The particular dialect or language that a person chooses to use on any occasion is called a code 2673 Copyright © 2024 The Author IDEAS is licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0 License Issued by English study program of IAIN Palopo IDEAS Journal of Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Literature ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) ISSN 2548-4192 (Online) Volume 12, Number 2, December 2024 pp. 2673 - 2684 Writing Difficulties Faced by the Grade Eleven Students of Senior High School Melinda Maria Korban1, Jamiluddin2, Budi3, Sudarkam R. Mertosono4 E-mail: melindakorban@gmail.com 1,2,3,4 English Education, Tadulako University, Palu Received: 2024-11-26 Accepted:2024-12-31 DOI: 10.2456/ideas. v12i2.5873 Abstract This study was invertigated what kinds of writing difficulties faced by eleven grade students of SMA Negeri 1 Bolano. The aims of this study to find out kinds of the writing difficultie in descriptive paragraph. This research used a descriptive qualitative design to exporing the data. Student’ assignment from the teacher as the instrument of the data. five types of difficulties writing in descriptive paragraph as the finding in this research The difficulty classfie are spelling, capitalization, grammatical, vocabulary, and punctuation. From the data, the resercher found that the most frequent difficult made by students in decriptive pragraph is spelling ( twelve errors). It indicates that the students lack understading of how write the correct word. In light of the limitations identified in this study, It is recommended for future researchers who attempt the same case of this research to develop deeply the difficulties in writing descriptive paragraph to enhance the available references. Additionally, employing alternative to data collection methods, such as interviews and questionnaires, would yield more comprehensive insights into the specific factors contributing to the observed of the difficult and errors of writing descriptive paragraph. Keywords: writing; difficult writing; descriptive paragraph Introduction Language is the best medium of communication and very importance for human interaction. From language we can get good communication and interaction with other people in world. In globalized world many people speak more than one language. As we know one of the languages to communication with other people in the world is English. English is a foreign language that very importance to must learned for another person from a various country. In Indonesia, learning English is very importance because English is learned by students from elementary school http://u.lipi.go.id/1457703302 mailto:melindakorban@gmail.com Melinda Maria Korban, Jamiluddin, Budi, Sudarkam R. Mertosono Writing Difficulties Faced by the Grade Eleven Students of Senior High School 2674 up to senior high school even though university level. In Indonesia, the students must study some skill when learn English. Those skills are related to each other that must be mastered by students as well as they learned especially in school there are speaking, writing, reading, and listening. From that the skill divided into two, there are productive skills and receptive skills. In this research, the researcher is going focus on writing skill which is a productive skill. Writing is basic language skill that becomes that complex skill to master for the learners. It is because writing is a productive skill that involves the way to generate and organize the ideas in writing form. Writing is one of the communication forms. It means people need to learn English writing because writing it is a process of transforming thought, ideas and also information using writing as medium from the writer to readers. They have to able to express their thought in writing specially to develop their ideas, and makes reader interested when their writing red. Though writing, they can also transfer information and knowledge to other. In other word, writing could be said as a mean of communication between the writer and the reader. Writing has become an issue that causes a lot of worry for students. English in curriculum 2013 is one from nine compulsory subjects. In English learning, the students not only learn about skills but also learn about components. Writing is one skill in English subject. One of the competency standards for education unit (SKL-SP) in curriculum 2013 is to show skills to write systematically and aesthetically. It means students in senior high school should proficient in writing. According to curriculum 2013, there are twelve types of text taught to senior high school students. Such as descriptive, recount, narrative, procedure, explanation, discussion, hortatory exposition, analytical exposition, news item, Information report, anecdote, and review. In this research, the text types will focus on descriptive text. Descriptive paragraph is one type of paragraph that aims to describe or explain the object, place, person, animal, or things in specific and details by the fact. Writing is one of the four aspects of language which is most difficult. As we know to productive good writing takes a good mastery of the tree aspects there are speaking, reading and