Process Types Identification Challenges and Pedagogical Implications for EFL Learners

Authors

  • Shaimaa Mohamed Helal

    Faculty of Language Studies, Arab Open University, Jeddah 12015, Saudi Arabia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i12.11492
Received: 5 August 2025 | Revised: 27 August 2025 | Accepted: 22 September 2025 | Published Online: 5 November 2025

Abstract

Understanding the meaning of the processes is essential for comprehending clause meaning from experiential perspective, however, the studies examining the identification of transitivity processes in the performance of EFL learners are scarce. This study examines the performance of 28 Arab Open University (AOU) English as a Foreign Language Learners (EFL) enrolled in the course E304A: Exploring English Grammar I in Jeddah branch. Drawing on Halliday's Transitivity Theory (1985), the study identifies the challenges faced by the students in identifying process types and proposes pedagogical implications for improvement. The students were provided with materials and activities related to processes, followed by a performance assessment test. The analysis reveals difficulties in correctly identifying process types, including 'escaped', 'coming', 'fainted', 'shares' and 'jolted'. To enhance comprehension and reduce errors, the study recommends enhancing the teaching of process types via various ways. Thus, it is recommended for EFL learners to (1) understand the relationship between lexical item and process types, (2) use tests in form of questions to differentiate between several types of processes, and (3) understand the differences between behavioural and material processes (as explained in the study). The findings contribute to the advancement of process type instruction and deepen students' understanding of clause meaning in the EFL context.

Keywords:

Halliday's Transitivity Theory; EFL learners; Process Types Difficulties; Pedagogical Implications

References

[1] Halliday, M.A.K., 1967. Notes on transitivity and theme in English Part I. Journal of Linguistics. 3(1), 37–81. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022226700012949

[2] Sihura, M., 2019. Transitivity process in Frozen movie: A study of systemic functional grammar. International Journal of Systemic Functional Linguistics. 2(2), 79–85. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22225/ijsfl.2.2.1480.79-85

[3] Leedham, M., Allington, D., 2016. Exploring English grammar. Open University Press: Milton Keynes, UK.

[4] Halliday, M.A.K., 1985. An introduction to functional grammar. Edward Arnold: London, UK.

[5] Halliday, M.A.K., 1994. An introduction to functional grammar, 2nd ed. Edward Arnold: London, UK.

[6] Downing, A., Locke, P., 1992. A university course in English grammar. Prentice Hall: New York, NY, USA.

[7] Halliday, M.A.K., Matthiessen, C.M.I.M., 2014. An introduction to functional grammar, 4th ed. Routledge: Oxon, UK; New York, NY, USA.

[8] Chen, Y., 2024. Transitivity analysis in academic writing: A case study of feminist, female, feminine. IRA International Journal of Education and Multidisciplinary Studies. 19(4). DOI: https://doi.org/10.21013/jems.v19.n4.p5

[9] Muhammad, M., 2024. Analyzing process types in Nigerian newspapers political headlines using systemic functional linguistics (SFL) transitivity approach. International Journal of Linguistics. 5(4), 1–15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.47604/ijl.3039

[10] Agbayani, R., 2023. Transitivity processes in the discourse of automobile advertisements. International Journal of Language and Literary Studies. 5(2), 209–235. DOI: https://doi.org/10.36892/ijlls.v5i2.1255

[11] Alfiana, Y., 2012. The journal of process types in transitivity system. Lingüística. 1(1), 148962. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24114/JALU.V1I1.381

[12] Morandarte, R., 2023. Transitivity processes in the 2021 commencement speech of DepEd Sec. Leonor M. Briones. East Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Research. 2(3), 1355–1366. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55927/eajmr.v2i3.3362

[13] Fitriana, W., 2021. An analysis of student’s literary response text using SFL. Indonesian Journal of Functional Linguistics. 1(2), 99–108.

[14] Aini, W.N., 2021. Do male and female students represent their experiences differently? A transitivity analysis of students’ texts. JEPAL (Journal of English Pedagogy and Applied Linguistics). 1(2), 88–105.

[15] Zein, T.T., Sinar, T.S., Nurlela, N., et al., 2019. Process types of transitivity system in English department students’ narrative texts. In: Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on English Language and Teaching (ICOELT 2018), Padang, Indonesia, 26–27 February 2019; pp. 149–155.

