EFL Students’ Difficulties and Strategies in Paragraph Writing at Universitas Katolik Indonesia Santu Paulus Ruteng

Abstract

Abstract: This study examines the difficulties and strategies related to paragraph writing among third semester EFL students of the English Language Education Study Program at Universitas Katolik Indonesia Santu Paulus Ruteng. Data were gathered from 94 students via an online questionnaire by utilizing a quantitative descriptive survey methodology. The results indicate that students encounter moderate difficulties in grammar (M = 3.14), organization (M = 3.13), vocabulary (M = 3.07), content (M = 3.03) and mechanics (M = 2.51). Grammatical difficulties encompass difficulties with tenses, singular/plural forms, and sentence structures. Furthermore, students utilized cognitive and metacognitive strategies to resolve these difficulties. Furthermore, the predominant strategy is avoidance (M = 3.69), categorized as cognitive strategy. Avoidance encompasses the simplification of sentences and vocabulary. Additional cognitive strategies, including resourcing (3.55), verification (3.48), deferral (3.47), retrieval (3.37), and clarification (3.21) are utilized with moderate to high frequency. However, metacognitive strategies such as planning (M = 3.39), monitoring (M = 3.34), and evaluation (3.29) were employed less frequently. The results indicate that students and instructors should prioritize enhancing students' grammatical abilities, while also promoting the application of metacognitive strategies to improve planning and self-regulation.