students’ challenges and needs in essay writing: a qualitative study at universitas syiah kuala

Essay writing is a fundamental component of academic literacy in english education programs. many efl students continue to face difficulties despite completing essay writing courses. this qualitative descriptive study aims to identify students’ linguistic difficulties in essay writing and explore their learning needs after completing the course. the study was conducted at the department of english education, universitas syiah kuala, indonesia. data were collected through a closed-ended questionnaire administered to 93 fifth-semester students and semi-structured interviews with 10 selected participants. the findings reveal that grammar is perceived as the most severe difficulty (m = 4.17), while word choice is the most frequently reported issue (61.83%) with lower intensity (m = 3.75). other aspects, including organization, supporting ideas, and spelling, are moderate difficulties whereas punctuation and capitalization are less problematic. the findings reveal the need for clearer instruction, ongoing feedback, and sustained support in essay-writing classes.