EXPLORING EFL STUDENTS' CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS IN WRITING THEIR UNDERGRADUATE THESES
A THESIS
Submitted as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in Obtaining the Degree of Sarjana Pendidikan in English Education Study Program
BY:
RONI RIZKI HUTABARAT A1B219126
ENGLISH EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE DEPARTMENT FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF JAMBI 2022
i
TABLE OF CONTENT
APPROVAL iv
LETTER OF RATIFICATION v
DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY viii
MOTTO ix
ABSTRACT x
LIST OF TABLES xii
LIST OF FIGURES xiii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT xiv
CHAPTER I 1
INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Background of the Research 1
1.2 Research Questions 3
1.3 Purposes of the Research 3
1.4 Limitation of the Research 3
1.5 Significance of Research 3
1.6 Definition of Key Term 4
CHAPTER II 6
REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE 6
2.1 Writing & academic writing 6
2.2 The importance of writing in academic context 7
2.3 Components of academic writing 8
2.3.1 Content 9
2.3.2. Organization 9
2.3.3 Vocabulary 10
2.3.4 Language Use 10
2.3.5 Mechanics 10
2.4 Types of academic writing 11
2.4.1 Essay 11
2.4.2 Research Paper 11
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2.4.3 Research Article 11
2.4.4 Dissertation 12
2.4.5 Thesis 12
2.4.6 Technical Report 12
2.4.7 Research Project 13
2.5 Writing Thesis 13
2.6 EFL students’ challenges in thesis writing : A review 15
2.6.1 Physiological factors 16
2.6.1.1 Confidence 16
2.6.1.2 Motivation 17
2.6.2 Sociocultural factors 18
2.6.2.1 knowledge of university’s format in thesis writing 18 2.6.2.2 Unsupportive behavior of the supervisors , community, and
family 19
2.6.3 Linguistics Factors 19
2.6.3.1 Grammar 20
2.6.3.2 Vocabulary 20
2.6.3.3 Paraphrasing 20
2.7 Potential Solutions 21
2.7.1 Self-Regulated Strategy 22
2.7.2 Seeking For Help 23
2.7.3 Feedback 23
2.8 Previous Study 24
CHAPTER III 27
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 27
3.1 Design of Research 27
3.2 Research Participants 28
3.3 Data Collection 29
3.3.1 Interview 29
3.3.2 Documentation 31
3.4 Data analysis 31
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3.5 Trustworthiness and Ethical Considerations 33
CHAPTER 1V 35
FINDING AND DISCUSSION 35
4.1 Research findings 35
4.1.1 Challenges in Writing Theses 35
4.1.1.1 Linguistics and Writing Knowledge Issues 36
4.1.1.1.1 Grammar 36
4.1.1.1.2 Vocabulary 38
4.1.1.1.3 Paraphrasing 40
4.1.1.1.4 Referencing 41
4.1.1.2 Psychological Issues 43
4.1.1.2.1 Lack of Motivation 43
CHAPTER V 44
CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 44
5.1 Conclusions 44
5.2 Suggestions 44
REFERENCES 46
iv APPROVAL
This thesis proposal entitled “Exploring EFL Students' Challenges and Solutions in Writing Their Undergraduate Theses” written by Roni Rizki Hutabarat, Student’s number A1B219126 has been corrected and approved to be reviewed in front of the board of examiners.
Jambi, December 7th 2022 First Supervisor
v Dr. Mukhlash Abrar, S.S., M.Hum NIP. 198403142008121001
Jambi, December 7th 2022 Second Supervisor
Dr. Nunung Fajaryani, S.Pd., M.Pd NIP. 198106182009122001
vi
vii
viii
DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY
I, Roni Rizki Hutabarat, (A1B219126) declares that Exploring EFL Students' Challenges and Solutions in Writing Their Undergraduate Theses is my own work, that has not been submitted before for any degree or examination in any other university, and that all the sources I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledge as complete references.
Jambi, December 7th 2022
Roni Rizki Hutabarat A1B219125
ix MOTTO
“But how could you live and have no story to tell?”
(Fyodor Dostoevsky)
“We live on this speck called Earth- think about what you might do, Today or tomorrow – and make the most of it.”
(Neil Degrasse Tyson)
I devote this thesis to all my family members who have been part of my support system since day one.
x ABSTRACT
RONI RIZKI HUTABARAT 2022, Exploring EFL Students' Challenges and Solutions in Writing Their Undergraduate Theses. English Education Study Program. Faculty of Teacher Training Education of Universitas Jambi in Academic year 2022/2023. The first supervisor is Dr. Mukhlash Abrar, S.S., M.Hum. The second supervisor is Nunung Fajaryani, S.Pd., M.Pd.
The purposes of this qualitative research were to explore EFL students’ challenges and solutions in writing their undergraduate theses. In doing the research, the researcher used a case study approach for the design to provide a rich source of data on individuals’ experiences. There were 10 participants participating in this research and they met the inclusive criteria for the research, including active EFL learners at English study program, completing thesis seminar stage, and willing to voluntarily participate in the research. In collecting the data, the researcher employed semi-structured interviews and documents (supervisors’ notes). The data were then analyzed by using thematic analysis. The results indicated that four themes of challenges were identified, including linguistics and writing knowledge issues (grammar, vocabulary, paraphrasing, and referencing), psychological issues (lack of motivation and lack of confidence), media issues and resources issues (online platform, limited references, and inaccessible websites), and supervision and time management issues (unsupportive supervisor and poor time management). This research also revealed that there were three identified strategies used by EFL students in minimizing those challenges, including self- management strategies (doing positive activities, abstaining from thesis, and making schedule notes), technological helps ( language apps, and entertainment/studying app), and help from others (help from supervisors; help from families and friends)
Key words : Challenges in writing thesis, EFL students, Case Study, Qualitative, Thesis
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xii
LIST OF TABLES
1. The Literature Review of Challenges in Thesis Writing...15
2. The Literature Review of Strategies in Thesis Writing...22
3. Specification of Interview Protocol...30
4. Themes and sub-themes of participant’s challenges... 36
5. specification of Strategies in Overcoming Challenges in Writing Thesis...52
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LIST OF FIGURES
1. Figure 1. The phases of Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis (2006) 2. Figure2. Grammar notes
3. Figure 3. Grammar notes 4. Figure 4. Vocabulary notes 5. Figure 5. Referencing notes 6. Figure 6. Referencing notes
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First of all, the researcher would like to express the biggest gratitude to Allah SWT, who is The Most Merciful and The Most Gracious which the researcher managed to finish my thesis. None of this would be possible without His love, guidance, and strength given to the researcher. Furthermore, the researcher also would like to express deep and sincere gratitude to the first thesis supervisor Dr. Mukhlash Abrar, S.S., M.Hum and the second thesis supervisor Nunung Fajaryani, S.Pd., M.Pd. who have tirelessly supported, guided, motivated so that the researcher is successfully able to complete this thesis. The researcher is feeling thankful that they were guided and assisted by these tremendous thesis supervisors who have so much patience and concern in handling the researcher during the process of finishing the thesis. The researcher also would like to say thanks to his academic supervisor Tubagus Zam Zam Al Arif, S,Pd., M.Pd.for the support and assistance given to the researcher.
