Ideational Meaning of Material Process in EFL Students’ Problem-Solving Text: A Frame of Systemic Functional Linguistics

The background of this research is centered on the writing text of students learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Eastern Indonesia, where students face challenges in expressing their ideas because of the lack of effective teaching methods. This study aims to improve EFL students' pr...

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Main Authors: Veronika Listi Ferdini Damopolii, Eva Tuckyta Sari Sujatna, Dadang Suganda, Rosaria Mita Amalia
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Qubahan 2025-08-01
Series:Qubahan Academic Journal
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Online Access:https://journal.qubahan.com/index.php/qaj/article/view/1871
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author Veronika Listi Ferdini Damopolii
Eva Tuckyta Sari Sujatna
Dadang Suganda
Rosaria Mita Amalia
author_facet Veronika Listi Ferdini Damopolii
Eva Tuckyta Sari Sujatna
Dadang Suganda
Rosaria Mita Amalia
author_sort Veronika Listi Ferdini Damopolii
collection DOAJ
description The background of this research is centered on the writing text of students learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Eastern Indonesia, where students face challenges in expressing their ideas because of the lack of effective teaching methods. This study aims to improve EFL students' problem-solving text writing and express their idea by helping them develop ideas grounded in their personal experiences. To achieve this, the research focuses on analysing ideational meaning through transitivity, participants, processes, and circumstances, in Systemic Functional Linguistics, to know students’ ideas through writing. Qualitative and quantitative method were used to analyze the data. The main result adduces ideational meanings in material process represent problems and solutions, such as indifference, defection, negligence, abandonment, laziness, fatigue, breakthrough, hope, struggle, persistence, pride, achievement, determination, courage, and encouragement. Most frequently used participant is I, referring to most of these students and the problems and solutions they face and implement. The most widely used circumstances are time and accompaniment. This research result is different from the theory raised by Gerot and Wignell, which state that the most dominant circumstances and tense in expository text are time, cause and present. Additionally, past tense forms are observed in some clauses in the problem-solution texts. The theoretical contribution of this study is to apply SFL as a model of language use that use material processes to obtain ideational meaning as a function, while the practical contribution is to help students be more courageous in writing English and to express their ideas, experiences and goals more easily. The pedagogical contribution of this study is to apply SFL as a model and use descriptive language to examine how linguistic choices reflect social contexts and their functions in students' lives in advancing their learning.
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spelling doaj-art-136a153987df496da6e7f2bc52d39f9c2025-08-21T14:52:38ZengQubahanQubahan Academic Journal2709-82062025-08-015310.48161/qaj.v5n3a1871Ideational Meaning of Material Process in EFL Students’ Problem-Solving Text: A Frame of Systemic Functional LinguisticsVeronika Listi Ferdini Damopolii0Eva Tuckyta Sari Sujatna 1Dadang Suganda 2Rosaria Mita Amalia 3Department of Literary Studies, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Padjadjaran, Jatinangor 45363, Indonesia; Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Manado, Manado, 95618, Indonesia.Department of Literary Studies, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Padjadjaran, Jatinangor 45363, Indonesia; Department of Literary Studies, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Padjadjaran, Jatinangor 45363, Indonesia; Department of Literary Studies, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Padjadjaran, Jatinangor 45363, Indonesia; The background of this research is centered on the writing text of students learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Eastern Indonesia, where students face challenges in expressing their ideas because of the lack of effective teaching methods. This study aims to improve EFL students' problem-solving text writing and express their idea by helping them develop ideas grounded in their personal experiences. To achieve this, the research focuses on analysing ideational meaning through transitivity, participants, processes, and circumstances, in Systemic Functional Linguistics, to know students’ ideas through writing. Qualitative and quantitative method were used to analyze the data. The main result adduces ideational meanings in material process represent problems and solutions, such as indifference, defection, negligence, abandonment, laziness, fatigue, breakthrough, hope, struggle, persistence, pride, achievement, determination, courage, and encouragement. Most frequently used participant is I, referring to most of these students and the problems and solutions they face and implement. The most widely used circumstances are time and accompaniment. This research result is different from the theory raised by Gerot and Wignell, which state that the most dominant circumstances and tense in expository text are time, cause and present. Additionally, past tense forms are observed in some clauses in the problem-solution texts. The theoretical contribution of this study is to apply SFL as a model of language use that use material processes to obtain ideational meaning as a function, while the practical contribution is to help students be more courageous in writing English and to express their ideas, experiences and goals more easily. The pedagogical contribution of this study is to apply SFL as a model and use descriptive language to examine how linguistic choices reflect social contexts and their functions in students' lives in advancing their learning. https://journal.qubahan.com/index.php/qaj/article/view/1871ideational meaning, material process, problem-solving text, systemic functional linguistics.
spellingShingle Veronika Listi Ferdini Damopolii
Eva Tuckyta Sari Sujatna
Dadang Suganda
Rosaria Mita Amalia
Ideational Meaning of Material Process in EFL Students’ Problem-Solving Text: A Frame of Systemic Functional Linguistics
Qubahan Academic Journal
ideational meaning, material process, problem-solving text, systemic functional linguistics.
title Ideational Meaning of Material Process in EFL Students’ Problem-Solving Text: A Frame of Systemic Functional Linguistics
title_full Ideational Meaning of Material Process in EFL Students’ Problem-Solving Text: A Frame of Systemic Functional Linguistics
title_fullStr Ideational Meaning of Material Process in EFL Students’ Problem-Solving Text: A Frame of Systemic Functional Linguistics
title_full_unstemmed Ideational Meaning of Material Process in EFL Students’ Problem-Solving Text: A Frame of Systemic Functional Linguistics
title_short Ideational Meaning of Material Process in EFL Students’ Problem-Solving Text: A Frame of Systemic Functional Linguistics
title_sort ideational meaning of material process in efl students problem solving text a frame of systemic functional linguistics
topic ideational meaning, material process, problem-solving text, systemic functional linguistics.
url https://journal.qubahan.com/index.php/qaj/article/view/1871
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