Journal of Language, Literature, and English Teaching

(JULIET), 2(1) (2021)

p-ISSN 2746-0312
e-ISSN 2745-522x
https://ojs.umrah.ac.id/index.php/juliet

Students’ Writing Difficulties in Procedure Text: An

Analysis Study
1
Heti Hidayah, 2Gatot Subroto, 3Muhammad Candra
1
English Language Education Study Program, Universitas Maritim Raja Ali Haji,
Tanjungpinang, Indonesia
2
English Language Education Study Program, Universitas Maritim Raja Ali Haji,
Tanjungpinang, Indonesia
3
English Language Education Study Program, Universitas Maritim Raja Ali Haji,
Tanjungpinang, Indonesia
Corresponding email: hhidayahnur@gmail.com

Received March 17, 2021; Revised April 1, 2021; April 4, 2021

https://doi.org/10.31629/jjumrah.v2i1.3130

Abstract
The function of writing skills is the most effective way to show someone’s English proficiency,
including the ability and difficulties. The objective of this research was to know the factors and to
the dominant factor of students’ writing difficulties in procedure text. The instruments of this
research were interview and writing test as the support data. Therefore, the researcher conducted
a descriptive qualitative study analysis. The technique in analysed the data of the interview was a
descriptive analysis technique (percentage) and descriptive analysis technique without percentage
to analyse the writing test. The researcher asked some aspects of students’ writing difficulties in
writing procedure text based on the syllabus of class 9 K13 namely social function, structure text,
language features, and topic. For the writing test, the students were asked to write a procedure
text. So that the students had difficulties in social function, structure text, language features, and
topic. This research showed the dominant factor students’ writing difficulties in procedure text
was language features, like vocabulary and grammar which made the students difficult when
writing the procedure text. Thus, the students still faced difficulties in writing skills like procedure
text and the students have to improve their ability in writing skills.

Keywords: Difficulty, Writing, Procedure Text.

I INTRODUCTION

Writing is a part of English students have to master beside of speaking, listening, and reading,
Subroto (2015). Sometimes, most of the students consider English as a difficult subject to learn
and get bored in writing activity as they must spend many times to express their ideas into
writing product. In writing skills, several types of texts or genres should be taught in junior high
school such as; descriptive text, recount text, procedure text, narrative text and report text. Each
type has a different purpose and generic structure. According to Walter (2015), procedure text is
the process which is needed to be undertaken to achieve a successful outcome. It means, we
need to know the steps to get the target when operate, prepare, or make something. So, in this
research, the researcher chose procedure text as one of the genres.
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 Hidayah, Students’ Writing Difficulties in Procedure… (4)

Many factors of students’ writing difficulties such as grammar, vocabulary, sentence

structure, cohesion, and others. According to Graham & Harris in Glynn et al (2006), there are
three factors about writing difficulties; lack of proficiency, lack of knowledge, and lack of
effective strategies. As we know, everyone is different in the process of learning English,
especially in writing skills. Rabab’ah (2005) clarified that students couldn’t give voice to their
thoughts because lack the adequate stock of vocabulary. Without mastering vocabulary, the
students feel to write about their toughts. According to Farooq, et al (2012) grammar is the most
difficult part for L2 writers. The students get difficulties to write sentences by using correct
structure. In short, the cause of the difficulties in writing is different to each other.
First, another opinion which emphasized an analysis study about writing difficulties
written by Xiao & Chen (2015), the findings indicate that the difficulties that engineering
students have in English Academic Writing lie in three aspects, i.e. content, structure, and
language. It was also found that lack of language knowledge is the severest problem for
engineering students to undertake writing tasks, with the content presentation being the second
difficult and structure planning the last. Second, an analysis study written by Badi (2015), the
main factor of difficulties is the lack of previous experience and knowledge about the
conventions of academic writing and the expectations of the institution they are studying at.
Third, An analysis study written by Rahmat et al (2017), the findings revealed students
found writing to be difficult for several reasons. Fourth, An analysis study written by Farooq et
al (2012), Results of the study indicated that students were facing a lot of difficulties in writing
English language due to lack of vocabulary, poor spelling, L1 interference and a poor
understanding of grammatical structure.
Last, An analysis study written by Boonyarattanasoontorn (2017), the results revealed
that the students had writing problems at a high level, and they rated grammar as the most
problematic. So, in this research, the researcher was interested to know the factors and the
dominant factor of students’ writing difficulties in procedure text.