Moreover, the next biggest gratitude goes to his family, particularly his parents. To his mother, thank you for her unconditional love, support, and prayers that the researcher has received so far. Also his father, thank you for his unconditional love, moral support, time, financial support and prayers that the researcher has received so far, and the researcher cannot be thankful enough for that. To all his siblings, thank you for the love and assistance. The researcher feels so grateful to have such a supportive family so that the researcher managed to finish this thesis on time.
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Lastly, the researcher would like to say massive thanks to his friends, especially his classmates, for being very supportive, helpful, and decent throughout his journey in obtaining bachelor degree at Universitas Jambi.
Furthermore, the researcher would like to say thank you to the participants for willing to be part of his research. To each person the researcher met which cannot be mentioned one by one during his study at Universitas Jambi, thank you for being present and motivating the researcher to chase his dreams.
Jambi, December 4 2022 Writer,
Roni Rizki Hutabarat A1B219126
1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, researcher provides 1. background information of this research, 2. research objectives, 3. research questions, 4. significance of the study, 5. limitation of the research and 6. definitions of some key terms.
1.1 Background of the Research
English is the most used language in the world. Thus, it has become one of the most essential things to be proficient at in the modern era. To master English means a better and bigger opportunity for success. As a result, a lot of people try to learn English to pave a better future for their careers. Many people from non- native English speaking countries try to capitalize the opportunity and start to learn English (Haydn and Stephn , 2021). However, it is not as easy as it seems, many of them give up and never try to learn it again.
As one of the productive skills, writing is one of the most critical skills to master. Among the four main skills, writing is undoubtedly one of the most important and hardest productive skills in English. It requires strong physical and mental fortitude. In its process, writers may need particular aspects such as diction, grammar mastery, and critical thinking to be able to deliver their ideas to readers. Bracewell (2020) describes that writing is the most demanding and complex among cognitive activities by human beings. Furthermore, White and Arndt (1991) also adds that second language learners/ EFL learners will find it difficult to come up with an idea to write. These predicaments would contribute to ineffective writings, especially for EFL students.
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In Indonesia, writing undergraduate thesis is one of the requirements to get a bachelor degree. As a result, thesis has become one of the most daunting aspects for EFL students. Without an excellent writing skill, thesis will most likely become an insurmountable mountain for the students to climb. It will be very challenging for EFL students to convey their ideas through their writings. In fact, most cases in which EFL students struggle in writing are coming from academic forms of writing. Sokip (2020) states a great number of non-native students face obstacles in learning foreign languages. They also make a lot of mistakes and deficits in academic writing. That being said, writing academically will be more challenging than writing other kinds of writings.
Some of the previous studies related to the topic of writing undergraduate thesis, research by Dwindhandi, Marhaeni, & Suarnajaya (2020) found that the challenges that students face while writing thesis include psychological, sociocultural, and linguistics factors. Another related research conducted by Puspita (2019) also revealed that there are three main factors that affect students in thesis writing such as personality trait, sociocultural factor, and linguistic factor.
The aforementioned research has inspired the researcher to bring up the same issue. However , in order to do that, finding research gaps is crucial. After some examinations, the researcher found out that the there are not enough research conducted revolving around this issue, most of the cases also focused on postgraduate rather than undergraduate (Bakhou & Bouhania, 2020; Ekpoh, 2016;
Ma LPF, 2020; Kourepaz & Khahsavar, 2020; Khajepasha & Sadeghi, 2015; Li &
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Wang, 2008). Aditionally, the researches that prevail around this issue seem to be lacking in the involvement of non-technical aspects (Bakhou & Bouhania, 2020;
Smith, 2004; Wang & li, 2008) . Therefore, this research will focus on both aspects, namely, technical and non-technical.
1.2 Research Questions
The problems of the study can be formulated into two aspects below:
1. What challenges do students face while writing undergraduate theses?
2. How do students deal with the challenges?
1.3 Purposes of the Research
Based on the problems above, this research is intended to achieve some objectives below:
1. To explore the EFL students’ challenges in thesis writing
2. To explain the potential solutions EFL students’ challenges in thesis writing
1.4 Limitation of the Research
To enhance its comprehensibility, this research will be limited into one limitation. So not only will this research focus on linguistics, but also it will include all other aspects such as the processes EFL students undergone while writing their theses. In other words, It entails external and internal influences that EFL students experience in thesis writing.
1.5 Significance of Research 1. For the lecturer/Supervisor
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The results of this research are expected to assist lecturers to deal with the same problems in the future from supervisors’ perspectives. This research will be beneficial for providing insights and perspectives of EFL students on their difficulties in writing their thesis. Thus, by utilizing this research, lecturers as supervisors will understand the challenges to provide appropriate assistance to minimize the drawbacks caused by the issue . In result, the relationship between supervisor and supervisee will be more optimal.
2. For the Students
The findings of this research will be exceptionally advantageous for students in many ways. First, this research will help them to be prepared for the upcoming challenges that they might face during their thesis writings. Thus, they will know what to expect and are capable of handling the situation better. Finally, for the participants, this research is a medium to share their voices regarding the issue of thesis writing.
