Discourse Markers in Journalism: A Case in Compostela Valley State College-Maragusan

Abstract

This study mainly explored the use of Discourse Markers (DMs) in journalistic writings and the factors that prompted the BSED English students of CVSC Maragusan to commit errors. This study employed the qualitative research. Ten (10) informants were part of the writing assessment and phone interview and were chosen through purposive sampling. For ethical considerations, this study underwent an ethics review before the data were gathered. Furthermore, to adhere to the Data Privacy Act, the identity of the respondents was held confidential. The Coding and thematic analysis were used in data analysis. The study's findings revealed that students have limited knowledge about DMs and their functions in basic writing. Additionally, the limited knowledge about DMs are the factors that prompted the respondents to commit errors in using the DMs in their journalistic writings. These findings imply that students should be taught more about the DMs, their types, and their proper usage in writing. With this, the incorporation of the DMs in the discussion should be given more attention, especially in writing class.