An Investigation of Field, Tenor and Mode in Indonesian University Students' Academic Writing in ...

210 Pages·2015·1.7 MB·English

School of Education
Faculty of
Humanities

An Investigation of Field, Tenor and Mode
in Indonesian University Students’ Academic Writing in English

Budi Rahayu

This thesis is presented for the Degree
of Doctor of Philosophy
of
Curtin University

February 2015
DECLARATION

To the best of my knowledge and belief this thesis contains no material previously
published by any other person except where due acknowledgement has been made.

This thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other
degree or diploma in any university.

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ABSTRACT

The overarching purpose of this study is to improve the teaching of academic writing
in English in Indonesia. More specifically, the study seeks to enable students to meet
the expectations of Australian academics, when continuing their studies at an
Australian university. The impetus for the study lies in the persistent problems in
English education in Indonesia particularly with the on-going focus on grammatical
precision to the detriment of constructing meaningful texts. A Systemic Functional
Linguistics (SFL) framework of Field, Tenor, and Mode were used to investigate
students’ writing. For analysis of FTM markers, a guideline and instrument was
designed to identify the extent to which these markers were used in the students’
writing. Four texts demonstrating the use of particular markers were made available
for ranking by L1 English Academics and by the student writers. The students and
L1 English academics ranked four sample texts three times: first on the basis of
subject matter (as a correlate of Field), second on the basis of attitude (as a correlate
of Tenor), and third on the basis of organisation (as a correlate of Mode). The
students and L1 English academics were subsequently interviewed to explain their
reasons for ranking the texts as they did. The findings indicate that firstly, FTM
markers are encoded in specific ways for specific functions. Secondly, Theme/
Rheme distribution seems to have influenced the ranking of the texts by the
academics and the students. Thirdly, interviews with the academics and Indonesian
students showed that while the two groups had similar ideas of what might contribute
to good academic writing, what they actually perceived within a text as exemplars of
the criteria may be quite different. Based on these findings, recommendations for
changes in the practice of teaching English as a foreign language in Indonesia are
made and in particular extending the focus of teaching beyond the level of
grammaticality.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT

First of all I would like to thank God for His blessing and His giving me opportunity
to finish this Doctoral thesis. Without God’s help I don’t think I would have even got
to the end. I believe God has helped me through my contact with some wonderful
people that I also feel obliged to thank.

First of all I would like to most deeply thank Professor Rhonda Oliver, who towards
the end of my PhD journey became my main supervisor. She has always given me
motivation and encouragement when I found myself in very difficult and challenging
situations. She has also helped me find alternative pathways to finish this thesis. My
deepest gratitude is to Dr Judith Rochecouste for her patience in guiding me to
completion of this thesis. She has helped me step-by-step with clear guidance to
write this thesis. Her expertise and way of guiding have given me broader knowledge
of the academic world.

Thank you so much to Dr. Kathryn Dixon, the head of thesis committee. She has
made the process of my research and supervision run smoothly, since the writing of
my candidacy proposal until the final stage of the thesis writing.

Thank you so much to Dr. Anna Alderson for her support during my thesis writing,
including proofreading numerous chapters. She helped me enormously during
difficult times, giving me advice related to my health, emotional matters, and my
survival during my time in Perth.

Thank you so much also Associate Professor Lina Pelliccione, the Head of the
School of Education. She has created a democratic and friendly atmosphere in the
school of education and we have enjoyed this encouraging and inspiring
environment.

My thanks also goes to the English L1 Australian academics who volunteered to be
participants in this study. Despite being busy teaching, marking, and doing their own
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research projects, they were still able to give their time to rank the texts and to be
interviewed. Similarly my thanks extends to the group of Indonesian students who
also participated in this study.

Thank you so much to Curtin University Postgraduate Students Association
(CUPSA) for supporting me with a Thesis completion grant. This grant has helped
me to finish my thesis faster. Thank you so much also my colleagues in the faculty of
Humanities for sharing ideas and encouraging each other in the process.

Finally, I would like to thank to my wife and two little daughters for their patience in
those years they spent waiting for me to finish my study.

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DEDICATION
I dedicate this thesis to my beloved daughters, Alifia Farah Pramudita and Bethari
Taufiqoh Syifa, and my beloved wife Sri Utami.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Declaration .............................................................................................................. i
Abstract ................................................................................................................... ii
Acknowledgments ................................................................................................... iii
Dedication ............................................................................................................... v
Table of Contents .................................................................................................... vi

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................ 1
1.1 Background to the Study ............................................................................... 1
1.2 Purpose of the Study and Research Questions .............................................. 3
1.3 Significance of the Study ............................................................................... 3
1.4 Organisation of Thesis ................................................................................... 4

