Systemic Functional Linguistics Research Articles

A Discourse Analysis Perspective of Thematic Structure and Thematic Progression in Students’ Written Narrative Texts: A Case of Mjimpya Secondary School Students in Morogoro Municipality

The study investigated the thematic structure and thematic progression in students’ written narrative texts. Specifically, it analysed types of themes and identified types of thematic progression patterns employed in students’ written narrative texts. It also examined the implications of the theme and thematic progression pattern’s predominance in students’ written narrative texts. 85 participants were selected from among Form Three and Form Four students. Data was collected using the closed test and documentary reviews. Data was coded and analysed using Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) and Thematic Progression (TP) theories by Halliday, Mathiessen, and Danes respectively. The findings indicated that students employed the taxonomy of four types of themes in their narrative texts: topical theme, textual theme, interpersonal theme, and macro theme. The topical theme was predominantly used followed by textual theme and interpersonal theme. The findings also revealed the taxonomy of seven types of thematic progression patterns in students’ written narrative texts, namely: constant pattern, zigzag pattern, and multiple patterns, constant-zigzag or zigzag-constant, constant-zigzag-multiple, zigzag-multiple, and constant macro pattern. The constant pattern was predominantly used followed by a zigzag pattern and then multiple patterns. The predominance of topical themes and constant thematic progression patterns implied that students tended to rely on thematic selections like topical themes and constant which seem simpler to use rather than textual themes, interpersonal themes, zigzag patterns and multiple patterns, all of which seem complex for students since they need advanced and sophisticated knowledge and skills to apply these thematic structures and progression patterns in their texts. Thus, students’ dependence on simple thematic selections indicates a lack of knowledge or ability to use complex thematic structures and thematic progression patterns in their written narrative texts while these thematic structures have a crucial role in their writing. Therefore, a systematic approach to teaching thematic selections is crucial. The findings of the current study contribute to the body of knowledge on thematic structure and progression in academic writing due to the detailed taxonomy of thematic structure and progression patterns revealed in this study. The study recommends that educational planners and implementers ensure that the theory of thematic structure and thematic progression are systematically integrated into the teaching and learning of writing activities from lower levels of education, specifically secondary education. Further, the study recommends further research in this area to use different approaches, genres and respondents from different settings such as advanced-level secondary school students

Bonding Queer Icon. A Multimodal Analysis of the NYC DragCon 2019

Abstract The word ‘icon’ usually refers to a symbol, a famous person admired by all, or a religious image used for worship. Twentieth and twenty-first century icons are also sacred images of secular societies that help construct collective identities and delineate the zeitgeist. Places can also be considered icons if looked through social semiotic lenses. Through Kress and van Leeuwen (2006) and O’Toole’s (1990; 1994; 2004) re-conceptualisations of Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics (1994) and the concept of Bonding Icons (Stenglin 2008a; 2008b; 2012), this paper investigates the ways in which the New York City DragCon 2019 became a rallying and bonding place that both abstractly, through its website, and concretely, through the actual event, gave people a sense of belonging. The main goal of the study is to underline the extent to which the rallying and bonding is money-driven and to highlight the ties between consumerism and the concept of ‘icons selling icons’.

Systematic Literature Review of Ecological Discourse Analysis From 2014 to 2023

One of the crucial foci of contemporary linguistics is upon the complex human-nature relationship within the Anthropocene. An essential methodology of eco-linguistics is Ecological Discourse Analysis (EDA), a field which combines linguistics and ecology. The philosophical underpinning of EDA is rooted in an ecological thematic framework, emphasising the significance of biodiversity and sustainability in the natural world. Despite gaining attention over the past decade, EDA still lacks a comprehensive explanation to adequately and accurately explain the fundamental assertion of its philosophical framework: it gives undue prominence to language biodiversity and sustainability. This systematic literature review, conducted using the PRISMA 2020 paradigm, covers studies from 2014 to 2023. It examines 38 works on EDA across several genres. Further clues illustrate the application of EDA to various genres, often informed by theoretical frameworks associated with systemic functional linguistics, cognitive linguistics, and corpus linguistics. EDA research concentrates on ecological discourse and advocating for protection, exposing the lack of nomenclature, analytical framework, application domain, theoretical framework, and objectives. Furthermore, EDA faces challenges in effectively addressing ecological issues within discourse construction because it does not have a sound theoretical paradigm or enough systematicity. Furthermore, the texts analysed using EDA predominantly focus on ecological discourse, with only a few studies incorporating non-ecological literary texts. This underscores the necessity of expanding the scope of ecological linguistic research.

