Understanding Indonesian Secondary-Level Students’ Procedure

Texts Writing: An SFL Approach-Comparative Analysis to Expert

Text

Dida Firman Hidaya

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Setiabudhi 299, Bandung, Indonesia

a.maha

utra08

student.u

i.edu

Keywords: Functional grammar, procedure texts writing, genre-based approach, impediments.

Abstract: Albeit there have been many studies conducted in respect of procedure text writing enhancement, very little

of them show a proper procedure text as an example which leads students to missapplications in their writing.

This study, therefore, aims to clarify an expert procedure text and also use it as a cornerstone to find students’

misapplications in their writing. The expert used in this study was taken from TOEIC examination and three

different levels of secondary students’ writing as the representatives. Comparative document analysis under

descriptive qualitative design was employed to obtain adequate information. Purposively, the instrument used

in this study was a guideline taken from Halliday’s work regarding interpersonal, ideational, and textual

metafunctions and Derewianka’s language features of a procedure text. The findings indicated that the TOEIC

procedure text meets the requirements considering the transparencies of its stages and registers used. Such

reflection also provided another insight that in any level of students’ writing, there are still identified some

impediments, i.e. absence of adverbial details, lack of appropriate vocabularies, and lack of cohesive sentence

construction. In conclusion, the three students still had some difficulties related to the format, style, and

employ in maintaining students’ creativity in the writing of procedure texts under GBA approach.

1 INTRODUCTION

As texts become one of the instructional tools in

teaching English, teachers have utilized texts as a

major resource in developing student’s cognitive

skill. One of the texts is procedure text. In terms of

the implementation of genre-based learning in 2013

Curriculum, it is under the assumption that students

should learn the target language through that

language itself. However, teachers mostly teach their

students deductively (i.e., as a general concept

without giving specific registers). In this case, in

giving a better picture of creating procedure text,

teachers should be able to provide students with a

clear cut evidence of an appropriate procedure text.

Thus, explicit analysis and comparison between

the expert’s text and students’ texts are helpful in

terms of seeking and providing analytical

transparency to enhance students’ comprehension

before producing a procedure text. It involves the

capabilities on absorbing a particular knowledge and

comprehending it for use and on applying the

components of language knowledge across

contextualized registers. In its classroom practice,

students are encouraged to be capable of selecting,

processing, and organizing those components leading

to adequate competence in writing a procedure text

properly as the product of genre literacy and genre-

based pedagogy under SFL perspective.

2 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Overview of Procedure Text

The genre of procedure text is a genre tells about ways

of to do something (Derewianka, 1990). Generally,

procedural text or instructional text communicates

information in several stages of processes or

sequences of activities towards specific main purpose

or goal. Some of the examples are recipes, game

rules, appliance manuals, how-to-do-it kits, or

directions. Specifically, phases of writing or creating

a procedure text is based on components or most

Hidayat, D.

Understanding Indonesian Secondary-Level Students’ Procedure Texts Writing: An SFL Approach-Comparative Analysis to Expert Text.

DOI: 10.5220/0007162600910097

In Proceedings of the Tenth Conference on Applied Linguistics and the Second English Language Teaching and Technology Conference in collaboration with the First International Conference

on Language, Literature, Culture, and Education (CONAPLIN and ICOLLITE 2017) - Literacy, Culture, and Technology in Language Pedagogy and Use, pages 91-97

ISBN: 978-989-758-332-2

frequently known as generic structures. The first

structure of procedure text normally starts with the

heading or the goal that is meant to be achieved.

Furthermore, the second structure will cover the

list of material or equipment. To conclude, the

sequence of steps will systemize the text into a whole

package of procedure text. Majorly, a procedural text

has some specific characteristic. Relating to conduct

a procedural text, commonly it contains active verbs.