3. For other Researchers
The results of this research will provide other researchers information about the challenges that EFL students face while writing their theses. That said, the information provided has a high possibility to be the actual solutions to their research.
1.6 Definition of Key Term 1. Undergraduate Thesis
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Undergraduate thesis refers to a research project undertaken by an undergraduate student with the guidance of a supervisor as part of the final assignment before completing their undergraduate study.
2. Challenges in Thesis Writing
Challenges in Thesis Writing refers to any obstructions that can contribute to slow down or impede student’s progress in their thesis writing.
3. EFL students
EFL ( English Foreign Language) students are students that learn English in non-English speaking countries. These students also use English not as their main language. They usually learn English to fulfill certain purposes.
4. Potential Solutions
Solution that possibly could help students to minimize their challenges in writing thesis
6 CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter provides review of related literature to support the theories related to this research. It is divided into eight sections, as follows: (1) Writing and Academic Writing, (2) The Importance of Writing in Academic Context, (3) Components of Academic Writing, (4) Types of Academic Writing, (5) EFL Students’ Challenges in Thesis Writing : A review , (6) EFL Student Academic Writing: A Review of Challenges, (7) Potential Solutions, and (8) Previous Study.
2.1 Writing & academic writing
Writing is one of the most challenging language skills (Dwihandini et al, 2013), and when it comes to EFL students, it is even more challenging because the writing process requires the writer to generate their writing ideas on a specific topic. Many experts explained the concept of writing. Harmer (2006), for instance, stated that writing is a productive skill that requires emotion and thought. Furthermore, Tarigan (1985: 5) argued “writing is a productive ability to write and to communicate indirectly”. Moreover, Harmer (2006) defined writing as a form of communication that is used to convey and express ideas in written form. Although the definitions from experts seem different they have one similarity, writing is used as a way to produce ideas and to express thoughts of writers . Thus, without an adequate competence in writing, EFL students will most likely struggle in creating, organizing, and expressing their idea into a single unit piece of writing.
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In general, writing is divided into several types and one of them is academic writing. Badreddine (2019) suggested academic writing as any piece of writing which discusses academic topics. Furthermore, Valdes (2019) stated that academic writing refers to formal writing that is produced in an educational environment. That being said, academic writing is quite distinct to other types of writing. Academic writings are commonly found in educational settings and usually conducted by professor, lecturer, teacher, and students. It also follows some basic characteristics such as evidence-based arguments, systematic and structured order, and proper word choice.
In conclusion, writing and academic writing are two different terms that can not be lumped into one pot. While writing encapsulates the entirety of the spectrum, academic writing exclusively refers to formal writing in academic context. That’s why it is very crucial for students to grasp the competence in academic writing, especially university students, as they will be required to produce academic writing as their final project at the end of their academic programs.
2.2 The importance of writing in academic context
Academically, writing is an essential skill to master especially in the current era where writing is one of the primary indicators to evaluate someone’s intellect and learning capability. By having a good writing skill, the chance of one being graduated from a university will be a lot easier, as writing is very useful because it’s consistently used in higher education (Walsh, 2010) . Additionally, when someone wants to work in an academic environment and/or to pursue his/her
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higher education, writing skill is one of the acceptance standards. Writing skills will also help individuals in the work environment as it’s fairly used in the professional scene (Walsh, 2010).
Another importance of academic writing is that it will hone students’ thinking skills. It is considered to be a cognitive challenge, it demands to recall information from long-term memory (Kellogg, Olive, & Pilot, 2001). In result, practicing writing skills will help students to exponentially improve their cognitive as well as memory capacity. Having good cognitive and memory capability will surely help students to increase their academic achievement as those aspects are very essential in determining one's learning capabilities.
Good writing ability could also potentially provide ones with broader career opportunities, especially in an academic environment. Because written language ,nowadays, has an important social and educational function and its status has a high social prestige (Urbanova and Oakland, 2002: 31). Furthermore, Walsh (2010) suggested that writing is very useful because it’s consistently used in higher education. Thus, one would have a better chance in having a good career path with adequate writing abilities .
Based on the points above, it could be concluded that there are three importance of having good writing skills – making graduation from university easier, honing students’ thinking skills, and last but not least providing a broader opportunity in career, especially in an educational environment.
2.3 Components of academic writing
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Jacob (2008, 22) states that there are five components that need to be considered in writing . These five components are content, organization, vocabulary, language use and mechanics.
2.3.1 Content
The content of writing should be clear and comprehensible so that the messages can be conveyed to the readers. Besides, in order to create good writing, there are some characteristics that should be met. The piece of work needs to fulfill the characteristics of unity and completeness.
Rijlaarsam et al (2005:17) defines unity as text content and structure both related to writing assignment. Each good piece of writing always entails unity, it means that there is always a main idea in each paragraph and supported sentences.
The main idea will be stated in the topic sentence and the following sentences will be posed as supporting sentences.
A piece of writing has to provide sufficient information and truth to the readers. In a paragraph, the writer is obliged to lay out enough information to clarify and support the main idea of the writing. Therefore, completeness refers to a writing in which the main idea is explained and developed in full completeness.
2.3.2. Organization
Organization refers to the entire structure of the writing (Ruegg &
Sugiyama, 2013). The writer has to unfold their ideas in chronological order. The most common and recognizable way to do it will be to state the main idea of the writing at the front and work to develop the rest of the paragraphs hereafter
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(Boardman & Frydenberg, 2008). In brief, organization is one of pivotal aspects in writing as it represents the whole structure of the writing or manuscript.
2.3.3 Vocabulary
Vocabulary is one of the most fundamental aspects in writing. A good piece of writing will have proper use of diction, less repetition, and variety of words (Laufer, 2012). This means that when the writer uses appropriate vocabulary in his/her writing, the message can be conveyed better to readers and vice versa. It also captures the writer's ideas perfectly.
2.3.4 Language Use
Language use is one of the most essential components in writing, as it will determine the quality of the writing itself. A lot of writers will struggle in this phase as it is one of the most challenging components. That’s why most writers will employ an editor to get their writings rechecked . Language use refers to the application of grammatical rules. It deals with the usage of verbs, nouns, syntax, agreement, and . A good writing work will put proper grammatical rules in use (Hans & Hans, 2017) especially in academic writing that puts so much attention in this component.