Linguistic Landscapes of Social Media Discourse: Exploring Language Practices and Identities on Jordanian Online Platforms

The present research is designed to investigate the language practices and identities of Jordanian users on the selected social media platforms of Facebook and Twitter. A total of 400 posts and tweets were selected from both social media platforms. Based on the Systemic Functional Linguistics theory, the study found that the users demonstrated various language practices on social media like code-switching, emojis, localized expressions, and identity affiliations like racism, patriotism, and feminism. Consequently, the study established that Jordanian Arabic is the most frequently-used language style, while the use of English and MSA as secondary language styles was considerably less popular. Additionally, code-switching was the most prevalent language practice. The study recommended educational policies to advocate bilingualism, while for social media, the strategies need to reflect linguistic characteristics to increase reach and engagement.

Easy read health information for people with intellectual disabilities: A linguistic discourse analysis. What happens to language when it is simplified?

Easy Read health documents prepared for people with intellectual disabilities are often generated from Standard Texts. Language in Easy Read versions is typically assumed to be simpler. However, simplification of language may have unintended consequences. This study aimed to explore the differences in language used between Easy Read health material and the Standard Text versions of the same material produced for the general population. Five Easy Read/Standard Text pairs were sampled and analysed using Systemic Functional Linguistics. This addressed: how people with intellectual disabilities and others were represented by language, the author stance in relation to the reader and the overall organisation of the text. The Easy Read versions often used language that was less empowering and inclusive. Increased awareness of author power and better knowledge of the impact of language choice could help to redress these issues.

Analisis Transitivitas pada Penokohan dalam Cerpen Bas les masques dan Délivrance: Kajian Linguistik Sistemik Fungsional

This study aims to describe the characterizations in the “Bas les masques” and “Délivrance” short stories based on the transitivity process and describe the characterization techniques used in the “Bas les masques” and “Délivrance” short stories. This research uses a descriptive approach with a qualitative method. The data are the clauses explaining characterizations in the short stories “Bas les masques” by Benoît Broyart and “Délivrance” by Jean-Paul Nozière. The data collection of this research is carried out by scrutinizing and note-taking techniques. The data are analyzed using the transitivity theory in Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics and Nurgiyantoro’s character depiction theory. The results of this study indicate that the characterization in these two stories are dominantly described by material process, i.e. 8 clauses (35%) in the “Bas les masques” short story and 9 clauses (39%) in the “Délivrance” short story. The processes that are not found are behavioral process because the characters’ behavior cannot be explained from their own perspective. Regarding the character depiction techniques, the two short stories both use conversation techniques and other character’s reaction techniques. Apart from that, there is also the stream of consciousness technique which is only used in “Bas les masques” short story and the character reaction technique which is only used in “Délivrance” short story. From the results of this research, it can be concluded that transitivity analysis can support the study of characterization in literary works because the character's personality can be represented through their experiences in the story.

Incoherent coherence? Using systemic functional linguistics to improve oral language assessment literacy

AbstractThis paper discusses the challenges of defining coherence in the context of oral language assessment literacy and proposes that better understanding of the construct can be achieved through a systemic-functional linguistic lens. Coherence is taken to be a foundational quality of written and spoken discourse and is a standard feature in the assessment rubrics of most large-scale English-language oral proficiency tests such as IELTS, TOEFL, and Cambridge. However, the precise meaning of coherence, and how it can be identified in language, is difficult to grasp. This has implications for the makers and raters of tests as well as the candidates who take them. The literature suggests coherence is the most troublesome category to rate reliably and validly. The systemic-functional linguistic (SFL) model of language provides a rich description of coherence, but has been under-utilised by the language testing industry to date. In this paper we examine three aspects of coherence: (1) how it is currently conceptualised in oral language proficiency testing; (2) how it is conceptualised in linguistics in general and SFL in particular; and (3) how insights from SFL could inform the evaluation of coherence in oral language proficiency examinations.

