Abstract
This study made frequency and functional analysis of thematization in English students’ compositions in Shahid Chamran University. Ninety students were selected and divided into three groups, followed by a homogeneity test (Fowler and Coe, 1976). An educated native speaker was also used as a criterion measure. Then, they were asked to narrate three pictorial stories, given to them, each in a 30-minute session. The data were analyzed based on Halliday (1985) and McCabe (1999) models of thematicity. The results suggested thematically different compositions in terms of interpersonal, unmarked, simple, and multiple themes. The results also showed that students’ level of language proficiency monitor the use of linear and split thematic progression chains. This study may have implications for teaching composition writing at different levels of language proficiency.
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