listening. According Elsa (2018) writing in second language is very different from first language. The students mostly can suffer when writing in second language because writing in second language involves more complex thinking skills. It means writing become interesting to be learner and taught since it is challenging to students. In learning English, writing is very different from we spoken. It means that writing is a process to deliver ideas and creativity from the writer to reader by writing as a medium and the writer must pay attention to grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary as well if they writing. IDEAS, Vol. 12, No. 2, December 2024 ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) ISSN 2548-4192 (Online) 2675 Writing is difficult activity or skill to learn because the writer not only should express their ideas in paragraph but also use the rules in writing such as grammar, vocabulary, punctuation, and the difference rules for writing in English and Indonesia. One of the important things in writing is the writer should writing significantly it means very different if we only spoken language. It means the writer not only use creativity, but also the linguistics ability to produce a good writing. It means to produce a good writing the writer need to prepare for it. However, based on researcher’s preliminary research in SMA Negeri 1 Bolano that thought interview with English teacher, there are some problems that related to students’ difficulties especially in writing descriptive paragraph. Some of students think that writing is the most difficult skill because they tend to worry about what they want to write. They got difficulty to choose the proper word and usage in paragraph. Based on the explanation above, researcher realized that in learn English writing is one a big issue for students especially difficulties writing in descriptive text. Due to this issue, the researcher tries to conduct a research with title “Writing Difficulties Faced by the Grade Eleven Students of SMA Negeri 1 Bolano” to try the issue. Method The researcher used a descriptive qualitative design to explore students' writing difficulties at SMA Negeri 1 Bolano in January 2022. This research focused on descriptive writing, as qualitative research provides more flexible and detailed information. The study involved 12 grade eleven students from class XI. The data was collected through a documentation study, where students were assigned to create descriptive texts about tourist attractions. The data was analyzed using qualitative analysis, which involved analyzing students' errors from a teacher- provided table. The results were then used to make a conclusion based on the data analysis. The study aimed to provide more flexible and detailed information about students' writing difficulties, focusing on descriptive data and identifying causes of errors in descriptive paragraphs. Results The result of this research is the difficulties faced by the eleven grade students in descriptive paragraph. The result of this research shows that the students have difficulties in writing descriptive paragraph. They are spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammatical, and vocabulary. The result can be shown as follow: Melinda Maria Korban, Jamiluddin, Budi, Sudarkam R. Mertosono Writing Difficulties Faced by the Grade Eleven Students of Senior High School 2676 Table 1. The Students’ Error in Spelling Type Initial Type of Error Students’ Errors Error Corrections RM Spelling Having condition wich is still beutiful and natural… Having condition which is still beautiful and natural… RM …several locations wit under water… …several locations with under water… AB …reserve is a nation prak... …reserve is a nation park… ES …by the governmet and built… …by the government and built… RM …some equipiments for snorkling and diving… …some equipment’s for snorkeling and diving… RM …the island of Nusa Lembangan is so reveting. …the island of Nusa Lembangan is so riveting. ALKN ...this plase is a… ...this place is a… IGAPI ...you will see a lot of tourist with a variety of actifities… ...you will see a lot of tourist with a variety of activities… FY …some plants whic are mostly found there… …some plants which are mostly found there… ES ...managed by the governmet and built to be… ...managed by the government and built to be… RM …there are several location wit under water natural beauty wich are not beautiful wich are not doubtiful coral… …there are several locations with under water natural beauty which are not beautiful which are not doubtful coral… IDEAS, Vol. 12, No. 2, December 2024 ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) ISSN 2548-4192 (Online) 2677 AAZ There are also some equipiments for snorkling and diving torent There are also some equipment’s for snorkeling and diving torrent. The table showed the detailed of students who spelled incorrect words. For example, the students misspelled the words: Having condition wich is still beutiful and natural… Table 2. The Students’ Error in Punctuation Type The students did not write the punctuation in its place. For instance, The Beaty of the beach feels perpect in the afternoon, in the afternoon, we can see the sunset