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL
BACKGROUND ................................................................................................... 6
2.1. Foreign Language Learning and Teaching .................................................... 6
2.2. Learning and Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Indonesia ........... 15
2.3. Foreign Language Writing and Systemic Functional Linguistics ................. 22
2.4. Systemic Functional Linguistics in Academic Writing ................................. 23
2.5. Theoretical Framework: Systemic Functional Linguistics Approach
to Language ................................................................................................... 25
2.6. Field, Tenor and Mode .................................................................................. 28
2.7. Summary ........................................................................................................ 37

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CHAPTER 3: METHOD ...................................................................................... 38
3.1. Participants and Sampling ............................................................................. 38
3.2. Research Design and Procedure .................................................................... 40
3.2.1. Phase I: Generating, Analysing and Validating Written Data ....................... 40
Stage 1: Writing Task ......................................................................................... 40
Stage 2: Verification of Readability of Texts by an L1 English Teacher ........... 41
Stage 3: Formuling the Elements for Text Analysis ........................................... 42
Stage 4: Designing, Trialling and Modifying the FTM Instrument ................... 47
a. Designing an Analysis Instrument to Identify FTM Markers ............ 47
b. Trial 1 ................................................................................................. 48
c. Modification of the Analysis Instrument ............................................ 49
d.Trial 2 .................................................................................................. 51
e. Inter-rater Reliability and Piloting .................................................... 52
Stage 5: Identification and Analysis of FTM markers in all 25 Students’
Texts by Three Coders .......................................................................... 54
Stage 6: Selection of Texts for Ranking by Academics and Students ................. 55
3.2.2. Phase II: Ranking Texts, Interviews and Analysis ........................................ 56
Stage 1: Ranking Texts and Interviews .............................................................. 56
Stage 2: Analysis of Interview Data ................................................................... 57
3.3. Phase III: Synthesis .......................................................................................... 57
3.4. Limitations of the Research ........................................................................... 58
3.5. Summary ........................................................................................................ 59

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CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS OF PHASE ONE - FIELD, TENOR,
AND MODE IN INDONESIAN STUDENTS’ WRITING ............................... 60
4.1 Field, Tenor, and Mode in Indonesian Students’ Academic Texts................ 60
4.1.1. Field Markers in the Indonesian Students’ Academic Texts ......................... 61
4.1.2 Tenor Markers in the Indonesian Students’ Academic Texts ........................ 65
4.1.3. Mode Markers in the Indonesian Students’ Academic Texts ....................... 68
4.2. Summary .......................................................................................................... 70

CHAPTER 5: FINDINGS OF PHASE TWO - RANKING OF STUDENTS’
TEXTS BY L1 AUSTRALIAN ACADEMICS AND INDONESIAN
STUDENTS ............................................................................................................ 71
5.1. The Selection of the Students’ Texts for Ranking ........................................... 71
5.2. Ranking of Selected Texts ............................................................................. 76
5.3. Ranking of Selected Texts by L1 English Academics................................... 76
5.4. Ranking of Selected Texts by students .......................................................... 77
5.5 Comparison of the Students’ and the L1 Academics’ Ranking ..................... 78
5.6 Theme-Rheme Analysis................................................................................. 80
5.7. Summary .......................................................................................................... 82

CHAPTER 6: FINDINGS FROM INTERVIEW RESPONSES ...................... 84
6.1. Characteristics noted by L1 English Academic Group ................................. 84
6.2. Characteristics noted by the Indonesian Student Group ................................ 88
6.3. Conclusion of the Chapter ............................................................................. 95

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CHAPTER 7: DISCUSSION ............................................................................... 97
7.1. FTM Marking in the Indonesian Students’ Writing ...................................... 96
7.1.1.Lack of Objectivity ................................................................................... 97
7.1.2.Responses to the Task Prompt ................................................................. 99
7.1.3.Hedges and Certainty .............................................................................. 101
7.2. L1 English Academics and Indonesian Students’ Judgment of the Texts ..... 102
7.3. L1 English Academics’ and Indonesian Students’ Perceptions of Good
Academic Writing .......................................................................................... 104
7.4. Implications for Teaching EFL at Indonesian Universities ........................... 105
7.4.1. An SFL Genre Approach in EFL Teaching ............................................ 105
7.4.2. Teaching and Learning Stylistic Features .............................................. 110
7.4.3. Authentic Text Models ........................................................................... 111
7.4.4. Teaching FTM Markers and Their Functions ........................................ 112
7.4.5. Teaching characteristics of Good Academic Writing Expected by
L1 English Academics ............................................................................ 112
7.4.6. Assessment of FTM in Academic Writing ............................................. 113
7.5. Conclusion ..................................................................................................... 114

CHAPTER 8: CONCLUSION ............................................................................. 115
8.1. Limitations of the Study ................................................................................ 116
8.2. Recommendations.......................................................................................... 117

REFERENCES ..................................................................................................... 118

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