Pedagogical Analysis of Two Indonesian Science News Articles
A Multimodal Study
Yulizar Komarawan
Department of Linguistics, School of Postgraduate Studies, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
Keywords: Classification, Framing, Formality, Indonesian Science News Articles, Multimodal Analysis.
Abstract: Nowadays, web 2.0 helps us raise scientific literacy. It provides a space for experts to disseminate the
current scientific knowledge or journalists to spread the re-contextualized scientific knowledge which is
easy to be understood by non-specialized publics. Perhaps, that just raises a question: how can journalists
successfully transform complicated scientific knowledge into accessible knowledge for lay audiences? This
study investigates how scientific knowledge is reconstructed in Indonesian science news articles so that it is
accessible for the lay audiences. Particularly, the present study focuses upon the process of
recontextualization of scientific writing discussing gene. A qualitative case study was employed to achieve
the goal. Particularly, this study focused upon analysing classification, formality, framing of the articles.
Two multimodal texts taken from two Indonesian websites kompas.com and nationalgeographic.co.id were
used as the data of the present study. The findings suggest that Indonesian news media tend to present the
knowledge in weak classification, low formality and weak framing.
1 INTRODUCTION
The development of technology has driven many
changes especially on the way people communicate
ideas. In recent years, for example, personal blogs or
websites are being used to communicate scientific
knowledge. The new media, as Ashwell (2014)
states, have helped to shape public understanding of
science and understand the current development of
science. Furthermore, such media have emerged a
new scientific discourse or register called “the
science popularization article” (Calsamiglia andvan
Dijk, 2004; Myers, 2003; de Olivera and Pagano,
2006). The term popularization here refers to “the
transformation of specialized knowledge into
‘everyday’ or ‘lay’ knowledge, as well as a re-
contextualization of scientific discourse”
(Calsamiglia andvan Dijk, 2004, p. 370). Therefore,
the scientific popularization is not simplified version
of scientific knowledge.
Researchers state that the re-contextualization of
scientific knowledge involves various strategies of
explanation (see Molek-Kozakowska, 2016, 2017;
Myers, 2003). According to Calsamiglia and Van
Dijk (2004), the strategies include definition,
metaphor, and other strategies which enable
language users to relate the new knowledge to old
knowledge. Moreover, Molek-Kozakowska (2016)
discusses that making science popular involves
various ways such as creating simple stories, using
understandable language and visuals, selecting
appropriate newsworthy issues and framing of
scientific works, and choosing a rhetorical
presentation of research findings that avoid
alienating lay audiences. In other hand, Dimopoulos,
Koulaidis, and Sklaveniti (2003, 2005) state that the
re-contextualization of scientific knowledge deals
with organising principles, prevailing convention,
and legitimating ideologies of institutional. This
view is closely associated to the notions of
classification and framing proposed by Basil
Berstein.
Much research has been conducted to investigate
the scientific popularization. Molek-Kozakowska
(2003, 2016, 2017) focused upon the stylistic
hybridity of press articles. De Olivera and Pagano
(2006) investigated the realization of lexicogrammar
of discourse presentation in the scientific news
articles. Dimopoulos, Koulaidis, and Sklaveniti
(2003, 2005) analysed how the scientific knowledge
was re-contextualized in Greek press articles and
Greek textbooks for secondary level. However, it
seems that the study which specifically addresses
414
Komarawan, Y.
Pedagogical Analysis of Two Indonesian Science News Articles - A Multimodal Study.
DOI: 10.5220/0007168304140417
In Proceedings of the Tenth Conference on Applied Linguistics and the Second English Language Teaching and Technology Conference in collaboration with the First International Conference
on Language, Literature, Culture, and Education (CONAPLIN and ICOLLITE 2017) - Literacy, Culture, and Technology in Language Pedagogy and Use, pages 414-417
ISBN: 978-989-758-332-2
Copyright © 2018 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved

how Indonesian journalists transform complicated
scientific knowledge into accessible knowledge for
lay audiences has not been deeply explored yet.