which is a very special moment. Instead of “comma”, it should be “fullstop” because it describes another sentence. Not only in punctuating but the students are also wrong in the placement of capital letters as well. The sentence should be “The beauty of the beach feels perfect in the afternoon. In the afternoon, we can see the sunset which is a very special moment. The last for instance: “There are also some plants which are mostly found there such as api-api, pidada…” there should be a comma after the word “there” because it still continuing mention the variety of plants. “There are also some plants which are mostly found there, such as api-api, pidada…”. Initial Type of Error Students’ Errors Error Corrections DM Punctuation The Beaty of the beach feels perpect in the afternoon, in the afternoon, we can see the sunset which is a very special moment. The beauty of the beach feels perfect in the afternoon. In the afternoon, we can see the sunset which is a very special moment. FY There are also some plants which are mostly found there such as api- api, pidada… There are also some plants which are mostly found there, such as api-api, pidada… Melinda Maria Korban, Jamiluddin, Budi, Sudarkam R. Mertosono Writing Difficulties Faced by the Grade Eleven Students of Senior High School 2678 Table 3. The Students’ Error in Capitalization Type Initial Type of Error Students’ Errors Error Corrections AEP Capitaliza tion It’s near to the ngurah rai air terminal and speaks the truth 9 km From denpasar. It’s near to the Ngurah Rai air terminal and speaks the truth nine kilometer from Denpasar. KAM Borobudur temple is one of the most beautiful tourist resort In Indonesia. Borobudur temple is one of the most beautiful tourist resorts in Indonesia. P there are some money changers around the location and itinerary. There are some money changers around the location and itinerary. ALKN the Pink colors mixed with crushed coral, shells, calcium carbonate From marine invertebrates that are Very Small, and also Foraminifera, Microscopic amoeba that has a red body shell. The pink colors mixed with crushed coral, shells, calcium carbonate from marine invertebrates that are very small, and also foraminifera, microscopic amoeba that has a red body shell. IPR Raja Ampat is one of Indonesia’s tourist attractions which is located on the island Of Papua. Raja Ampat is one of Indonesia’s tourist attractions which is located on the island of Papua. IDEAS, Vol. 12, No. 2, December 2024 ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) ISSN 2548-4192 (Online) 2679 Number one of the tables showed that the student wrote the name of the place is not stars with capital latter. For instance; It’s near to the ngurah rai air terminal and speaks the truth 9 km from denpasar. The second, the preposition in should not be capitalized. The third table showed that the first letter after the full stop should be capitalized. The fourth table showed that the first letter after the full stop should be capitalized, and all the prepositions should not be capitalized. The word in the middle of the sentence should not be capitalized unless it is a name of person or place. The fifth, sixth, and seventh table showed that preposition should not be capitalized. The name of place in the table seven should be capitalized. The eighth table showed that the word pink should be not capitalized because it is not the first latter and the preposition should not be capitalized. Table 4. The Students’ Error in Grammatical Type Initial Type of Error Students’ Errors Error Corrections IGAPI Grammatical Kuta beach located in Badung regency. Kuta beach is located in Badung regency. DM …the beach feels perfect in the afternoon, in the afternoon, we can see the sunset which is a very special moment. …the beach feels perfect in the afternoon, and we can see the sunset which is a very special moment at the same times. DM We can also ride a We can also ride a NS Nusa Lembangan is one the three Sets OR Island… Nusa Lembangan is one the three sets or island… AAZ …the island OF nusa lembangan is so reveting. …the island of Nusa Lembangan is so reveting. HS The Pink color OF its beach is a mixture OF white sand. The pink color of its beach is a mixture of white sand. AAZ ...is a Proper Sport For Snorkeling and diving For Sea Sport lovers. ...is a proper sport for snorkeling and diving for sea sport lovers. Melinda Maria Korban, Jamiluddin, Budi, Sudarkam R. Mertosono Writing Difficulties Faced by the Grade Eleven Students of Senior High School 2680 horse a type of carriage transportation that can take us to the coral reef area which is really very beautiful. horse or a type of carriage transportation that can take us to the coral reef area which is really very beautiful. HS Kuta beach located in.. Kuta beach is located in.. FY There are also so some plants… There are also some plants… AB …various endemic animals such is anoa, maleo bird, deer pig, and other fauna. …various endemic animals such as anoa, maleo bird, deer pig, and other fauna. The table showed that the sentence missed the auxiliary is, making the sentence ungrammatical. It should be Kuta beach is located in Badung regency. The sentence missed the conjunction and after the