چکیده : 

Cohesion in writing is achieved through the use of linguistic devices

that tie ideas together across a text, and is an important element in

the development of coherent writing. Research shows that interand

intra-developmental differences may appear in how children

learn to use these devices, but cohesion is commonly overlooked in

the evaluation and instruction of writing. In this study, we developed

a checklist to assess cohesion in the writing of children in

Grades 4–7, with the purpose of informing instructional practices.

Following the procedure outlined by Crocker and Algina (1986), we

developed and evaluated a checklist designed to assess the types

of cohesive devices present in the writing of children. The checklist

items showed fair to good discrimination between high and low

scoring writers as demonstrated by a classical item analysis. We

also found good interrater reliability, and evidence for discriminative

validity. As internal consistency was weak, however, further

research is needed to refine the instrument. Implications for the

assessment of cohesion and future research are discussed.