한국어 중급 교재의 대화문에 나타난 대인적 기능의 실현 양상 분석

Objectives This study aimed to analyze the realization patterns of interpersonal functions in dialogues of inter-mediate Korean language textbooks from the perspective of Systemic Functional Linguistics. Methods This study analyzed the interpersonal functions and their realization patterns in dialogues from Korean intermediate integrated textbooks published in the late 2000s. By establishing two main analytical categories—mood system and mood metaphor—and conducting distribution and realization pattern analyses for each cat-egory, we explored the linguistic characteristics of textbook dialogues from the perspective of Systemic Functional Linguistics. Results In the textbook dialogues, declarative sentences were most frequent, followed by interrogative, imper-ative, and suggestive sentences. For honorific forms, the combination of ‘하십시오체+해요체’ was most common, followed by ‘해라체+해체’, with the ‘하게체’ being least frequent. For mood metaphors, interrogative forms func-tioning as statements or commands were most frequently observed. Conclusions The study confirmed that the analyzed Korean textbook dialogues accurately reflect the language us-age patterns of native Korean speakers, and demonstrated the effectiveness of the Systemic Functional Linguistics approach in textbook analysis.

Meaning-making in English-medium instruction science classroom interaction: from the systemic functional linguistics perspective

Abstract Teaching science in English is increasingly common worldwide. This study explores the role of language in science meaning-making during classroom interactions by drawing on video-recorded classroom observations of four biology lessons in secondary English medium instruction (EMI) settings in Hong Kong. Informed by systemic functional linguistics (SFL), we integrate classroom interaction analysis with Lemke’s approach to thematic analysis. The results reveal similar interactional patterns across full- and partial-EMI science classrooms, characterised by a lack of interactivity and authoritative teacher behaviour in selecting student responses to engage with. During extended initiation–response–feedback exchanges, teachers’ feedback on students’ responses appears to underscore the importance of teachers’ modified input – specifically input emphasising semantic relations within the field of biology – in developing students’ content knowledge and language skills. The implications of the findings for applying SFL pedagogies in EMI science classrooms to improve teacher–student interaction are discussed.

Conveying the Meaning through Experiential Metafunction on Song Lyrics: A Case on Ideational Metafunction

This research explores the song "Better Man" by Westlife to uncover its experiential meaning and how it impacts the audience. Using the Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) framework, the study analyzes the song's meaning by examining the processes, participants, and circumstances in the lyrics. Qualitative content analysis is employed to identify various emotional experiences expressed through language. The study involves deconstructing each sentence to understand how participants, processes, and circumstances are used in the song. The primary data source is the authentic lyrics from reliable sources like official songbooks and verified lyric websites to ensure accuracy. The SFL theory helps examine experiential meta function and its components in the lyrics, considering the entire complexity of language in social contexts. The analysis reveals that "Better Man" predominantly employs mental processes, reflecting the singer's personal thoughts and perspectives. The use of verbs like "love," "say," and "hidden" effectively conveys emotions and interactions between individuals. The song's participants, such as "better man" and "her," create emotional connections with listeners. The findings emphasize the importance of language as an expressive tool in art and music, guiding songwriters in effectively communicating deeper messages and meanings. Song lyrics, with their emotional storytelling, establish powerful connections with the audience. While this study offers valuable insights into "Better Man," there is potential for further research. Analyzing more songs and genres can deepen the understanding of how language conveys experiences and emotions in music's broader context.
 Keywords: Experiential Metafunction, Systemic Functional Linguistics, Ideational Metafunction

Identifying artificial intelligence–generated content in online Q&A communities through interpretable machine learning

This study aims to construct a comprehensive feature system for identifying artificial intelligence–generated content (AIGC) in online Q&A communities, thus uncovering the key factors and mechanisms influencing the identification of AIGC. First, based on the theory of systemic functional linguistics (SFL) and information quality (IQ), this article extracts vocabulary, content, structure, and emotional features from the text, and identifies the AIGC through nine mainstream machine learning algorithms. Subsequently, three widely used resampling strategies are exploited to address the category imbalance problem. The grid search optimisation algorithm fine-tunes different combinations of parameters to improve the performance of the identification classifier. Finally, SHAP values are introduced to evaluate and elucidate the global feature importance and feature influence mechanism. A Chinese corpus from the Zhihu Q&A community is constructed to verify the validity of these methods. The experimental results show that the eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model optimised with hybrid sampling and grid search parameters exhibits excellent performance in identifying AI-generated text, which achieves an F1-score of 0.9935, an improvement of 0.11 percentage points over the original model. In addition, all four dimensions of features constructed in this article contribute to AI-generated text identification, and the results of feature interpretability analysis show the greatest impact of features that focus on content readability. The study facilitates the identification and labelling of AIGC in online Q&A communities, thereby enhancing transparency and accountability of information shared online.