2.3.5 Mechanics
Another component in writing is mechanics. Mechanics deal with the use of capitalization, punctuation and spelling (Smith, 2013). This component is important because it will help the readers a lot in comprehending the writing. On the contrary, the misuse of these aspects will possibly lead to a misunderstanding and misinterpretation.
11 2.4 Types of academic writing
According to Badreddine (2019), Academic writing can be divided into seven categories, namely essay, research paper, research article, dissertation, thesis, technical report, and research project.
2.4.1 Essay
Essay is a piece of writing with several paragraphs long (Oshima and Hogue, 2000 ). It is written from the point of view of the author, and has a set of structured aspects: an introduction, body, and conclusion (Sara, 2019). It is primarily intended to inform and convince the readers about the topic. The objectives of an essay are unique from one to another; it could be used to influence readers' ideology, give information about a topic, or even persuade readers’ ideology on a particular issue.
2.4.2 Research Paper
Research paper is a type of academic writing that expresses information and ideas in effective ways (Bitchener et al, 2017. A research paper is a product of information seeking, analysis of a particular topic conducted by someone. It requires processes and follows particular requirements. In writing a research paper, one usually has to look for secondary sources, try to find the defined themes and then write the conclusions.
2.4.3 Research Article
According to Sara (2019), a research article examines findings of particular research, determines its relevance to the subject, and published through a peer- reviewed scholarly publication. It is intended to give reports of methodologies
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and results of original studies and the description of its research activities.
Generally, research articles consist of the following components: a title and abstract, an introduction, a methodology, results, discussion, and references.
2.4.4 Dissertation
Dissertation refers to a lengthy written work, especially written by candidates to obtain their doctoral degrees at the end of their academic program. It allows students to present their findings to a particular subject selected. It usually builds on an already existing theory and includes a research question, research choices and a literature review, methodology, analysis of results and a discussion.
The aim of the dissertation is to be a test for students to gauge their independent research skills that they have acquired during their time in university.
2.4.5 Thesis
Thesis is the pinnacle of projects that students have to conduct at the end of their educational program. Therefore, it is deemed to be very important to comprehend the basic concept of a thesis. According to Badreddine (2019) thesis is a stated idea or theory that is being discussed in a logical sense. In general, it refers to academic paper projects conducted by students at the end of their educational program. Slightly different from what people in general refer to only for master degree, in Indonesia context, the term thesis is used in both undergraduate and master degree.
2.4.6 Technical Report
Technical report is a written document submitted by researchers to sponsors regarding the results and findings of a project. It may contain data,
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design criteria, procedures, literature reviews, research history, detailed tables , and explanation of approaches that were unsuccessful. Additionally, the publishment of technical report may be before the corresponding journal literature, and may have more or different details than its subsequent journal article.
2.4.7 Research Project
Research projects are scientific works that attempt to achieve predetermined objectives using scientific approach (Badreddine, 2019). It may include: Case series, Survey, Secondary data analysis such as decision analysis, cost effectiveness analysis or meta-analysis. It is aimed to be able to answer and give solutions to the issues being studied.
Based on the previous explanations, it can be concluded that there are seven distinguished types of academic writing : essay, research paper, research article, dissertation, thesis, technical report, and research project. . Each has its own characteristics and purposes. However, the focus of this research falls on the thesis and therefore, will be the center of discussion in this research.
2.5 Writing Thesis
Writing thesis refers to processes undergone by students in completing their theses. It’s very different from any other form of writing that students have faced in their entire life. The process itself is very complicated and will take a long time to finish. Berndtsson et al. (2008) stated that the thesis project is most likely the biggest project that students will take in their academic period, or even
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in their life. As a result, writing a thesis requires a huge amount of effort and dedication to complete.
In its processes of writing, there are five chapters of the thesis in total that must be completed. According to Paltridge and Starfield (2007), these five chapters are introductory chapter, literature review chapter, methodology chapter, result chapter and conclusion chapter.
1. In the introductory chapter, researchers provide the background information of their thesis, research objectives, research questions, significance of the study, limitation of their research, and definitions of some key terms that are being used in the thesis. All of these aspects are arranged systematically in the first chapter of the thesis.
2. The second chapter is literature review, in this chapter the research includes the review of related literature and its implication to their research. The related literature could be either empirical or theoretical.
3. The third chapter, research methodology, is one of the most essential parts of the thesis. In this chapter, the researcher elaborates the overall approach to their research. It includes research design, samples, sampling procedures, data collection, and data analysis.
4. Finding and Discussion, this part includes the results of the research and the interpretation of the data. The research provides an elaborated analysis of the data collected and draws conclusions accordingly.
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5. In the last chapter of the thesis, the research finishes their thesis by providing the final conclusion of the thesis as well as recommendation to the issues.
2.6 EFL students’ challenges in thesis writing : A review
In this section, we will discuss a review of EFL students’ challenges in thesis writing. In order to determine the challenges, the researcher has conducted examinations on 15 relevant articles. These 15 articles were selected by searching for particular keywords – challenges in thesis writing, EFL students’ challenges in thesis writing, EFL students’ difficulties in writing thesis. All of the articles involved were published within 15 years. After examining the articles, the researcher identified three major challenges and its sub-themes. These challenges encapsulates psychological factors ( lack of motivation, and lack of motivation), Sociocultural factors ( lack of knowledge of university’s format in thesis writing, unsupportive behavior of the supervisors , community, and family), and Linguistics factors ( grammar, vocabulary, and paraphrasing). The following table provides an overview of the challenges.
Table 1. The Literature Review of Challenges in Thesis Writing
NO Key points Articles
1
Psychological Factors
Lack of confidence (Dwihandini et al, 2013); (Puspita, 2019)
Lack of motivation (Balena & Liwag, , 2019);
(Lestari, 2020)
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Sociocultural Factors
Lack of knowledge of university’s format in thesis writing
(Puspita, 2019) ; (Dwihandini et al , 2013)
Unsupportive behavior of the supervisors , community, and family
(Ballena & Liwag 2019);
(Tiwari, 2019)
3
Linguistics Factors
Grammar (Dwihandini et al,
2013) ; (Mohamed &
Zouaoi, 2014)
Vocabulary (Al-Khasawneh,
2010) ;
(Kristy, 2012)
Paraphrasing (Puspita, 2019) ; (Dung, 2010)
2.6.1 Physiological factors
Kellog and Ronald (1999) stated that psychological factors refer to factors that influence one's mental state, feelings, and behavior. Psychological factors are important as it will be very influential to students’ willingness to do their thesis.
