| Acknowledgements | 第1-5页 |
| ABSTRACT | 第5-6页 |
| 摘要 | 第6-9页 |
| List of Tables | 第9-10页 |
| Abbreviations in the thesis | 第10-11页 |
| Chapter 1 Introduction | 第11-14页 |
| ·Background of the Research | 第11-12页 |
| ·Importance of improving college students’ESL writing abilities | 第11页 |
| ·Problems in college students’ESL writings and their possible causes | 第11-12页 |
| ·Purpose and Significance of the Research | 第12-13页 |
| ·Sructure of the Thesis | 第13-14页 |
| Chapter 2 Literature Review | 第14-28页 |
| ·Theretical Basis | 第14-21页 |
| ·Theme-rheme theory | 第14-16页 |
| ·Thematic progression theory | 第16-21页 |
| ·Related Thematic Studies | 第21-25页 |
| ·Related studies on the application of thematic progression abroad | 第22-23页 |
| ·Related studies on the application of thematic progression in China | 第23-25页 |
| ·Brief Introduction to the Graded Salience Hypothesis | 第25-26页 |
| ·Enlightenment from the Previous Studies and Problems that Remain | 第26-28页 |
| Chapter 3 Research Methodology | 第28-40页 |
| ·Research Questions | 第28页 |
| ·Subjects | 第28-29页 |
| ·Instruments | 第29-30页 |
| ·The writing task | 第29页 |
| ·The questionnaire | 第29-30页 |
| ·Data Collection | 第30页 |
| ·Data Analysis | 第30-40页 |
| ·Analysis of the compositions | 第30-37页 |
| ·Analysis of the similarities and differences | 第37-38页 |
| ·Analysis of the influence of thematic progression on textual coherence | 第38-40页 |
| Chapter 4 Results and Discussion | 第40-59页 |
| ·Results of Similarities and Differences in Thematic Progression Patterns | 第40-45页 |
| ·Similarities in the use of TP patterns | 第41-43页 |
| ·Differences in the use of TP patterns | 第43-45页 |
| ·The Influence of Thematic Progression on Textual Coherence | 第45-51页 |
| ·Results of qualitative analysis of the influence of thematic progression on textual coherence | 第45-48页 |
| ·Results of quantitative analysis of the influence of thematic progression on textual coherence | 第48-51页 |
| ·Discussion of the Possible Causes of the Similarities and Differences | 第51-59页 |
| ·The feasibility of using GSH to the explanation of the similarities and difference | 第51-52页 |
| ·The results of the questionnaire and the test of GSH | 第52-54页 |
| ·Discussion of the possible reasons based on GSH | 第54-59页 |
| Chapter 5 Conclusion | 第59-62页 |
| ·Major Findings of the Research | 第59-60页 |
| ·Pedagogical Implications for ESL Writing | 第60-61页 |
| ·Limitations of the Research | 第61-62页 |
| References | 第62-66页 |
| Publications | 第66-67页 |
| Appendixes | 第67-77页 |