[16] Sari, P., Gunawan, H., Simatupang, E.C., 2024. Process types on students’ persuasive text: A systemic functional linguistics study. Lire Journal. 8(2), 128–138. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33019/lire.v8i2.306

[17] Abdulameer, A.S., Abdulameer, S.A., 2024. Linguistic patterns of contradiction: A transitivity analysis of The Scarlet Letter. Critical Language and Translation Studies. 1(2), 161–169. DOI: https://doi.org/10.70036/cltls.v1i2.31

[18] Abd Al-Qader, F.-A.I., 2020. Applying Halliday’s transitivity theory to the novel Foe by John Maxwell Coetzee. Journal of Faculty of Arts, Fayoum University. 12(1), 121–138. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21608/JFAFU.2020.95674

[19] Faizin, A., Azizah, H., Jwalita, P.Z.A.A., 2022. A transitivity analysis of the character's actions in Joseph Jacobs's fairy tales. Lexicon. 9(2), 83–94.

[20] Zhen, J.L.H., Visvanathan, D., Khai, L.L., 2023. Transitivity analysis on The Clay Marble novel by Minfong Ho. Journal of Modern Languages. 33, 55–76. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22452/jml.vol33no2.4

[21] Nkansah, S.K., Bonsu, E., 2022. Foregrounding the verbal process. Linguistics Initiative. 2(2), 155–172. DOI: https://doi.org/10.53696/27753719.2250

[22] Ezzina, R., 2015. Transitivity analysis of «The Crying lot of 49» by Thomas Pynchon. International Journal of Humanities and Cultural Studies. 2(3), 283–292. Available from: https://www.ijhcs.com/index.php/IJHCS/article/view/54

[23] Nkeiruka, E.L., 2021. Transitivity analysis of proverbs in Achebe’s A man of the people. International Journal of English Linguistics. 11(5), 77–87. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/IJEL.V11N5P77

[24] Yousif, W., Bulaila, A.A., 2023. A transitivity analysis of D.H. Lawrence’s The Rocking Horse Winner. International Journal of Arabic-English Studies. 23(2), 139–154. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33806/ijaes.v23i2.457

[25] Amoussou, Y.C., 2014. Transitivity analysis of two stretches of narrated mental discourse from Ngũgĩ’s Wizard of the Crow. International Journal of English and Literature. 2(2). Available from: http://publication.lecames.org/index.php/lit/article/view/311

[26] Haroon, H., Arslan, M., 2021. Transitivity analysis of The Old Building by Imdad Hussein: A corpus-based study. Linguistics Forum. 3(2), 24–27. DOI: https://doi.org/10.53057/LINFO/2021.3.2.4

[27] Farooq, H., Akhter, N., Khan, U.F., et al., 2024. Transitivity analysis of W.H. Auden’s poem In memory of W.B. Yeats. Pakistan Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences. 12(3), 2382–2396. DOI: https://doi.org/10.52131/pjhss.2024.v12i3.2367

[28] Al Amiqi, M.F., Sunardi, S., 2024. Transitivity analysis of Emily Dickinson’s poem entitled “I cannot live with you.” E-Structural. 7(1), 52–62. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33633/es.v7i01.11413

[29] Meylani, R., 2024. Innovations with schema theory: Modern implications for learning, memory, and academic achievement. International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research. 6(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2024.v06i01.13785

[30] Machin, D., Mayr, A., 2023. How to do critical discourse analysis: A multimodal introduction, 2nd ed. SAGE Publications: London, UK.

[31] Prasetiyo, D., Situmorang, H., Hutabarat, I., 2023. Process types of transitivity system in Adele’s song lyrics. Jurnal Littera: Fakultas Sastra Darma Agung. 2(1), 9–20.

[32] Gerot, L., Wignell, S., 1994. Making of Functional Grammar. Antipodean Educational Enterprises: Sydney, Australia.

Downloads

How to Cite

Mohamed Helal, S. (2025). Process Types Identification Challenges and Pedagogical Implications for EFL Learners. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(12), 222–239. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i12.11492

Issue

Vol. 7 , Iss. 12 (December 2025): In progress

Article Type

Article

License

Copyright © 2025 Shaimaa Mohamed Helal

Creative Commons License

This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.