Based on the previous research, there are two major challenges that fall into this category – lack of confidence and lack of motivation.
2.6.1.1 Confidence
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Lack of confidence is one of the most common challenges that EFL students face in writing a thesis. Students with low confidence will feel worthless, and incapable. In result, their thesis writing will be deterred and ineffective.
Previous study conducted by Dwihandini et al (2013) analyzed the factors affecting undergraduate students’ difficulties in writing a thesis. The results indicated that the participants of the research have very low confidence in deciding the titles of their thesis. Moreover, research conducted by Puspita (2019) stated that students with low confidence have difficulties in writing a proper literature review. They are incapable of finding a proper source for their reference, in result, they only depend on journals and pdf files.
2.6.1.2 Motivation
Another psychological challenge EFL students face is lack of motivation.
Motivation is very essential in fueling ones’ desire in pursuing something.
Motivation explains the reasoning of people who decide to do something, how hard they will do it and how long they are going to sustain the activity (Diferiansyah et al, 2016). A qualitative study by Balena & Liwag (2019) indicated that the involvement of personal motivation – passion, background, and interest in thesis will help them to successfully finish their theses. On the opposite, lack of motivation will create disencouragement for students to do their theses. Moreover, another research by Lestari (2020) argued that one of the challenges students face in writing a thesis is dealing with motivation, especially intrinsic motivation. They lack the internal drive that pushes them to achieve
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something. Hence, most of the students do not have the desire to finish their theses and end up failing to graduate.
2.6.2 Sociocultural factors
Language can not be separated from culture, hence it is very essential to consider the influence of sociocultural factors in thesis writing. Brown (2007) argued that culture is very essential in learning a second language. As a result, culture will always be involved in the equation. Based on the previous studies, there are two major factors in socio-cultural aspects - Lack of knowledge of university’s format in thesis writing, and Unsupportive behavior of the supervisors , community, and family.
2.6.2.1 knowledge of university’s format in thesis writing
In thesis writing, every university has their own regulation and format that the students need to follow. Knowing the format of thesis writing will heavily help students to complete their theses. On the opposite, Lack of knowledge of format in thesis writing will put students in a very difficult predicament. A study by Puspita (2019) found that one of the challenges that students face in thesis writing comes from the format of thesis writing. The results showed that all of the respondents mentioned the same concerns. They found it difficult to understand the culture in university regarding the standard format of thesis writing. They felt the university format standard was very hard to comprehend. Furthermore, Dwihandini et al (2013) stated that students struggle in sociocultural aspects which involve having comprehension about the cultural aspect of the university regarding the format of the thesis writing. The result showed 53% of the
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respondents agreed that the sociocultural aspect influenced thesis writing while 14% of the respondents claimed they have experienced it first hand.
2.6.2.2 Unsupportive behavior of the supervisors , community, and family Surrounding people play a huge role in determining the success of students in completing their theses. Their remarks, comments, and suggestions are very crucial for students’ mental states (Ballena & Liwag, 2019). A qualitative study by Balena & Liwag (2019) found out that having a very approachable, knowledgeable, and accommodating supervisor were a big help for students in finishing their theses. In addition, the support of family, colleagues, and friends was also extremely essential. Because for some students, the feelings of pride for themselves and others were what drive them to complete their theses. Similarly, Tiwari (2019) researched about the challenges students face while writing their theses. The results showed that all of the participants claimed that their supervisors do not show any sympathy and are always angry when being asked to be cooperative. Thirteen participants claimed that their supervisors only care about their benefits, and one participant also stated that their supervisor indirectly demands money.
2.6.3 Linguistics Factors
Linguistics is one of (if not) the most important aspects in writing a thesis.
Because it will determine the contents of the writing itself. The progress of the writing will deter without the use of proper linguistics aspects. Lim (1975) stated linguistics as scientific study of language. Thus, linguistics entails a myriad of language related components. Previous studies indicate there are four major
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challenges that students face in linguistics - Grammar, Vocabulary, and Paraphrasing.
2.6.3.1 Grammar
The first linguistic challenge for students is grammar. A study by Dwihandini et al (2013) investigated factors affecting undergraduate students’
difficulties in writing a thesis. The results showed that 73 % of respondents agreed that linguistic factors – grammar error - as one of the challenges they faced in writing a thesis. They found it difficult in minimizing the grammatical errors in their thesis. Similarly, a study by Mohamed & Zouaoi (2014) indicated that the lack of grammatical knowledge is one of the biggest challenges for students in writing. It was revealed that students make a lot of grammatical errors in their writings.
2.6.3.2 Vocabulary
The other linguistic-related challenge is vocabulary. A qualitative study by Al-Khasawneh (2010) showed that one of the challenges students face is vocabulary. Apparently, Vocabulary has become a major problem for students in their writing. Furthermore, Pratiwi (2012) researched students' difficulties in writing English. The results indicated that vocabulary was the most difficult aspect for the students. In this regard, students have very limited vocabularies, tendency to use incorrect words, and obscure meaning in their sentences.
2.6.3.3 Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing is a technique used to re-phrase and borrow experts’ words to make it more comprehensible for readers. Baley (2011) defined paraphrasing as
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modification of words from original source without any significant difference in meaning. Paraphrasing is commonly used in thesis writing in order to avoid plagiarism. Therefore, lacking in paraphrasing skill will give students a huge handicap.
A mixed method study by Puspita (2019) found paraphrasing as the most common challenge students encountered. All of the respondents claimed that paraphrasing is one of the sources of their difficulties in writing their theses. The lack of ability in paraphrasing are mainly due to limited vocabulary, incapability to understand sentences, and grammatical errors. Moreover, Dung (2010) did his research about EFL students’ paraphrasing experience in academic writing. The results showed the difficulties in paraphrasing sentences come from change from the original sentence, the citation of original text, the unawareness of how important the skill is, and their lack of willingness to create the sentences.
