Beyond Vocabulary: Syntactic And Punctuation Barriers In Efl Students’ Use Of Time Order Signals In Process Paragraph Writing

Abstract

Sequencing steps coherently is a core requirement of process-paragraph writing in English as a foreign language (EFL), and time order signals — first, next, then, after that, finally — are the principal linguistic resources learners rely on to mark that sequence. Even so, many Indonesian EFL students continue to apply these signals inconsistently. This study describes the specific difficulties encountered by students of the English Education Department, Universitas Islam Makassar, when using time order signals to write process paragraphs. A descriptive qualitative design was applied to 21 students, who completed a 30-minute gap-filling writing test built around a process paragraph, “How to Make Instant Noodles,” from which all time order signals had been deleted. Responses were examined for accuracy of signal choice, fit with the step sequence, variety of signals used, and error type. Results show that 12 students (57.14%) applied the signals correctly, whereas 9 (42.86%) still struggled, with difficulties falling into four categories: incorrect usage, repetition, omission, and misplacement. Closer analysis revealed that the primary obstacle was not vocabulary but syntactic positioning and punctuation, suggesting that instruction on time order signals needs to move past word lists toward explicit teaching of placement, punctuation, and variation.