Since procedure text engages readers to do certain

actions towards goals, it mostly uses imperative

clauses. Certain writers prefer to use some simple

conjunctions in respect of making sequence of actions

in procedural text, yet others pick some numbers out

into the writing stages. A detail procedure text, some

writers would also use adverbials to emphasize the

readers’ manner towards the sequences.

A procedure text ideally has at least seven

characteristics or language features (Derewianka,

1990). It uses generalized non-human participants to

indicate a class of things like ingedients, tools, or the

specific ones like the kites. The audience is referred

in a general way by using one, you, or not mentioned

at all. Linking words are the most important feature;

particularly related to time of sequence like first, then,

so on. Because of the generalization of the audience,

action verbs or imperative form is used in which the

tense is timeless by using simple present tense. Also,

precise information and detailed commands are given

in each of the stages.

2.2 Metafunctions of Procedure Texts in

Functional Grammar

Interpersonal meaning is considered as a useful

measurement when dealing with how the language

used can have impact on the relationship between the

interactants or writer and reader as well as the

consideration of how each other maintains the

interaction flow meaningfully. There are two major

speech roles to understand the interpersonal meanings

in an interaction including exchanging information

and exchanging goods and services (Eggins, 2004).

Declarative and interrogative are the available clauses

dealing with exchanging information (giving or

demanding) process, while the two clauses plus

imperative one can be expressed in the process of

exchanging goods and services (Butt, et.al., 2000).

The two speech roles consist of quite similar

fundamental metalanguage that describes how the

pattern or grammar of such interactions occurs (Butt,

et.al., 2000; Eggins, 2004).

Ideational metafunction deals with how the

speaker or writer realizes the meanings of reality by

using the language. It consists of two components:

experiential meaning (through which the reality is

expressed regarding one’s experience) and logical

meaning (the meaning across clauses), according to

Eggins (2004, p.213). Thus, metalanguage of

experiential meaning covers: participant, process, and

circumstance.

Textual metafunction drives the mode of

ideational and interpersonal meanings; so that the

message becomes coherent with the other ones. Thus,

it has textual meaning, which is considered by Butt,

et.al. (2000, p. 134) as “the grammatical resources to

signpost the way through clauses, clause complexes,

and paragraphs within a text, from the beginning to

the end.” In a more clear-cut definition, textual

meaning has something to do with the way the

speaker/writer “constantly organize the way their

message is worded in order to signal to them how the

present part of their message fits in with other parts”,

according to Thompson (2014, p.145). Thus, this

metafunction takes role as the driving resources from

which the synchronization between ideational and

interpersonal meanings can be properly managed.

Since it deals with the first element of a clause, there

are only two divisions: Theme and Rheme.

2.3 Previous Studies

In recent years, enormous studies of procedural text

have been conducted among scholars. A related study

done by Nevanti (2009) who conducted the

lexicogrammar features of procedure text of recipe

texts in Indonesian language. Based on the 28

samples of recipe texts, the finding shows that each

text has similar context of function and general

structure. Correspondingly, the analysis of

lexicogrammatical shows 379 clauses that could be

interpreted in transitivity, mood, and textual

(cohesion). The transitivity analysis indicates

material process is perfectly implemented in

procedural texts and the circumstance of time

analyzed was mostly about time. The mood analysis

displayed imperative clause which is generally used

in procedural text. On the other hand,

the cohesion analysis expresses one grammatical

cohesion device is used (i.e., ellipsis) and three lexical

cohesion devices are analyzed (i.e., repetition,

synonym, and hyponym).

Second study completed by Akhsan (2014) who

found generalized human agents, simple present tense

imperative clauses, temporal conjunctions, material

processes, and minor sentences using continuous

tense. Thus, these related studies could be used as

CONAPLIN and ICOLLITE 2017 - Tenth Conference on Applied Linguistics and the Second English Language Teaching and Technology

Conference in collaboration with the First International Conference on Language, Literature, Culture, and Education

references of this study to show which part of this

study will cover based on the objectives.