Analyzing Process Types in Nigerian Newspapers Political Headlines Using Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) Transitivity Approach

Purpose: This study aims to examine the use of process types in Nigerian political headlines using the transitivity approach within the framework of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL). The purpose of the research is to understand how language is used to construct political narratives in Nigerian newspapers, focusing on the different process types—material, mental, relational, verbal, behavioral, and existential—that shape public perception of political events and actors. Methodology: The study adopts a qualitative method, analyzing 50 political headlines from five major Nigerian newspapers: Vanguard, Leadership News, Punch, Daily Trust, and The Guardian Nigeria. The headlines, selected from articles published between January 2024 and September 2024, are categorized and analyzed based on Halliday's transitivity framework. Findings: The findings reveal that material processes are the most frequently used, representing 48% of the headlines, followed by mental (32%), verbal (20%), and relational processes (10%). Existential and behavioral processes were minimally represented. These results suggest that political discourse in Nigeria is predominantly action- and belief-oriented, with a focus on tangible actions and the intentions of political figures. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: This study makes a unique contribution to theory by applying the SFL transitivity framework to Nigerian political headlines, expanding the understanding of how process types reflect political actions, intentions, and relationships. The findings have practical implications for media practitioners and politicians in crafting messages that effectively engage the public, emphasizing actions and beliefs to influence perception. From a policy perspective, the study suggests the need for greater media literacy to enable the public to critically assess political communication and its impact on public discourse.

Analysis of the Interpersonal Meaning in the Teacher Discourse in Competition Videos

This study, grounded in Systemic Functional Linguistics, examines the form and distribution of mood and modality in English classroom discourse by the winner of the Special Prize at the 12th "Foreign Language Teaching Society Cup" National College Foreign Language Teaching Competition (English Major Group). It reveals how interpersonal meaning is realized in the teacher's discourse and explores teacher-student relationships. The analysis shows a predominant use of the declarative mood, followed by interrogative and imperative moods. This balance reflects the teacher's dual role as both knowledge disseminator and facilitator of student participation, steering away from a wholly authoritative position. Minimal use of the imperative mood suggests discussions are mainly informational, reducing student pressure and promoting an equal and harmonious classroom atmosphere. Declarative moods serve multiple functions, whereas interrogatives stimulate student engagement. Modal preferences indicate a balance between directive and facilitative communication, emphasizing low modal values to foster respect and a student-centered approach. This strategy illustrates the teacher's respect for students, embracing roles such as guide and observer, and offers insights for creating inclusive and effective university English classrooms.

A comparative of theosophical sufism in Syarah al-Hikam by Sholeh Darat and ‘Abdullah Gangohi

This study elaborated on the explanation of theosophical Sufism in the book of al-Hikam by two well-known Islamic academics, Kyai Sholeh Darat (Indonesia) and Shaykh ‘Abdullah Gangohi (India). The data in this study are the text of Syarah al-Hikam, written by Kyai Sholeh Darat and the text of Syarah Al-Hikam in the perspective of Shaykh ‘Abdullah Gangohi. This qualitative research study used a Systemic Functional Linguistic (SFL) approach from M.A.K. Halliday. Data analysis in this research applied the Spradley model, namely: (1) domain analysis, (2) taxonomy analysis, (3) componential analysis and (4) analysis of cultural themes. The domain analysis tried to map the information structure in the explanation of al-Hikam based on the theory of SFL. This information structure is the basis for the genre analysis as a semiotic representation of social society. Meanwhile, the taxonomic analysis tried to elaborate on the Sufism thoughts of both the thinkers based on the Syarah al-Hikam text. Componential analysis synergised the results of the information structure and the theosophical Sufism thought in al-Hikam. Finally, the analysis of cultural themes endeavoured to elaborate on the theosophical Sufism thoughts of the two Sufism thinkers and to draw the relationships and the contributions to the universal Sufism. The conditions of theosophical Sufism can be elaborated based on the information structure. The limitation of this study is the lack of researcher’s efforts to investigate the substance of theosophical Sufism, because this research is only limited to the outer layer of language.Contribution: This article shows that the thought of theosophical Sufism showed that Islam in Southeast Asia is Islam that carries the spirit of Islam Rahmatan lil-alamin. In addition, the thought of theosophical Sufism in Syarah al-Hikam has had an impact on the socio-cultural transformation, especially on the Sufism movement [thariqah] spread across Indonesia and India.