II METHOD

This research used the descriptive qualitative method. According to Aditya (2009),
descriptive qualitative is research that carried out with the main aim to gives a description of a
condition objectively. In this research, the researcher used the interview and writing tests as a
research instrument. The source of the data in this research is students of ninth-grade students.
This research has research permission in January 2020. According to Suharsimi (2010), the
population is all of the object research. There were 165 students from six classes. The sample is
27 students. Sevilla, et al (2006) the sample is the small group that is observed. This research
used cluster random sampling. Gay (1996) say cluster random sampling is a technique in which
samples group, not individuals, was randomly selected, and all members of selected groups have
similar characteristics because the population was homogenous. So, after the researcher selected
all class with a piece of paper that had been mixed, class 9.4 that consists of 27 students be
selected became sample members.
In this research, the researcher interviewed the students to know the factors the
dominant factor of students’ writing difficulties in procedure text. The researcher gave the
students a writing test as the support data. In the analysis the data of interview, the researcher
used descriptive analysis technique (percentage). Only just descriptive analysis technique
without percentage to analyse the writing test.

III RESULT

The researcher interviewed 27 students and collected 27 data from writing tests about
procedure text. For the interview, the students were asked some aspects of students’ writing
difficulties in writing procedure text based on the syllabus of class 9 K13 namely social function,
structure text, language features, and topic. For the writing test, the students were asked to write
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JULIET, March 2021; Vol(2): 16 – 22
p-ISSN 2746-0312
e-ISSN 2745-522x

a procedure text based on the topic. The researcher aimed to know the students’ writing
difficulties and to know the dominant factor of students’ writing difficulties in procedure text.
The total students’ interview report in table 1. below;
Table 1. Students gathered from the interview test
No Question Answer Total Percentage

1 Q1 (Social Function) Yes 14 52%

Do you have difficulty in writing procedure No 13 48%

text?

2 Q2 (Social Function) Yes 9 33%

Do you have difficulty in understanding No 18 67%

function in writing procedure text?

3 Q3 (Structure Text) Yes 12 44%

Do you have difficulty in content when No 15 56%

writing text procedure?

4 Q4 (Structure Text) Yes 8 30%

Do you have difficulty in the organization No 19 70%

when writing procedure text?

5 Q5 (Language Features) Yes 19 70%

Do you have difficulty in vocabulary when No 8 30%

writing procedure text?

6 Q6 (Language Features) Yes 16 59%

Do you have difficulty in language features No 11 41%

when writing procedure text?

7 Q7 (Topic) Yes 12 44%

Do you have a problem in collect the No 15 56%

information when writing procedure text?

8 Q8 (Topic) Yes 9 33%

Do you have difficulty in the topic when No 18 67%

writing procedure text?

From the above table, it can be seen that the answer to students’ interviews in class 9.4
and the score of their answers. For the score of yes answer of the Q1 is 14 students 52%, no
answer is 13 students (48%). The score of yes answer of Q2 is 9 students (33%), no answer is
18 students (67%). The score of yes answer of Q3 is 12 students (44%), no answer is 15
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 Hidayah, Students’ Writing Difficulties in Procedure… (4)

students (56%). The score of yes answer of Q4 is 8 students (30%), no answer is 19 students
(70%). The score of yes answer of Q5 is 19 students (70%), no answer is 8 students (30%). The
score of yes answer of Q6 is 16 students (59%), no answer is 11 students (41%). The score of
yes answer of the Q7 is 12 students (44%), no answer is 15 students (56%). The score of yes
answer to the Q8 is 9 students (33%), no answer is 18 students (67%). After the researcher gave
the interview, she gave the next instrument, which was writing tests as the support data. In the
writing test, the students have written procedure text. Based on the writing test of 27 students in
class 9.4, the students have difficulties in writing procedure text like have difficulties in social
function, structure text, language features, and topic. The students’ writing test reports are; S1
(male), only writes the title and list of material or ingredients and made mistake in writing the
title. So, he had difficulties from four aspects, that are social function, structure text, language
features, and topic.
S2 (female), made mistake in writing the title and had difficulties in writing the
procedure. So, she had difficulties from four aspects, that are topic and language features. He
made mistake in writing the title and not write the procedure. So, he had difficulties from four
aspects, that are social function, structure text, language features, topic. S3 (Male), made
mistake in writing the title and not write the procedure. So, he had difficulties from four aspects,
that are social function, structure text, language features, and topic. S4 (Female), had difficulties
in language features. S5 (Female), had difficulties in language features. S6 (Male), made
mistake in writing the title and had difficulties in language features. S7 (Male), had difficulties
in language features. S8 (Male), had difficulties in language features. S9 (Female), had
difficulties in language features. S10 (Female), had difficulties in language features. S11 (Male),
made mistake in writing the title. So, he had difficulties in topic and language features. S12
(Female), had difficulties in write procedure text from four aspects, that are social function,
structure text, language features, and topic because she did not write the writing test.
S13 (Male), made mistake in writing the title and had difficulties in language features.
S14 (Male), had difficulties in write procedure text from four aspects, that are social function,
structure text, language features, and topic because he did not write the writing test. S15 (Male),
made mistake in writing the title and had difficulties in language features. S16 (Male), made
mistake in writing the title and had difficulties in language features. S17 (Female), made
mistake in writing the title and had difficulties in language features. S18 (Female), had no
difficulties in write procedure text. S19 (Female), had no difficulties in write procedure text.
S20 (Female), had no difficulties in write procedure text. S21 (Female), had difficulties in
language features. S22 (Female), had difficulties in language features. S23 (Female), made
mistake in writing the title and had difficulties in language features. S24 (Female), had
difficulties in language features. S25 (Female), had difficulties in language features. S26 (Male),
made mistake in writing the title and had difficulties from four aspects, that are social function,
structure text, language features, and topic because he not writes the procedure of procedure text.
S27 (Female), She had difficulties in language features.