3 METHODOLOGY

The design of this study was qualitative; particularly

documents analysis. One expert and three students’

procedure texts were analysed using three

metafunctions from the work of Halliday. The expert

text was taken purposively from TOEIC (Test of

English for International Communication)

examination since it is internationally approved and

appropriate. Three students’ texts were taken based

on their level of achievement (high, medium, and

low).

4 FINDINGS

This section unpacks the following research question:

“How are the transparencies of expert’s and

students’ works?”.

Table 1: Issues in expert’s-students’ metafunctions.

Metafunctions

Occurrence

ert S1 S2 S3

Interpersonal

Subject - 2 6 1

Finite 13 2 8 -

Finite: Modal - - 1 -

Ideational

elational 1 2 5 -

ental - - 3 1

Place - 7 1 1

atte

- 1 1 -

Extent 3 3 - 1

Textual

Textual 3 6 16 2

Based on interpersonal metafunction, the finding

showed students’ works have some differences in

terms of subject and finite. They mostly use

affirmative sentences instead of imperative sentences,

which is indicated by the use of subject and auxiliary

verb (to be) as well as modal. Along with it the use of

linking verb also detected as relational process in

ideational metafunction. Also, the words such as

“keep” and “wait” were used to change the material

process, while the students would like to give

information related to the steps of procedure text.

However, this issue is the opposite with what the

expert’s text presented. The students’ text also

presented the overuse of circumstances specifically

matter (e. g. with butter, with any topping). Referring

to student’s 2 procedure text the use of circumstance

(extent) was not present. But, arguably it was because

whether the students did not know specific

information for time or the student did it intentionally.

Therefore, it is not contrast with the exact

information procedure text has. In textual, the overuse

of conjunction as the opening of the sentence were

also identified. Some reasons related to this are

students do not know how to organize the procedure

text properly or students do not know that most

procedure text have been provided with points or

numbers.

The findings addressed the first research

question: “How are the transparencies of expert’s

procedure text?”. To make the analysis easier, the

text expert directions were divided into clauses. The

clauses division would be presented below along with

text analysis by using three metafunctions (see

Appendix A for the complete analysis of expert’s

text):

Special Vegetable Soup

Ingredients (Serves four)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion (finely chopped)

2 gloves of garlic (crushed)

400g potatoes (lightly chopped)

1 carrot (finely chopped)

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

400g can diced tomatoes

2 cups water

2 x 300g cans soybeans (rinsed and drained)

1 bunch spinach (trimmed, washed and chopped)

1/3 cup parsley leaves (chopped)

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Cook onion, carrot, and garlic until slightly

softened. Add potatoes and cook, tossing for a

couple of minutes.

2. Add broth, tomatoes and water. Bring to the

boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer,

uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Stir in soybeans and cook, uncovered, for 6 to

7 minutes.

4. Stir in spinach and parsley. Cook until spinach

gets softened. Season with black pepper.

Clauses:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium

heat.

2. Cook onion, carrot, and garlic until slightly

softened.

Understanding Indonesian Secondary-Level Students’ Procedure Texts Writing: An SFL Approach-Comparative Analysis to Expert Text

3. Add potatoes and cook, tossing for a couple

of minutes.

4. Add broth, tomatoes and water.

5. Bring to the boil.

6. Reduce heat to medium and simmer,

uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes.

7. Stir in soybeans and cook, uncovered, for 6 to

7 minutes.

8. Stir in spinach and parsley.

9. Cook until spinach gets softened.

10. Season with black pepper.

Table 2: The transparencies of the expert’s text.