Mood Analysis of COVID-19 Messages: A Systemic Functional Linguistics Approach to Understanding Public Health Communication

Purpose: This study examines how Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), particularly through mood analysis, can enhance understanding of public health communication related to COVID-19. The aim is to explore the use of mood types in health messages to convey risk, provide instructions, and manage public vulnerability during the pandemic. Methodology: Utilizing a qualitative and quantitative approach, this study analyzed 100 COVID-19 health messages sourced from government websites, social media, and public health announcements. The messages were categorized according to their mood type imperative (commands) and declarative (statements) to assess their functional roles in conveying public health information. Data were tabulated to illustrate the frequency of each mood type and their implications for public health communication. Findings: The analysis revealed that 70% of the messages were in the imperative mood, highlighting the urgency of issuing clear directives to the public. In contrast, 30% of the messages were in the declarative mood, providing essential information and reassurance. This distribution indicates a strategic use of language in public health messaging to promote compliance while fostering public trust. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of SFL mood analysis in public health communication by illustrating how mood types influence public perception and behavior during a crisis. The findings offer practical insights for health authorities to enhance communication strategies, ensuring that messages are both directive and informative. Additionally, this research informs policymakers about effective messaging practices to improve health outcomes during future public health crises.

A Study of Chinese Translation of The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language from the Perspective of Grammatical Metaphor

In Systemic Functional Linguistics, grammatical metaphor is categorized into ideational and interpersonal types. Translation, as a process of code-switching, involves choosing between congruent and metaphorical forms, each serving different communicative purposes. Distinguishing these forms clarifies their distinct functions. This paper explores the use and importance of grammatical metaphors in translating The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language based on the author’s independent translation practice. Given this, the study achieves three objectives through quantitative and qualitative analysis: (1) examining the distribution of grammatical metaphors in the translation of The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language; (2) exploring the reasons behind their emergence; and (3) analyzing the role these metaphors play in the translation. Translation strategies were classified into two types based on the retention of grammatical metaphors: congruent translation, which simplifies the text and reduces metaphors, and metaphorical translation, which sustains a formal, academic, and concise style. The study reveals that the same translation techniques can be applied across various word, sentence, and text types, with different contexts requiring different methods even for identical grammatical and semantic units. Regardless of whether metaphors are retained, it is essential to ensure faithfulness, fluency, and aesthetics of the translation. Translators should avoid rigid application and decide on metaphor preservation based on the specific context and text type to best convey the original meaning.

Revisiting the Structure and Rhetoric of the Christ Hymn in Colossians 1:15–20: A Thematic Analysis Based on Systemic Functional Linguistics

Abstract Although there have been several studies on the linguistic features of the Christ Hymn in Col 1:15–20, they rarely start with the “clauses” or investigate how messages are conveyed in the clauses in this hymn. This article will adopt Michael A. K. Halliday’s systemic functional system of theme and rheme, particularly his perception of the clause as message, to gain insights into the ways in which information is managed into categories of given and new at the clause level, and thereby accomplishing rhetorical purposes in the Christ Hymn. This article will seek to demonstrate how Paul intimates point of view by employing the linguistic device of “thematization” to foreground “the Son” to be the chief topic of the Christ Hymn and thereby underline his universal Lordship. The result of this thematic analysis will underline the textual cohesion of the Christ Hymn and lend support to the view that this hymn comprises the two stanzas in vv. 15–18a and vv. 18b–20.

