Ideational ahead, textual behind: Metafunctional knowledge among Pakistani undergraduate ESL learners and its implications for SFL-based reading pedagogy

Abstract

Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) has been proposed as an increasing basis for teaching academic reading, on the premise that learners who can recognize how texts construe experience, enact relationships and organize messages are better equipped to interpret them. Before designing such training, it is crucial to find out what learners know about the three metafunctions, and where that knowledge is weakest. A descriptive correlational methodology was employed to explore the metafunctional knowledge of BS English undergraduate learners at a major institution in Pakistan. A total of 31 examination scripts answering a question on Halliday’s three metafunctions were marked using a four-point scale (0 to 3) for each metafunction. The scores were analyzed using descriptive statistics, competence bands, Friedman and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, and Pearson and Spearman correlations, with a qualitative analysis of the responses. Ideational knowledge was the highest (M = 1.94, 64.5%), followed by interpersonal (M = 1.61, 53.8%) and textual knowledge (M = 1.42, 47.3%), and differences among the three were significant (χ²(2) = 15.44, p <.001, Kendall’s W =.25). Eleven learners got the greatest score for the ideational metafunction and one for the interpersonal and none for the textual metafunctions. The three subscales were strongly intercorrelated (r = .665 to .696, p < .001). The qualitative analysis showed a recurring confusion of the textual metafunction with mode. SFL-based reading education should focus on the textual metafunction and explicitly distinguish it from mode, and the impact of such instruction on reading comprehension remains to be evaluated experimentally.