This study investigated Yemeni EFL students’ knowledge and use of discourse markers (DMs) in academic writing, with particular focus on students of English at Sana’a University. The study examined students’ knowledge of DM types and functions, their accuracy in using DMs in academic essays, and their perspectives on the difficulties that affect DM use. A descriptive research design using a mixed-methods approach was adopted. The participants were 40 fourth-year EFL students selected purposively from the Department of English, Faculty of Languages, Sana’a University, during the 2024–2025 academic year. Data were collected through three instruments: a knowledge test, a three-paragraph essay, and a questionnaire containing closed- and open-ended items. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and relevant reliability, validity, and normality procedures, while qualitative responses and essay data were examined descriptively and thematically.
The findings showed that students had moderate knowledge of DM types and functions. The mean score for DM-type knowledge was 11.775 out of 20, whereas the mean score for DM-function knowledge was 11.150 out of 20. A positive and statistically significant relationship was found between the two components (r = .663, p < .001). Despite this level of knowledge, students’ actual use of DMs in their essays was generally weak. They relied on a limited range of familiar markers and experienced problems with contextual appropriateness, syntactic positioning, grammatical and punctuation accuracy, moderation, and the use of DMs to create coherence and logical progression. The findings therefore revealed a clear gap between declarative knowledge and productive use. Students also identified both intrapersonal and interpersonal factors as contributing to their difficulties, including fear of making errors, prioritizing grammar, insufficient practice, inconsistent explicit instruction, limited assessment attention, L1 influence, and limited exposure to DMs in English. The study concludes that DM instruction should be systematic, explicit, contextualized, and practice-based, with regular feedback and greater integration of DMs into academic writing assessment.
Keywords: discourse markers; academic writing; EFL learners; Yemeni EFL students; Sana’a University; cohesion; coherence.
