| Summary: | This paper explores the cohesive features used by Nigerian language secondary students in narrating
personal reflections of their junior years. Ten samples texts written by the second language learners were examined using Halliday and Hasan (1976) model of cohesion. A purposive sampling technique was used to select the participants based on certain criteria: (i) They are above the age of fifteen and (ii) They can read and
write in English language. The data collected comprise fifteen essays written in the language classroom. They were given approximately forty-five minutes to reflect on the topic given by the teacher. The findings reveal that the participants used cohesive features as strategies in sharing their experiences as junior students. The most
frequent use of cohesive features include: reference, lexical, and conjunction cohesion types which helped to enhance and frame the reflections. In doing so, the narration was smooth without any unnecessary repetitions of words, phrases, and clauses. This further improves the quality of essays in the attempt to convey the intended
message to the reader. The findings draw the attention to the significance of having more knowledge of cohesive features by students in particular the non-native students of English and how to effectively use such features in
their written communication to enable them to develop their stories (reflections). The paper recommends that future studies can explore how effective use of cohesive devices as writing strategies help in improving other language learners’ of English written texts. This further improves the quality of essay in the attempt to convey the intended message to the reader. The paper ends with some implications for teaching and learning of second language writing.
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