Electronic Theses and Dissertation

Penulisan esai merupakan komponen fundamental literasi akademik dalam program Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris; namun, banyak mahasiswa EFL terus mengalami kesulitan meskipun telah menyelesaikan mata kuliah penulisan esai. Studi deskriptif kualitatif ini bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi kesulitan linguistik mahasiswa dalam penulisan esai dan untuk mengeksplorasi kebutuhan belajar mereka setelah menyelesaikan mata kuliah Penulisan Esai. Studi ini dilakukan di Departemen Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Universitas Syiah Kuala. Data dikumpulkan melalui kuesioner tertutup yang diberikan kepada 93 mahasiswa semester lima dan wawancara semi-terstruktur dengan 10 partisipan terpilih. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa tata bahasa dianggap sebagai kesulitan paling berat dalam hal intensitas (M = 4,17), sedangkan pilihan kata adalah kesulitan yang paling sering dialami, dilaporkan oleh 61,83% mahasiswa, meskipun dengan intensitas yang lebih rendah (M = 3,75). Aspek lain, termasuk organisasi, ide pendukung, dan ejaan, diidentifikasi sebagai kesulitan sedang, sedangkan tanda baca dan kapitalisasi dianggap kurang bermasalah. Temuan wawancara menunjukkan bahwa kesulitan linguistik mahasiswa secara langsung memengaruhi kebutuhan belajar mereka, khususnya kebutuhan akan bimbingan instruksional yang lebih jelas, penjelasan eksplisit tentang struktur esai, umpan balik berkelanjutan, dan dukungan berkelanjutan selama proses penulisan. Studi ini menyimpulkan bahwa kesulitan linguistik dan kebutuhan belajar siswa saling terkait erat, menyoroti pentingnya mengintegrasikan dukungan linguistik dengan pengajaran berorientasi proses dalam kelas penulisan esai.

Essay writing is a fundamental component of academic literacy in English Education programs; however, many EFL students continue to experience difficulties despite having completed essay writing courses. This qualitative descriptive study aimed to identify students’ linguistic difficulties in essay writing and to explore their learning needs after completing the Essay Writing course. The study was conducted at the English Education Department of Universitas Syiah Kuala. Data were collected through a close-ended questionnaire administered to 93 fifth-semester students and semi-structured interviews with 10 selected participants. The findings revealed that grammar was perceived as the most severe difficulty in terms of intensity (M = 4.17), while word choice was the most frequently experienced difficulty, reported by 61.83% of students, although with a lower intensity (M = 3.75). Other aspects, including organization, supporting ideas, and spelling, were identified as moderate difficulties, whereas punctuation and capitalization were perceived as less problematic. Interview findings indicated that students’ linguistic difficulties directly influenced their learning needs, particularly the need for clearer instructional guidance, explicit explanation of essay structure, continuous feedback, and sustained support throughout the writing process. The study concludes that students’ linguistic difficulties and learning needs are closely interconnected, highlighting the importance of integrating linguistic support with process-oriented instruction in essay writing classes.