Category Occurrence

Inter

ersonal Ideational Textual Cohesion

ood:

Subject -

Elli

sed sub

ect 13

Finite 13

Finite: modal -

esidue:

Predicato

Complement 8

unct: Ci

unct: Text 2

unct: Con

Process:

Material 12

Relational 1

Mental -

Verbal -

Behavioral -

Circumstance:

Manne

Place -

Matte

Extent 3

Theme:

Textual 3

ical 13

Reference -

Con

unction:

Additive 1

Causal 1

Ellipsis&Substitutio

Table above shows that the expert’s procedure

text conforms to the language features proposed by

Derewianka (1991). In terms of interpersonal

metafunction, all of the thirteen clauses have got

Ellipsed Subject and Finite along with the Predicator

indicating the fundamental form of a procedure text

employing imperative sentence. Thus, Modal Finite

was not found in the expert’s text since the purpose

of a procedure text is to provide readers information

in detail and exact number or size, which contrast to

the use of modals. Interestingly, even though it is a

series of steps to be done, the text employed few

Textual and Conjunctive Adjuncts in providing

signals of transition. It means that both adjuncts do

not become major constituents without which the

readers still can understand what to accomplish after

another.

In terms of ideational metafunction, the

Participant is, of course, ellipsed leaving out only the

Process and Circumstance. Since a procedure text is

a series of steps or instructions, no Mental, Verbal,

and Behavioral processes found within the expert’s

text. The majority of the clauses have got Material

and Relational processes since it conforms to action

verbs and referencing. Besides, some Manner and

Extent Circumstances were used indicating detail

information related to the Process.

CONAPLIN and ICOLLITE 2017 - Tenth Conference on Applied Linguistics and the Second English Language Teaching and Technology

Conference in collaboration with the First International Conference on Language, Literature, Culture, and Education

In terms of textual metafunction along with

cohesion system, first, Topical Theme indeed was

used in all clauses within the text. While, Textual

Theme has got little occurrence due to the

aforementioned purpose of a procedure text;

providing exact steps without many transition signals.

Second, the conjunctions used, therefore, were not

many in which only Additive and Causal ones were

found without employing any Ellipsis or Substitution

patterns.

Three students’ procedure texts were taken as the

sample in which three of them has different level of

writing ability: S1=high-achiever; S2=middle-

achiever; and S3=low-achiever. The findings

addressed the second research question: “How are the

transparencies of students’ procedure texts compared

to the expert’s text?”. Regarding the comparison

between the students’ texts, the general format that

conforms to an ideal procedure text is only S1 using

numbers to indicate the sequential series of actions,

while the other two students used paragraph format.

Table 3: The transparencies of students’ text regarding interpersonal metafunction.

Category

Occurrence

Student’s text

Number of

clause

Student’s text

Number of

clause

Student’s text

Number of

clause

Subject 2

17 clauses

Clauses

14 clauses

Ellipsed subject 13 15 11

Finite 14 24 13

Finite: Mo

- 1 1

Predicato

17 22 12

Complement 14 17 10

Adjunct 14 16 6

unct: Text 5 7 2

unct: Con

2 8 1

Table shows that the all three students have got

the same patterns of metalanguage used regarding the

interpersonal metafunction. First, Ellipsed Subject

was dominantly used in which no Modal Finite was

used; except S2. Besides, they also used Subject at the

beginning of the clause indicating a declarative form

of instructional expression. Below are some of the

examples from Student 2 text and Student 3 text. In

terms of its explicity, Complement and Adjunct were

also found dominantly used. Since Student 2 and 3

employed paragraph format, they also used

Conjunctive Adjunct. Interestingly, Student 1 also

used the same metalanguage to give transitional

signal from an action to another one, whereas the

format has been in numbers (see Appendix B for the

complete analysis of each student’s text).

Student 2 (S2) - Clause 14

When it’s done,

Table 4: When it’s done.

When It ‘s Done

Adjunct: conj Subject Finite Predicato

MOOD RESIDUE

Student 3 (S3) - Clause 14

U can add toping grated cheese, meses, or etc.

Table 5: U can add toping grated cheese, meses, or etc.

U Can Add toping grated

cheese, meses,

or etc.

