STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF JOURNAL WRITING IN IMPROVING WRITING ABILITY IN EFL CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES AT THE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY OF RIAU

Authors

  • Farah Syakbani

    Universitas Islam Riau
    Author
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.2238/zv58xk05
Keywords:
students' perceptions, journal writing, writing ability, EFL classroom, thematic analysis
Abstract
Writing is one of the most fundamental yet demanding skills for EFL learners, particularly in organizing ideas, developing vocabulary, and maintaining fluency. Journal writing is frequently used as a pedagogical strategy to support writing development by allowing students to write regularly in an informal, low-pressure environment. However, students' perceptions of journal writing remain underexplored, particularly in the Indonesian higher education context, even though such perceptions largely determine how actively students engage with the activity. This study employed a qualitative case study design to explore how fourth-semester students at the Islamic University of Riau perceive journal writing as a means of improving their writing ability. Data were collected through a closed-ended questionnaire consisting of 15 Likert-scale items together with students' open-ended remarks, distributed to 20 students of class 4B of the English Education Department, covering three indicators: writing motivation, writing engagement, and reflective writing. The data were analyzed thematically following Braun and Clarke (2021). The findings show that students generally perceive journal writing positively, as it increases their motivation to write, strengthens their engagement with vocabulary and sentence structure, and builds a habit of reflecting on and revising their own writing. However, a small number of students reported lower confidence despite acknowledging gains in vocabulary, indicating that students' perceptions of the activity are not entirely uniform. These findings suggest that journal writing, when practiced consistently, functions as an effective and low-pressure strategy for developing EFL students' writing ability.
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References

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Published
2026-06-25
Issue
Vol. 18 No. 7 (2026): Sindoro: Cendikia Pendidikan, ISSN 3025-6488
Section
Articles

How to Cite

STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF JOURNAL WRITING IN IMPROVING WRITING ABILITY IN EFL CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES AT THE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY OF RIAU. (2026). Sindoro: Cendikia Pendidikan, 18(7). https://doi.org/10.2238/zv58xk05

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