The Analysis of Students’ Difficulties in Writing Explanation Text in the Eleventh Grade at SMA Negeri 8 Medan

Abstract

Difficulties in writing explanation texts may limit students’ ability to communicate processes and phenomena clearly. This study identified students’ writing difficulties, examined contributing factors, and described strategies used to address them. A descriptive qualitative design involved 30 eleventh-grade students at SMA Negeri 8 Medan. Data were collected through a writing test and an open-ended questionnaire, analyzed descriptively, and triangulated across the two sources. Writing test results identified grammar as the most prominent difficulty (40%), followed by mechanics (36.7%), vocabulary (16.7%), and idea organization (6.6%). Questionnaire responses highlighted difficulty with idea organization (73.3%), revealing a contrast between the test findings and students’ reported experiences. Reported contributing factors included limited grammatical and vocabulary knowledge, insufficient writing practice, and low confidence. Students described using dictionaries, Google Translate, artificial intelligence applications, teacher and peer assistance, and writing practice to address these difficulties. The findings indicate that students require support with both linguistic accuracy and text organization. They suggest that instruction should combine explicit grammar and vocabulary support, structured writing exercises, and constructive feedback to address the difficulties identified through performance assessment and students’ self-reports.