EFL STUDENTS’ CHALLENGES IN WRITING RESEARCH BACKGROUND AT ONE OF THE UNIVERSITIES IN CIREBON

Abstract

Academic writing is one of the important elements at the higher education as a critical requirement to get a bachelor's degree. Research paper is one part of academic writing. This currrent study aimed on exploring the concerns and difficulties in writing research background faced by the English department students at one of the universities in Cirebon in the academic year 2020/2021. This study uses a qualitative approach with case study design in which 5 students were participated as the respondents of the study. The interview and the documentation were used to collect the data as it was able revealed the generic structure and allowed to get more accurate information. The results revealed that some of the respondents find difficulties in composing the generic structure of the research background. This tendency happened due to the lack in vocabulary mastery, poor grammar, and lack of confidence. Moreover, the respondents also signaled that they had trouble in finding relevant the previous study. Therefore, they were struggling to develop and explore ideas into coherent writing in academic writing. As a recomendation, it is suggested that the students must master the topic that will be written to minimize difficulties and obstacles that may occur.

Keywords: EFL Students’, Academic Writing, Research Background