academic English reading and writing course offered at a research university in Beijing, aimed at improving the coherence of academic writing for first-year undergraduate students. The course content covers paper types, structures, paragraph development, writing methods, and the use of academic vocabulary, with a particular emphasis on pronoun reference and the use of the same chain. The participants are 21 students aged 18-19, with a B2 level of English proficiency and diverse professional backgrounds. The study selected six students' writing tasks for analysis, and observed the differences in their writing before and after the lecture through grading and text analysis. The teaching content is divided into two modules: pronoun reference and same chain, which help students understand and apply through examples and exercises. Data collection includes students reading articles, writing review articles, learning pronouns and the concept of the same chain, and modifying articles. Data analysis focuses on evaluating the differences in the same chain between students' initial and revised drafts, including length, number of pronouns, and accuracy of usage.

4 Case Studies

The case analysis chapter explores the impact of classroom same chain teaching on the coherence of academic English writing by comparing the initial and revised drafts of students in different groups. The high scoring students enhanced the coherence and information richness of the article by using pronouns and pronouns to construct the same chain in the revised manuscript. The students in the middle group attempted to use the same chain in the revised manuscript, but there were issues with unclear references and inconsistencies. Low scoring students have added pronoun usage and same chain construction in the revised manuscript, but issues of unclear reference and conflicting content still exist. Overall, students have gained some understanding of the same chain and pronoun reference after classroom learning, but further improvement in accuracy and effectiveness is needed in practical application.

Discussion 5: The Impact of Classroom Teaching with Pronouns and Same Chains on Writing Coherence

Research has found that the use of pronouns and the same chain in classroom lectures can significantly improve the coherence of academic English writing. Text analysis shows that students use linking devices more frequently in their revised drafts, making the structure of the article clearer and the information more prominent. In line with Lee's (2002) research, this study further confirms the effectiveness of teaching in improving writing coherence. Students in the high group demonstrate accurate use of demonstrative pronouns and effective construction of the same chain, while there are differences in pronoun use and referential clarity between the middle and low groups. Domestic research has mostly focused on discourse analysis and teaching of cohesive devices. The results of this study provide empirical support for coherence teaching and have important value for academic writing research.

6 Conclusion

This study found that academic English learners of different levels improved their use of the same chain in discourse through 4 weeks of pronoun reference and same chain teaching, indicating that teaching has a positive effect on improving writing coherence. The research suggests expanding the sample size in the future and adopting a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to enhance the reliability of the study.