Subject Finite:

Predicator Complement

MOOD RESIDUE

In terms of ideational metafunction, The table has

shown that from Student 1 and 3 texts, material

dominated the processes in ideational metafunction

from procedure text was made by the students. The

similar thing happen in relational process appeared in

students’ text. They put the same number of relational

process sentences. Meanwhile, in Student 2 text, the

number of relational process was greater than the

others. It is believed that there was different quantity

of clauses that they have made. In circumstance

aspect, there was a significant difference among the

students’ text. At least, there occurred four

circumstances in the text that students have made.

There were manner, place, matter, and extent

circumstance.

Understanding Indonesian Secondary-Level Students’ Procedure Texts Writing: An SFL Approach-Comparative Analysis to Expert Text

Table 6: The transparencies of students’ text regarding

ideational metafunction.

In terms of textual metafunction, Topical Theme

was found dominantly used in all of the three

students’ texts. Meanwhile, some Textual Themes

were also used to indicate transitional signal of one

action to another one.

Regarding the cohesion system, the text shows

that the most used reference in Student 1 text was

anaphoric reference which was not properly referring.

It means the reference in the text tried to shows it is

actually the dough. Yet, the text shows the use of the

verb mix is actually indicating whisk, thus the use of

the reference in this text seems exophoric. The use of

sequential procedural type displays fewer

occurrences of conjunctions. Moreover, in this text, it

could be seen that student is not sure how to express

the kue cubit is already prepared then, the student uses

the conjunction when it’s done. The last yet not least

is neither particular elliptical cohesion nor

substitution was found.

Table 7: The transparencies of students’ text regarding

textual metafunction.

Category

Occurrence

S1 Number

clause

S2 Number

clause

S3 Number

clause

Textual 6

clauses

In Student 2 text, references are really needed

since the writer of procedural text is trying to show

the readers of steps to do or create something. It will

be confusing if the text does not meet that kind of

requirement. Moreover, this student’s text still lacks

of accuracy. Since, the type of this procedural text is

a descriptive-procedural text. More conjunctions are

needed. Nonetheless, the use of the conjunction in

this student’s text is still lack of accuracy. First, the

word ‘after that’ was used in this text. The

conjunction does not show exactly what kind of

process is the writer tried to show. This kind of

problem may affect readers with multi-

interpretations. The last yet not least is neither

particular elliptical cohesion nor substitution was

found as well.

Table 8. The transparencies of students’ text regarding

cohesion system.

Category

Occurrence

Student’s

text 1

Student’s

text 2

Student’s

text 3

Ref:

Ana

horic

6 9 2

Ref:

Cata

horic

- 1 -

Ref:

Exophoric

- 1 -

Conj:

Tem

oral

2 8 1

Conj:

Extension

1 1 2

Con

: Causal - 1 1

Ellipsis &

Substitution

- - -

The text shows the most frequently used reference

is anaphoric reference. The reference in the text tried

to shows the word them refers to some materials that

should be stirred together. Still, the text shows the use

of the verb mix is actually indicating whisk. The text

shows the Temporal, Extension, and Causal

Conjunctions are used in the text. The temporal then

is used to propose next step after another since the text

uses descriptive procedural text. The extension and is

used other materials that should come along together,

while or indicates the optional materials that readers

may use. Again, neither particular elliptical cohesion

nor substitution was found.

Based on the transparencies of the three students’

texts and the expert’s text, there seem still a number

of deficiencies regarding the quality of the students’

procedure texts particularly in terms of registers used.

First, several colloquial words were used like U, &,

lil bit, and etc in Student 3 text. Second, the use of

unnecessary and ambiguous reference was also found

in all students’ texts like it.

#Student 1

Clause 3 : Add the melted butter into the bowl

Clause 4 : and mix it again.

Clause 5 : Add 3 eggs into the batter

Clause 6 : and mix it again.