IV DISCUSSION

Based on the data interview and writing test, the researcher discussed the research
finding covering the aspects of students’ writing difficulties in procedure text. The researcher
interviewed 27 students and the result of the data collected showed that all of the students'
difficult faces when writing procedure text. In the interview, the students face dominant
difficulty in language features, and such was the case of the writing test that faces dominant
difficulties in language features. The student still lacks vocabulary and grammatical in writing
the procedure text. all of the students in class 9.4 face difficulty in writing procedure text from
four aspects based on the syllabus that are social function, structure text, language features, and
topic. Based on the result of the interview and writing test above the researcher write the ratio
from the result of student interviews and students' writing tests. Symbol S is a student, and
symbol Q is a question. Firstly, for S1, the ratio from the result of his interview and his writing
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JULIET, March 2021; Vol(2): 16 – 22
p-ISSN 2746-0312
e-ISSN 2745-522x

test is equal. Because, he answered yes difficulties in six questions (Q1. Q3. Q4. Q5, Q6, & Q7)
from eight-question in the interview and he did not write the procedure text in writing test. For
S2, the ratio from the result of her interview and her writing test is equal. Because she answered
yes difficulties in two questions (Q4&Q6) from eight-question in the interview and her writing
test had difficulties on write title and language features.
For S3, the ratio from the result of his interview and his writing test is equal. Because,
he answered no difficulties in three questions (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, & Q7) from eight-question in
the interview and he still wrong in write the title and not write the procedure of procedure text in
writing test. For S4, the ratio from the result of her interview and her writing test is equal.
Because, she answered yes difficulties in three questions (Q4, Q5, Q7) from eight-question in
the interview and she had difficulties in vocabulary nor although language features in writing
test. For S5, the ratio from the result of his interview and his writing test is equal. Because he
answered yes difficulties in two questions (Q5 & Q6) from eight-question an interview and he
had difficulties in vocabulary moral thought language features in writing tests. For the S6, the
ratio from the result of his interview and his writing is equal. Because he answered yes
difficulties in two questions (Q4 & Q5) from eight-question in the interview and he still wrong
in writing the title and had difficulties in language features when writing tests.
For S7, the ratio from the result of his interview, and his writing is not equal. Because,
he answered yes difficulties in four questions (Q1, Q3, Q5, & Q8) from eight-question an
interview, but he only had difficulties in language features in writing test. For S8, the ratio from
the result of his interview, and his writing is equal. Because, he answered yes difficulties in four
questions (Q1, Q2, Q7, and Q8) from eight-question an interview, but he only had difficulties in
language features in writing test. For, S9, the ratio from the result of her interview and her
writing is equal. Because she answered yes difficulties in two questions (Q2 & Q7) from eight-
question in the interview and she only had difficulties in language features when writing tests.
For S10, the ratio from the result of his interview and her writing is equal. Because, she
answered yes difficulties in three question (Q1, Q5 & Q6) from eight-question in the interview
and she had difficulties in language features in writing test
For S11, the ratio from the result of his interview and his writing is equal. because, he
answers yes difficulties in three questions (Q4, Q6, & Q8) from eight-question in the interview,
and he still wrong in write the title. So, he had difficulties in topic and language features in
writing tests. For S12, the ratio from the result of her interview and her writing is equal.
Because, she answered yes difficulties in four question (Q1, Q3, Q4, & Q6) from eight-question
in the interview and she had difficulties in write procedure text from four aspects, that are social
function, structure text, language feature, and topic because she not writes the writing test. For
S13, the ratio from the result of his interview and his writing is equal. Because, he only
answered yes difficulties in three (Q2, Q6, & Q7) from eight-question in the interview and he
still wrong in writing the title and had difficulties in language features in writing tests. For S14,
the ratio from the result of his interview and his writing is equal. Because, he answers yes
difficulties in six question (Q2, Q4, Q5, Q6, Q7, & Q8) from eight-question an interview and he
had difficulties in write procedure text from four aspects, that are social function, structure text,
language feature, and topic because he not writes the writing test.
For S15, the ratio from the result of his interview, and his writing is not equal. Because
he answered yes difficulties in eight-question (Q1-Q8) from eight-question in the interview and
he wrong in write the title and had difficulties in language features in writing test. For S16, the
ratio from the result of his interview and his writing is equal. Because, he answered yes
difficulties in five questions (Q1, Q4, Q5, Q7, & Q8) from eight-question in the interview, and
he still wrong in writing the title and had difficulties language features in writing tests. For S17,
the ratio from the result of her interview and her writing is equal. Because, she answered yes
difficulties in three questions (Q1, Q5, & Q6) from eight-question in the interview, and she still
wrong in writing the title and had difficulties in language features in writing tests. For S18, the