comma. It should be …the beach feels perfect in the afternoon, and we can see the sunset which is a very special moment at the same times. The sentence missed the conjunction or after the phrase “we can also ride a horse” it should be We can also ride a horse or a type of carriage transportation that can take us to the coral reef area which is really very beautiful. The sentence missed the auxiliary is because it should be passive sentence. The correct grammar is Kuta beach is located in…. The last do not need conjunction so. It should be just …various endemic animals such as anoa, maleo bird, deer pig, and other fauna. Table 5. The Students’ Error in Vocabulary Type Initial Type of Error Students’ Errors Error Corrections MS Vocabulary Pink beach or pantai merah muda is one of the beaches is komodo island Pink beach or pantai merah muda is one of the beaches in Komodo Island IPR The water area is an attraction main area Of Raja Ampat… The water area is a main attraction of Raja Ampat… AEP in kuta Shoreline, there in kuta shoreline, IDEAS, Vol. 12, No. 2, December 2024 ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) ISSN 2548-4192 (Online) 2681 are an ussortment Of OFFices Including settlement, eatery, bar, and in addition an exceptionally, acclaimed surfing spots the planet. "there are some facilities including varied accommodation, eatery, bar and the world- famous surf sport." The table above describe that the students did not write the sentence correctly. For instance; Pink beach or Pantai merah muda is one of the beaches is Komodo Island. The students should use in instead of is because of adverb of place. The errors are not only in verb but also in capitalization of place. The second correction is the student convoluted in the sentence for instance; The water area is an attraction main area Of Raja Ampat… should be the water is a main attraction Of Raja Ampat…. The last, in kuta Shoreline, there are an ussortment Of OFFices Including settlement, eatery, bar, and in addition an exceptionally, acclaimed surfing spots the planet. The student using the wrong word because not appropriate in context, not only using the wrong word the students also missed in capitalization and misspelling. The students must use “some facilities” to make the sentence appropriate in context “in kuta shoreline, there are some facilities of offices including settlement, eatery, bar, and in addition an exceptionally, acclaimed surfing spots on the planet”. Discussion The researcher discovered that students' descriptive writing was marked by numerous mistakes, primarily in spelling, punctuation, language usage, grammatical structure, and capitalization, affecting the clarity and effectiveness of their communication. Altameemy and Daradkeh's 2019 study reveals students struggle with spelling, punctuation, and capitalization in English sentences and paragraphs, highlighting the need for improved instructional strategies. Students struggle with capitalization, with 9 errors in writing. For instance, a student wrote "It's near to the Ngurah Rai Air Terminal and speaks the truth 9 km From Denpasar" without capitalizing the place name. They also struggle with prepositions, like "The Pink color OF its beach is a mixture OF white sand”. Grammatical errors are the third most common difficulty found, with six errors in a sentence. English and Bahasa have distinct rules for sentence and grammar, resulting in ungrammatical sentences when translated incorrectly. Students often struggle with vocabulary, with errors in prepositional phrases and proper noun capitalization. For example, in a phrase indicating location, students mistakenly used "is" instead Melinda Maria Korban, Jamiluddin, Budi, Sudarkam R. Mertosono Writing Difficulties Faced by the Grade Eleven Students of Senior High School 2682 of "in." These issues underscore the need for improved instruction. Students face significant challenges in writing descriptive paragraphs, particularly in punctuation. They often omit essential punctuation marks, such as commas or full stops, which disrupt the text's flow and hinder clarity and comprehension. This issue is often classified under the mechanical category, according to Quibol-Catabay (2016). Students at SMA Negeri 1 Bolano struggle with correct capital letter placement, punctuation, and capitalization, indicating a lack of mastery in fundamental writing conventions. This research differs from previous studies, which found students struggle with translating Indonesian into English due to limited vocabulary knowledge. Despite occasional spelling errors and using Indonesian vocabulary, students were able to formulate coherent ideas in descriptive paragraphs. The primary issue for students is their difficulty in correctly applying capital letters and vocabulary usage errors, which can alter the intended meaning of words. Conclusion The study found that eleven grade students at SMA Negeri 1 Bolano faced five types of difficulties writing descriptive paragraphs: spelling, capitalization, grammatical, vocabulary, and punctuation. The most common difficulty was spelling, with twelve errors. Capitalization was the most common, with nine errors. 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