Anthropocentrism in Contemporary Chinese Dictionary: A Synergic Perspective of Critical Lexicographical Discourse Studies and Systemic Functional Linguistics

Abstract Critical Lexicographical Discourse Studies (CLDS) view the dictionary as a discourse and emphasize an ideological, ethico-political dimension to the lexicographical process. Combining CLDS with Systemic Functional Linguistics, this paper looks into how anthropocentrism is manifested linguistically in Contemporary Chinese Dictionary (Seventh Edition), the most influential authoritative general-purpose Chinese dictionary, by examining the transitivity and appraisal patterns in the definition texts concerning animals and plants. The analysis shows that animals and plants are seldom assigned agency in their own right and that the animals and plants are evaluated either positively or negatively according to whether they are useful to the human beings while their intrinsic value is ignored. In particular, animals are highlighted for their agricultural and medicinal use and plants for their medicinal and ornamental value. However, compared with its previous editions, the dictionary has shown an enhanced awareness of environmental protection by deleting the encyclopaedic information that describes the use of some rare animals’ meat, bones and fur. It is argued that, although modern general-purpose dictionaries are increasingly corpus-based and descriptive, their role in shaping social values and stances cannot be disregarded. Dictionary makers need to balance what words mean with what they can be said to mean or be allowed to mean (Moon, 2014). The study contributes to unmasking and denaturalizing the hidden ideology in colony texts such as the dictionary, enhances a critical use of dictionaries and helps develop the theory of critical lexicography and emerging ecolexicography.

국어의 조사를 대체하는 다단어 표현 연구: 체계기능언어학의 경험적 은유의 관점

Objectives The purpose of this paper is to explain the relationship between experiential metaphors and multiword expressions that substitute for postpositional markers in Korean from the perspective of systemic functional linguistics. Methods grammatical metaphor, a concept introduced in Halliday (1985), operates in the opposite direction of metaphor to lexical metaphor. Whereas lexical metaphor starts at the lexical-grammatical level and realizes ‘alternative meanings’ at the discourse-semantic level, grammatical metaphor starts at the discourse-semantic level and realizes ‘alternative forms’ at the lexical-grammatical level. More specifically, circumstantial(or postpositional) metaphor is a phenomenon in which a multiword expression, such as phrase or clause, metaphorizes the meaning of a particular adverbial postposition, and has various lexicogrammatical alternative realizations. Here, the former circumstantial metaphoric expressions are called incongruent, and the latter adverbial postpositions are called congruent. Results The results of this study show that multiword expressions in Korean three different kinds: verbatim type, experiential metaphor type (Type I), experiential idiomatic type (Type II). Among these, the verbatim is only recognized as an entry stage for multiword expressions. After reviewing in detail the lists of previous studies (postpostion equivalents, postpostional collocation, periphrastic construction, grammaticalization, etc.), this paper applies the criteria of non-congruent, congruent, and postpositional meanings to them, and finally selects 34 experiential metaphors that substitute for postpositional markers and 13 idiomatic forms that replace postpositional markers. Conclusions Although we have limited our discussion to grammatical metaphors as substitution for postpositional markers, the scope of application of grammatical metaphors is very broad, and future research efforts need to continue to expand the scope.

Promoting a sense of belonging in university online learning: How and why initial teacher education students experience an increased sense of belonging

Despite evidence of practices that support online students in university learning, promoting engagement and building a student sense of belonging continue to be a challenge. To enhance student engagement, a suite of evidence-based learning design strategies was incorporated across online units of study in initial teacher education programmes at a regional Australian university. To determine the impact of these strategies or elements, students were surveyed regarding their perspectives on how the elements had positively impacted their sense of belonging within the online university community. The systemic functional linguistics Appraisal framework was used to analyse qualitative survey data, which reported students experienced an increased sense of belonging expressed as positive judgements of their own mental capacities. Students also expressed feeling cared for, valued and supported by academics and experienced enjoyment in their learning and reduced levels of stress. All elements were positively evaluated; however, unit coordinator behaviour, especially social capacity, was unexpectedly important in increasing student sense of belonging. Whilst ongoing incorporation of design elements to enhance engagement is important, the behaviours of unit coordinators actioned through these elements were paramount in promoting student belonging. Implications for practice or policy: Increasing levels of student belonging may be improved by including learning experiences that promote feelings of success and relationships with others. Unit coordinators can enhance online student belonging by using online learning design elements to demonstrate approachability, understanding, supportiveness, availability, presence, care and patience. Universities should consider adopting organisation-wide initiatives that promote consistent and visible learning design features and staff presence, with the aim of addressing attrition and retention challenges.