2.7 Potential Solutions
This section discusses an overview of potential solutions to overcome the challenges in writing undergraduate thesis by EFL students. The term solution is used because it entails a review of potential solutions that are fitting to the context of research problems that researchers want to explore. The researcher reviewed several articles related to students’ challenges in writing their theses. The researcher searches for relevant articles in some platforms, using particular keywords – students’ strategies in thesis writing, solutions in overcoming the challenges in thesis writing, and strategies in thesis writing. The reviewed articles used to support this research published within the last 15 years. Due to the
22
complexity of the review, the researcher divided it into three major solutions. The potential solutions are self-regulated strategy, seeking for help , and
Table 2. The Literature Review of Strategies in Thesis Writing
NO Key Points Articles
1
Self-Regulated Strategy
(Hammann, 2005); (Hacker et al, 2015); (Mehrabi et al, 2016)
2
Seeking For Help
(Almatarneh et al , 2018);
Wang & Yang, 2012)
3
Feedback
(Wang & Yang, 2012);
( Ravichandran et al., 2017)
2.7.1 Self-Regulated Strategy
Self-regulation is defined to be “self-generated thoughts, feelings, and actions intended to attain specific educational goals” (Zimmerman, Bonner, &
Kovach, 1996, p. 2). Self-regulated strategies allow students to be able to monitor and improve their learning. Zimmerman (1999) argued that self regulation in learning has three stages : forethought, performance, and self-reflection.
Forethought entails preparation for learning stages, in this stage, students formulate their learning managements. Performance refers to maintaining concentration and performance during the learning processes. And the last one is self-reflection, it refers to students’ introspections at the end of their learning.
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Implementing self-regulated strategies are very beneficial for students in many ways. Previous research showed how self-regulated strategies give so many advantages for students, especially in writing. A study by Hammann (2005) indicated that self-regulated strategies can help students to find enjoyment in writing, hence, improve their performances. Similarly, research by Hacker et al (2015) also showed how self-regulated strategies make students perform better in their writing tasks. Furthermore, Mehrabi et al (2016) found out that self - regulated strategies could improve students’ performances in overall academic writings.
2.7.2 Seeking For Help
The help of surrounding people including : supervisor, community, family, and friends are very essential to overcome the challenges that students experience in thesis writing. . In a study by Almatarneh et al (2018) found that help seeking strategies from seniors, classmates, supervisors, and peers is the best way possible to overcome challenges in academic writing. Moreover, a study Wang and Yang (2012) indicated the help from surrounding people will significantly increase students’ performance in academic writing.
2.7.3 Feedback
Another strategy that the EFL students can use to overcome their challenges in thesis writing is by getting feedback. Feedback given by supervisors, friends, community, and family are moral boosts that will speed up students' progress and make their writing become more effective. Wang and Yang (2012) highlighted that the support given by supervisors and peers in form of
24
comments and suggestions could further improve the progress of their thesis writings. Furthermore, Yao et al. (2017) indicate that feedback is very essential in boosting students’ performance, especially in academic writing.
2.8 Previous Study
In this section, the researcher provides relevant studies from previous research. There are several studies conducted revolving around EFL students' challenges in writing their thesis. Here are the following relevant studies about the topic:
The first research entitled “The analysis of the factors affecting undergraduate students’ difficulties in writing thesis in the English department of Mahasaraswati University '' by Dwihandini et al (2013). This research utilized mixed methods and used the descriptive survey research proposed by Sapsford.
The data were collected using expert judgment sheets, questionnaires, and interviews. This study aims to examine the factors affecting undergraduate students’ difficulties in writing a thesis. The results showed that there are three factors affecting students’ difficulties in writing a thesis. The first factor is psychological factors, it entails lack of confidence in deciding the thesis title, prior knowledge of thesis topic, and the ability to write a good thesis. The second one is the sociocultural factor, it covers the ability to form meaningful sentences, the knowledge of proper lexical and linguistic units, and the university format of thesis. The last one is linguistic factors. In the linguistic aspect, the challenges mostly come from the inability of students to minimize grammatical errors. The
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findings indicate that psychological factors are the highest concerns for students, followed by sociocultural factors and linguistic factors.
The second research is by Puspita (2019) entitled “Factors affecting students’ difficulties in writing thesis : A Mixed-Methods Research at Eighth Semester of English Study Program in IAIN Curup”. The research used mixed- methods study and employed questionnaires and interviews as data collection. It is aimed to explore students’ difficulties in writing a thesis. The sampling and population for this research are students which are 49 total in number. The results showed that there are three major factors that the students face. The first factor is personality, which is testified by 82 % of the respondents. The next is followed by sociocultural factors with 83% of the respondents. The last is linguistic factors with the biggest contribution of 86% of the respondents.
The third is by Lestari (2020) entitled “An analysis of students’
difficulties in writing undergraduate thesis at the English education program of muhammadiyah University of Bengkulu”. This research used a descriptive quantitative method and the data were collected using questionnaires and interviews. It aims to explore the difficulties that undergraduate students face in writing their thesis at The English Study Program of Muhammadiyah University Bengkulu. The results showed that the biggest concerns of students in writing a thesis is from limited and low proficiency in English.
The similarities between the previous studies and this research are the focus on EFL students as the participants, and the challenges in writing thesis.
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While the differences are the approaches in research design and involvement of non-technical and technical aspects in the research.
27 CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter presents the methodology being used in this research as follows: 1. Research Design, 2. Research Participant and Sampling Procedures, 3.
Data Collection, 4.Data Analysis and 5.Trustworthiness and Ethical Considerations.
3.1 Design of Research
This research was intended to explore some insights of EFL students' teachers' challenges and their potential solutions in writing undergraduate theses. In order to attain the aforementioned aim, the researcher used qualitative design with a case study approach. Generally speaking, qualitative design would help the researcher to be able to comprehend the issues through second-hand experience using truthful reports and genuine evidence. As Denzin (2000) stated that qualitative research involves an interpretive and naturalistic approach. This means that qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or to interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them.
