Elsya : Journal of English Language Studies ISSN (Online) 2684-9224, ISSN (Print): 2684-7620 Vol. 4, No. 3, October 2022, pp. 290-297 https://doi.org/10.31849/elsya.v4i2.9983 How to cite this article: Amartya, D., Nugraha, S. I., & Ridwan, I. (2022). Recount Text in EFL Vocational School: A Thematic Structure Analysis. Elsya : Journal of English Language Studies, 4(3), 290-297. 290 Recount Text in EFL Vocational School: A Thematic Structure Analysis Dini Amartya * , Sidik Indra Nugraha, & Iwan Ridwan Universitas Singaperbangsa Karawang, Karawang, Indonesia *diniamartya10@gmail.com ARTICLE HISTORY Received : 3 May 2022 Revised : 1 July 2022 Accepted : 4 August 2022 KEYWORDS Vocational School Recount Text Systemic Functional Linguistics Textual Meaning Thematic Structure ABSTRACT Recount text is a staple material taught in the first year of Indonesian secondary schools yet research on this dominant ELT unit is limited despite the common observation of many students struggling to produce a well-written recount text. To address this research gap and problem, this study conducted a textual meaning analysis in the texts written by tenth- grade Vocational School. This study aimed to figure out the types of themes shown in 14 recount texts written by 14 students from two different vocational schools with other majors. The approach used the content analysis method and belonged to descriptive qualitative research. Content analysis is used as the technique to analyse the data considering Eggins’ 1994 Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) theory. The analysis revealed that most of the themes used are Unmarked Topical Themes. Every student has a different way of delivering messages in the Recount text that they made. Moreover, the researchers found Marked Topical Theme, Mood Adjunct Interpersonal Theme, Conjunction Textual Theme, Conjunctive Textual Theme, Continuative Textual Theme, and Multiple Theme. The result of the present study is hoped to provide insights, gained from observing patterns of Theme and Rheme relations, for secondary English teachers’ endeavours to help improve students’ cohesion. 1. Introduction Writing skill embraces all knowledge and abilities related to addressing the ideas through the written word. As a language student, to convey ideas in the form of writing, usually using a text. Delivering the ideas through reports is essential to students in the vocational school before entering any industry. Writing skills is challenging for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students because of the complication in the writing practice (Meiarista & Widhiyanto, 2020). Students need to regard any aspects to write a good composition. Many students from the tenth- grade Vocational School in Indonesia still have a problem achieving the minimum score because of their limited knowledge regarding the target language, English, especially in writing skills (Vernanda, Listia, & Febrianti, 2020). Many students deal with several difficulties in the beginning. To write a text, for example, the students face the problem of considering what context they will write first (Qomariah, 2021). Moreover, the problem is the word choice they should use in their work because they cannot get the topic immediately. Also, there are a lot of errors or mistakes in their writing. The other problem in starting an essay is to correspond every clause into a cohesive and coherent text (Meiarista & Widhiyanto, 2020). Furthermore, the students face the problem of writing recount text in terms of content, organization, grammar, mechanic, and generic structure in orientation and re-orientation (Husna & Multazim, 2019). It occurs because the students do not understand the Theme and Rheme enough. Thus, it becomes the teacher’s job to help their students to make a good text so they can communicate their idea effectively. Furthermore, the students should exercise regularly in making a text to produce a good reader. English at every level of education is very different. English in Vocational School belongs to English for Specific Purposes (ESP), which represents an approach to language teaching that combines the necessary of the learners (Muliyah & Aminatun, 2020). The level of Vocational is dissimilar from occupational it means that the teachers and the students should learn not only certain disciplinary but also specialist knowledge. Vocational students in tenth grade expect English material to support their future work, as highly recommended in the era of global competition (Asrifan et al., 2020). Before studying English, according to a specialist, it is essential to learn basic skills. The English subject syllabus in Indonesia was designed to develop English competency in written and spoken language through four language skills: reading, listening, speaking, and writing. Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) approach is expanded by M.A.K. Halliday and his followers throughout the 1960s in the United Kingdom and later in Australia (O’Donnell in Almurashi, 2016). This approach influenced by sociologists such as Malinowski and Bernstein. Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) is an extension of