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 Hidayah, Students’ Writing Difficulties in Procedure… (4)

ratio from the result of her interview and her writing is equal. Because she only answered yes
difficulties in two questions (Q5) from eight-question in the interview and she had no
difficulties in writing tests.
For S19, the ratio from the result of her interview and her writing is equal. Because she
only answered yes difficulties in two questions (Q5) from eight-question in the interview and
she had no difficulties in write procedure text in writing tests. For S20, the ratio from the result
of her interview and her writing is equal. because she only answered yes difficulties in two
questions (Q1 & Q5) from eight-question in the interview and she had no difficulties in writing
tests. For S21, the ratio from the result of her interview and her writing is equal. Because, she
only answered yes difficulties in two questions (Q2, Q5, Q6, & Q7) from eight-question in the
interview and she had difficulties in language features in writing tests. For S22, the ratio from
the result of her interview and her writing is equal. Because, she answered yes difficulties in
four questions (Q1, Q3, Q6, & Q8) from eight-question in the interview and she had difficulties
in language features in writing tests.
For S23, the ratio from the result of her interview and her writing is equal. Because, she
only answered yes difficulties in five questions (Q1, Q3, Q4, Q6, & Q8) from eight-question in
the interview and she still wrong in write the title and had difficulties in language features in
writing tests. For S24, the ratio from the result of her interview and her writing is not equal.
Because, he answered yes difficulties in five questions (Q2, Q3, Q5, Q6, & Q8) from eight-
question an interview, but she only had difficulties in language features. For S25, the ratio from
the result of her interview and her writing is equal. because, she answers yes difficulties in four
questions (Q3, Q5, Q6, & Q8) from eight-question in the interview and she had difficulties in
language features in writing tests. For S26, the ratio from the result of his interview and his
writing is equal. Because, he answered yes difficulties in seven-question (Q1, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6,
Q7, & Q8) from eight-question in the interview and he still wrong in write the title and
difficulties from four aspects, that are social function, structure text, language features, and
topic because he not writes the procedure of procedure text in writing test. For S27, the ratio
from the result of her interview and her writing is equal. Because, she answered yes difficulties
in six questions (Q1, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6, & Q7) from eight-question in the interview and she had
difficulties in language features in writing tests.
In short, the researcher also found that another theory about the same factor of students’
writing difficulties for this research. Many factors of students’ writing difficulties such as
grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure, cohesion, and others. According to Graham & Harris
in Glynn et al (2006), there are three factors of difficulties; lack of proficiency, lack of
knowledge, and lack of effective strategies. As we know, everyone is different in the process of
learning English, especially in writing skills. Rabab’ah (2005) clarified that students couldn’t
give voice to their thoughts because lack the adequate stock of vocabulary. Without mastering
vocabulary, the students feel hard to present what in their mind. In short, the cause of the
difficulties in writing is different such as a grammatical weakness, knowledge, and
understanding, less practice, educational background, and vocabulary.

V CONCLUSION

Based on the data discussion, the researcher was concluded that the students' writing
has difficulties in social function, structure text, language features, and topic and the dominant
factor students’ writing difficulties in procedure text are language features, like vocabulary and
grammar which make the students difficult when writing the procedure text. Thus, the students
still faced difficulties in writing skills like procedure text and the students have to improve their
ability in writing skills.

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JULIET, March 2021; Vol(2): 16 – 22
p-ISSN 2746-0312
e-ISSN 2745-522x

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