Therefore, this study investigates how scientific
knowledge including terms, notation, symbols and
images is re-contextualized in the Indonesian news
articles.
2 LITERATURE REVIEW
In order to understand how scientific knowledge is
re-contextualized in the press articles, the current
study uses the notion of classification (Bernstein,
1996), formality (Halliday and Martin, 1996), and
farming (Bernstein, 1996). The term classification
refers to the epistemological relationship between
knowledge categories (Bernstein, 1996). The
knowledge can be categorized as the specialized
scientific knowledge or everyday common sense
knowledge. Therefore, there are two types of
classification, namely strong classification (well-
defined border-line between the types of knowledge)
and weak classification (blurred border lines
between them) (Dimopoulos, Koulaidis, and
Sklaveniti, 2005). To investigate the content
specialization in the press articles, the current study
seeks for the level of lexical density of factual
scientific information in the texts and the visual
representation in the images as proposed Kress and
Van Leuween (2006).
Formality deals with the degree of abstraction
and specialization of the modes both linguistic and
visual modes. Formality runs from low formality
indicated by the use of codes which resembles the
vernacular to high formality indicated by the use of
the codes which follows the convention of scientific
experts when communicating scientific knowledge
(Koulaidis, Dimopoulos, and Sklaveniti, 2001;
Dimopoulos, Koulaidis, and Sklaveniti, 2005). In
texts, the markers of formality involve the use of
notation, symbol, and specialised terminology,
nominalizations, passive voice, and syntactic
complexity while in images the formality can be
investigated through degree of abstraction or
articulation of pictures (Kress and van Leeuwen,
2006).
Framing, which can be strong and weak, deals
with positions between readers and texts. Strong
framing happens when the texts have higher
positions than the readers while weak framing
readers have more access to the texts. In linguistic
codes, framing can be identified through the use of
imperative, interrogative, or declarative sentences
and pronouns by the writers. Meanwhile, in images
framing is realized through distances and angles
(Koulaidis, Dimopoulos, and Sklaveniti, 2001).
3 METHODOLOGY
The present study was located within qualitative
study. Particularly, this study was classified as a
case study since the study it focused on single case
(Stake, 1985), which is, the re-contextualization of
scientific knowledge in two science news articles
and the case is analysed deeply, As discussed earlier,
the current study focused upon the notion of
classification, formality, and framing which were
used as the framework. This study used two science
articles taken from kompas.com containing 224
words (12 sentences) and nationalgeographic.co.id
containing 418 words (23 sentences). Both of the
texts discuss cell and contain pictures. The data were
then analysed using systemic functional grammar
(Bloor and Bloor, 2004; Halliday and Matthiessen,
2014) and visual grammar (Kress and van Leuween,
2006). In analysing the data, the study investigated
the linguistic mode. It was then followed by the
analysis of visual mode.
4 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
This section presents the results from the analyses of
linguistic and visual modes in science news articles
along the three dimensions of classification,
formality, and framing in both linguistic mode and
images.
4.1 Classification
The degree of content specialization or classification
is verbally investigated by analysing the lexical
density of factual pieces of specialised information
in texts (Koulaidis, Dimopoulos, and Sklaveniti,
2001). Based on the analysis, it was found that
KOMPAS uses only 16% of specialised information
or 35 specialised words out of 224 words such as sel,
nukleus, mikroskopberflouresensi, membrannukleus,
amplitude, fluktuasi, distrofiotot, and so on. In
similar vein, National Geographic Indonesia uses
only 11% of specialised words or47 specialised
words out of 418 words such as editing gen,
guntinggenetik, CRISPRS-Cas9, mutasigenetik, and
so on. The findings suggest that both media use less
Pedagogical Analysis of Two Indonesian Science News Articles - A Multimodal Study
415

than 50% of specialised words. It can be categorized
as weak classification.
Visually, the degree of content specialization can
be investigated in terms of function and type
(Dimopoulos, Koulaidis, and Sklaveniti, 2003). With
regards to their function, images can be narrative,
classificational, analytical, and metaphorical (see
Kress and van Leeuwen, 2006) while in term of
type, images can be realistic, conventional, and
hybrid (Dimopoulos, Koulaidis, and Sklaveniti,
2003).
