Identifying Students' Difficulties in Understanding Gerund in Paragraph

Authors

  • Fauzan Nasrullah

    State Islamic University of North Sumatera
    Author

  • Asmidar Seroja

    State Islamic University of North Sumatera
    Author

  • Rachmadina Hanafiah

    State Islamic University of North Sumatera
    Author
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.2238/k33kwf38
Keywords:
gerund, EFL learners, grammatical difficulties, paragraph comprehension, qualitative research
Abstract
This study aims to identify the difficulties experienced by university students in understanding gerunds within English paragraphs. Gerund, a grammatical form consisting of a verb with the suffix -ing functioning as a noun, is often misunderstood by Indonesian EFL learners due to its surface similarity to present participles and other -ing forms. This research employed a qualitative descriptive approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with students enrolled in an English language course at a university level. The interview instrument consisted of 21 questions covering students' background knowledge of gerunds, specific difficulties encountered, contributing factors, learning experiences, and suggestions for improvement. The findings revealed that students primarily struggle with distinguishing gerunds from present participles, recognizing gerunds in syntactic positions (subject, object, complement), and applying correct gerund usage in paragraph writing. Factors such as limited prior grammar instruction, low reading frequency, and L1 (Bahasa Indonesia) interference were identified as key contributors to these difficulties. The study recommends context-based teaching methods and extensive reading exposure as effective strategies to improve students' understanding of gerunds.
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.

Celce-Murcia, M., & Larsen-Freeman, D. (1999). The grammar book: An ESL/EFL teacher's course (2nd ed.). Heinle & Heinle.

Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Hinkel, E. (2004). Teaching academic ESL writing: Practical techniques in vocabulary and grammar. Lawrence Erlbaum.

Liu, D. (2008). Linking adverbials: An across-register corpus study and its implications. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 7(3), 192–201.

Odlin, T. (1989). Language transfer: Cross-linguistic influence in language learning. Cambridge University Press.

Quirk, R., Greenbaum, S., Leech, G., & Svartvik, J. (1985). A comprehensive grammar of the English language. Longman.

Swan, M. (2005). Practical English usage (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.

Cover Image
Downloads
Published
2026-07-04
Issue
Vol. 18 No. 8 (2026): Sindoro: Cendikia Pendidikan, ISSN 3025-6488
Section
Articles

How to Cite

Identifying Students’ Difficulties in Understanding Gerund in Paragraph. (2026). Sindoro: Cendikia Pendidikan, 18(8). https://doi.org/10.2238/k33kwf38

Similar Articles

1-10 of 134

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.