Category

Occurrence

Number

clause

Number

clause

Number

clause

rocesses:

clauses

aterial 15 14 8

elational 2 5 2

ental - 3 1

ircumstances:

anne

2 4 5

lace 7 1 1

atte

1 1 -

xtent 3 - -

CONAPLIN and ICOLLITE 2017 - Tenth Conference on Applied Linguistics and the Second English Language Teaching and Technology

Conference in collaboration with the First International Conference on Language, Literature, Culture, and Education

Third, Student 2 and Student 3 used inappropriate

format of a procedure text by using paragraph instead

of bullet points or numbers. This will possibly make

readers confused of the steps that should be done (see

Appendix B). Fourth, Student 3 also used

unnecessary pronouns you at the beginning of a

sentence since it is not suitable with a written mode

of procedure text unless it is in a spoken form.

#Student 3

Clause 3 : Then add your flour & baking powder,

Clause 5 : Pour your melted butter, milk and

vanilla.

Clause 11 : & you done.

Clause 14 : U can add toping grated cheese, meses,

or etc.

Fifth, it was found that there was inappropriate

use of process preceeding the noun it describes on.

Such deficiency leads to ambiguity in meaning of the

action that the readers should do. Sixth, inappropriate

use of temporal conjunction was also found like after

that without any relation to the previous process.

#Student 1

Clause 11 : and add it with butter.

#Student 2

Clause 1 : First, butter the pan.

Clause 5 : Then, enter the flour.

#Student 3

Clause 1 : Beat the egg and sugar

Clause 8 : Coat with lil bit of butter.

The last yet not least is the absence of in-detail

manner circumstance like the use of specific adjective

and adverb was also not used properly, whereas one

of the characteristics of a procedure text is exact

information about every single action or step.

5 CONCLUSION

The findings indicated students have already had the

gist of creating a procedure text, as seen from the

students’ arrangement of the generic structure.

However, as clarity is the major part of procedure

text, students tended to lose clarity and exactness as

to create their own work. It was probed by the use of

informal language such as u, & (ampersand), lil bit,

and etc. in low-achiever work. Moreover, the use of

inconsistent references was also found generally in all

students’ work. The issue raised here is the references

were supposedly constructed based on their

projection on speaking context which led to confusion

to the readers. Next problem identified in the text is

the use of inappropriateness text structure. In this

case, two students (medium- and high-achiever)

wrote their text without providing numbering but

paragraph that would make readers taking more time

to identify the steps. The finding also concluded that

one student (low-achiever) proposed the application

of you which is not appropriate with the structure of

procedure text.

Based on the analysis, the notable issue is students

would likely use the same pattern in almost every

contexts of their writing. Therefore, what teacher

should do is creating more variation and procedure in

developing their students’ ideas into their work,

especially in writing. Since the evidence regarding to

the circumstances (matter, place, and extent), the data

shows that need more development in terms of

cohesion. Further pedagogical implication needs to be

explored as the foundation of leading a better genre

based-learning.

REFERENCES

Akhsan, N. A. 2014. The lexicogrammatical features in

procedure text written by the tenth grade students of

MAN 2 Kudus in academic year 2013/2014.

eprints.umk.ac.id.

Butt, et.al. 2000. Using Functional Grammar: An

Explorer’s Guide (2

ed.).Sydney: Macquarie

University.

Derewianka, B. 1990. Exploring how texts work. NSW:

Primary English Teaching Association.

Eggins, S. 2004. An Introduction to Systemic Functional

Linguistics (2

Edition). New York: Continuum

International Publishing Group.

Nevanti, D. 2009. The lexicogrammar features of

procedure text type in recipe texts in Indonesian

language. eprints.undip.ac.id.

Thompson, G. 2014. Introducing Functional Grammar (3

ed.). New York: Routledge.

Understanding Indonesian Secondary-Level Students’ Procedure Texts Writing: An SFL Approach-Comparative Analysis to Expert Text