Figure 1: Nucleolus of human cell taken from
Kompas.com.
Figure 2: Human embryo taken from
nationalgeographic.co.id.
The analysis of images suggests that both images
are categorized as analytical images since they show
the relations between the object of representations.
The use of analytical images indicates the writer
foreground moderate classification. Meanwhile, in
term of type the images can be classified as realistic
since it “represent reality according to human optical
perception” (Koulaidis, Dimopoulos, andSklaveniti,
2001, p. 10). Realistic pictures indicate weak
classification.
4.2 Formality
As stated previously, the analysis of the degree
formality of language use in the articles focuses
upon the use of notation and specialised
terminology, nominalisations, passive voice, and
syntactic complexity (Dimopoulos, Koulaidis, and
Sklaveniti, 2005). The results from the analysis of
two articles are presented in Table 1 and 2.
Table 1: The language of formality including specialised
terms/notation/symbol and nominalization.
Media
Frequency
Specialised
terms/notation/s
ymbol
Nominalization
Kompas
33 3
NG 47 9
Table 2: The language of formality including syntactic
structures (paratactic and hyphotactic) and passive voice.
Media
Fre
q
uenc
y
Paratactic Hypotactic
Passive
voice
Kompas
8 4 4
NG 14 9 3
Table 1 and 2 suggest that both media present the
scientific knowledge in weak formality. This is
indicated by the use of only specialised terms in
presenting the knowledge and the low frequency of
nominalisation. Furthermore, the sentences are
dominantly written in paratactic structure and active
voice.
Meanwhile, the formality of the visual
representation can be investigated through the
analysis of the degree of abstraction (Kress and van
Leeuwen, 2006). The markers of formality include
elements of the scientific code, colour
differentiation, colour modulation, and
contextualisation. The analysis found that both
images as shown in Figure 1 and 2 do not show
geometrical shapes or alphanumeric strings. The
background of the pictures is in the form of the
photographic reception. With regards to their
colours, both of the pictures are all the shades
received by the photographic lens and colourful.
These findings indicate that the pictures are
presented in low formality
4.3 Framing
Framing can be verbally identified through the
analysis of sentence types and the use of pronouns
(first, second, and third person) in the texts
(Dimopoulos, Koulaidis, and Sklaveniti, 2005). The
analysis found that KOMPAS uses 17%
interrogative sentences (2 out of 12 sentences) like
PernahkahAndabertanya, berapa lama umursel
yang ada di dalamtubuhAnda? and 83% declarative
sentences. Meanwhile, national geographic uses only
declarative sentences. With regards to the used
pronouns, both use third person singular and plural.
CONAPLIN and ICOLLITE 2017 - Tenth Conference on Applied Linguistics and the Second English Language Teaching and Technology
Conference in collaboration with the First International Conference on Language, Literature, Culture, and Education
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These indicate that the media foreground low
framing.
Visual framing is identified through the analysis
of vertical and horizontal angle (see Kress and van
Leeuwen, 2006). In terms of vertical angle, Figure 1
and 2 were taken from high angle, suggesting that
viewer has power over the represented participants.
Meanwhile, in terms of horizontal angle the pictures
were taken from frontal angle and presented in close
shot. This indicates involvement between viewers
and the represented objects in the images. The use of
high angle, frontal angle, and close shot indicates
that the writer present the pictures in weak framing.
5 CONCLUSION
The science news articles project an image of
science as weakly specialised bodies of knowledge
(weak classification) or everyday knowledge. This
trend is strengthened by the use of less specialised
code (weak formality) in which the writers use only
scientific terms, low frequency of (single)
nominalization, paratactic structures, and less
passive voice. In terms of framing, both linguistic
and visual modes are presented in weak framing.
This kind framing indicates that viewers’ control
over the act of the communication. The combination
of weak classification, low formality, and weak
framing makes the viewers be able to control the
discourse. In other words, readers or viewers can
easily grasp the information.
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