Following qualitative design was a case study. In qualitative research, case study is one of qualitative traditions (Creswell, 2007) and is the most used methodologies (Yazan, 2015). In case study, an actual problem is investigated within its context, with the consideration that the context will create a difference (Kaarbo & Beasley , 1999 ; Yin, 2004). Thus, it could provide in-depth, detailed, genuine information of the case that will really assist the researcher to be able to
28
draw more accurate, precise conclusions. All things considered, case study was chosen for the reason that it was deemed to be well-suited for this research.
3.2 Research Participants
The participants of the study were chosen by employing purposive sampling with a convenient technique. According to Patton (2002) purposive sampling is the process of identifying and selecting information in qualitative research as the most effective use of limited source. That being said, purposive sampling helped the researcher to choose the participants that are considered to be well suited with the purpose of this research (Berg et al, 2009; Bernard et al, 2016; Creswell, 2013;
McMillan & Schumacher, 2010).
In the same vein, a convenient technique was selected under the contemplation that it would be more efficient and well-fitted for the researcher in conducting the research. In selecting the participants, there were some criteria taken into consideration: 1. Active EFL undergraduate students, 2. EFL undergraduate students who have passed seminar proposals, 3. EFL undergraduate students who are willing to take part in this research. Initially, the researcher approached the qualified potential participants, the researcher explained about the benefits and the purposes of the research, the researcher also assured the participants of the confidentiality of their information and stated that they would remain anonymous.
There were 10 participants in this research. The reason why the researcher only took 10 participants was because this research focused more on in-depth exploration of a case and/or a phenomenon regardless of the quantity. Each one of
29
them was chosen based on the aforementioned criteria. Additionally, the participants were selected from an English student teacher program at one of the public universities in Jambi .
3.3 Data Collection
Data collection is one of the most influential aspects in research. It enables researchers to gather information in systematic fashion that would assist the researcher to answer the research questions. In this particular study, the researcher employed interviews and documentation. Further elaboration of the utilized methods are discussed below.
3.3.1 Interview
Interview is one of the data collection techniques. According to Kvale (1996: 174) interview is “a conversation, whose purpose is to gather descriptions of the life-world of the interviewee ''. In terms of its structures, interviews could be categorized into 3 subgroups. According to Mcmillan and Schumacher (2010) those three are structured, semi-structured, and unstructured. Needless to say, each type has its own drawbacks and benefits depending on their purposes. In this particular study, the researcher conducted a semi-structured interview. Semi- structured interview was perceived to be very fitting with the purposes of the research. Because it allowed the interviewer to explore participant thoughts, feelings and beliefs about a particular topic. It was believed to be able to provide sufficient data which in compliance with what the researcher wanted.
In the interviews, the researcher took the participants who were qualified to be part of this research. The researcher initially asked their willingness to
30
participate in this research and gave sufficient information about the research. The interviews were conducted either by face to face and online depending on the participants availability. In total, there were five interviews conducted offline and the remaining ones were conducted using phone call and zoom meetings. In each section, each participant was interviewed for 20 – 35 minutes long. The interviews were recorded by using zoom and phone recorder. Additionally, the interviews were transcribed to be analyzed. All of the interviews were conducted using Bahasa Indonesia.
In addition, the researcher used an interview protocol to guide the process of interview (see appendix 2). The interview protocol was constructed by considering the theories in chapter two and the instruments of some previous studies (Al-Khasawneh, 2010; Balena & Liwag , 2019; Puspita, 2019; Lestari, 2020; Dwihandini et al, 2013; Hammann, 2005). The questions in the interview protocol are expected to answer the research questions. The specification of questions can be seen in following table
Table 3. specification of Interview Protocol
NO Research Question Question Item
1 Greeting Question no 1
2 General experience Question no 2,3, and 4
3 First research question Question no. 5, 6, and 7 (Challenges)
4 Second research question Question no 8,9,10, and 11 (strategies)
31 3.3.2 Documentation
Other than interviews, the researcher employed documentation as one of the data collection techniques. This technique provided supplementary data that was very crucial for this study. Documents can provide background information and broad coverage of data, and are therefore helpful in contextualizing one's research within its subject or field (Bowen, 2009). That said, it was crystal clear that documents were crucial to help researchers to paint a bigger and clearer picture of the data.
In this study, the documents acquired were revisions and notes collected during the participants' consultations with their supervisors. Each participant presented five documents in the form of notes and revisions for the last five consultation meetings. These documents were partaken as physical evidence to reinforce participants' claims.
3.4 Data analysis
Another aspect that required a lot of attention is data analysis. Data analysis is one of the most decisive factors in research. Thorne (2000) characterized data analysis as the most complex phase of qualitative research, because this is the stage where the data being interpreted using analytical and logical reasonings. In this study, the researcher used thematic analysis. All of the collected transcriptions and documents were analyzed using this technique. The use of thematic analysis was deemed to be the perfect fit to cope with such as data.
According to Braun and Clarke (2006:79) “thematic analysis is a method for
32
identifying, analyzing, and reporting patterns (themes) within data”. Especially in interviews, this data analysis technique was well-matched to deal with transcriptions and documentations, it allowed the researcher to investigate some patterns throughout the dataset and drew conclusions based on that investigation.
Generally speaking, Thematic analysis has six steps, which are familiarization, coding, generating themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming themes, and writing up. Each one of the stages was done to determine the final result of this research.
Figure 1. The phases of Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis (2006)
The researcher utilized the steps mentioned above to process the data. In the first phase, the researcher performed data familiarization by listening to the recordings, transcribing, and studying the transcriptions multiple times.
Thenceforth, the researcher generated the initial codes. In generating data, the researcher underlined the important parts of the transcriptions. The next step was searching for themes. In this phase, the researcher combined several codes into a
33
single theme. After searching for themes, the next thing to do was reviewing the themes. The researcher had to make sure that the themes were accurate and useful representations of the data. Next in the queue was defining the themes. In defining and naming themes, the researcher interpreted and came up with a name for each theme. The last but not least was producing the reports, in this final stage, the researcher wrote the finding and the discussion.
3.5 Trustworthiness and Ethical Considerations
According to Thomas (2006) Trustworthiness is very important to take into account, because it determines the reliability and validity of the research conducted. To increase the Trustworthiness, the researcher made sure that the data were as objective as possible by constantly comparing data acquired as well as collecting it from different points of view (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). Moreover, the researcher also utilized member-checking to make sure that the data was valid and credible . As stated in Bill (2016) Member checking, also known as participant or respondent validation, is a technique for exploring the credibility of results. Creswell & Miller (2000) also stated that member checking is a strategy in which participants in the research are asked to recheck the data to increase the accuracy of the data and the findings . In its implementation, the transcriptions that had been acquired were returned to the participants in order to validate the accuracy of the transcriptions. Rechecking the transcriptions also helped the researcher to avoid misinterpretation and made the reliability as well as validity of the data guaranteed.
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In this research, the researcher made sure that ethical requirements were fulfilled. Babbie & Mouton (2001) explained that there are some ethical requirements that need to be carried out to make the study conducted in an appropriate manner. First, the researcher ensured that all of the participants in this research were consensual by creating approval letters signed by each participant.
Secondly, all of the information regarding participants including, name, students’
number, study programs, remained confidential. In the final report, the identity of participants were removed and pseudonyms were used in their stead.
35 CHAPTER 1V
FINDING AND DISCUSSION
This research is intended to explore EFL students’ difficulties and potential solutions in writing their undergraduate theses. In this chapter, there are two main points being discussed. The first point presents the findings of the research. The second point elaborates the discussions of the research.
4.1 Research findings
The interviews of this research were conducted by face to face, zoom app, and phone calls. There were 10 participants, who were English students at an English education study program. The research findings consist of two main points which are based on the research questions stated in chapter I. The first research question focused on the exploration of EFL students’ difficulties in writing their undergraduate theses. The second question focused on the students’ potential solutions in overcoming the challenges in writing their undergraduate theses.
4.1.1 Challenges in Writing Theses
According to EFL students who have participated in this research, they claimed to face some difficulties in writing their undergraduate thesis. There are four interrelated themes based on the interviews and documents such as linguistics and writing knowledge issues, psychological issues ,media and resources issues, and supervision and time management issues with each theme having more than one sub-theme. The following table gives specifications of each theme.
Table 4 Themes and sub-themes of participant’s challenges
36 STUDENTS’
DIFFICULTIES
Theme Sub-theme
Linguistics and Writing Knowledge Issues
Grammar Vocabulary Paraphrasing Referencing Psychological Issues
Lack of Confidence Lack of Motivation
Media and Resources Issues
Online Platform Limited References Inaccessible Websites
Supervision and Time Management Issues
Unsupportive Behavior of Supervisor
Poor Time Management
4.1.1.1 Linguistics and Writing Knowledge Issues
The first theme emerged is linguistics and writing knowledge issues. Both elements are very essential to produce a good piece of writing. Linguistics itself is the scientific study of language, it deals with language and its components. On the other hand, writing knowledge serves as one of the ways to improve writing performance. Within the theme, the researcher found out that there are four related sub-theme such as grammar, vocabulary, paraphrase, organization of writing, and referencing.
4.1.1.1.1 Grammar
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Grammar is one of the most commonly found difficulties in the interviews.
The low proficiency of the language is one of the pivotal factors. Additionally, The significantly-distinguished grammar from their first language has contributed as well. Seven of ten interviewed participants stated explicitly that they experienced difficulties in applying proper grammar in their writings. For instance, P1 stated :
“ There are a lot of aspects I need to pay a lot of attention to, for example the use of grammar. In the early stage, I frequently mixed up the use of simple past tense, simple present ,and future tense. So, in a sentence where I supposedly used simple present tense, I applied past tense instead.”(P1)
Rather than the grammatical structure, in P1’s case, the hassle was from not knowing when to use proper tenses. She admitted that she was still confused in determining tenses on a lot of occasions. Additionally, her struggles in tenses are evident as shown in the documents collected:
1.
Figure 2 . Grammar notes
2.
Figure 3. Grammar notes
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Other than that, another participant P2 stated that:
“ I struggle in Grammar because in undergraduate theses, there are a number of tenses involved. So, inevitably, I had to make sure that the tenses used were proper. For instance, I needed to make sure the use of verbs in my thesis were correct”(P2)
Similar to P1, P2 also stated to have experienced difficulties in employing proper tenses in their writings. The inclusion of a number of tenses in the thesis has greatly influenced the participants in completing their theses. Besides, P5 also stated that:
“I found it very hard dealing with grammar, because I personally am not very knowledgeable in that matter.”(P5)
P5 explicitly claimed that her knowledge about grammar is very limited and superficial. Hence, writing undergraduate thesis that inherently involves sophisticated grammar has become a huge challenge for her.
4.1.1.1.2 Vocabulary
Another challenge that the participants encountered in their thesis writing is vocabulary. Vocabulary has become one of the most challenging aspects especially for EFL students who basically have a very limited number of repertoires. The interviews revealed that six of ten participants claimed to have experienced difficulties in vocabulary. One of the participant stated P1:
“When it comes to vocabulary, I frequently repeated the same words, I find it very hard to search for words that had the same meaning with what I was looking for”(P1)
The lack of vocabulary has made her writings feel repetitive, thus making it less textured and more monotone in comparison to writings that have more
39
diverse dictions. Her challenges in vocabulary are shown in documents she submitted :
1.
Figure 4. Vocabulary notes
In the same vein, P7 claimed to be having the same difficulty. P7 stated :
“When writing my undergraduate thesis in foreign language, I found minor struggles in finding synonyms and employed proper diction to my writings.” (P7)
Similar to P1, P7 also stated that finding synonyms of words was one of the challenges in writing his undergraduate thesis. Albeit, P7 revealed that it was only a minor problem as opposed to P1 who admitted to struggle a lot in that section.
Another participant also said that vocabulary is one of the most challenging aspects. P6 stated :
“ One of the biggest challenges that I faced in my thesis writing is vocabulary”(P6)
While being asked for the reasonings she further explained:
“I have limited amount of vocabulary, therefore, in a lot of occasions, I stumbled upon words that I could not understand”(P6)
Based on the interviews, P1 and P7 stated that the challenges that they faced in vocabulary came from finding the synonyms of words. They unveiled that with the limited vocabulary, the amount of varieties in their writing were also
