Writing instruction is considered one of the most challenging aspects in EFL learning, as it requires a complex process. Because of this complexity, teachers’ beliefs are central to determining how writing is taught, guiding choices of strategies, classroom activities, and feedback. Yet, research consistently shows that these beliefs are not always fully enacted in practice, resulting in mismatches shaped by contextual realities. This study investigated mismatches between EFL teachers’ beliefs about writing instruction and their actual practices. Conducted as a qualitative descriptive case study, the research involved two English teachers at a junior high school in Karawang. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and classroom observations and analyzed thematically. The findings revealed that teachers believed effective writing instruction should involve pre-writing activities, the use of models, process-based writing, skill integration, collaboration, prioritizing content and vocabulary, and motivational feedback. However, classroom observations showed these beliefs were not consistently implemented. Several mismatches were identified, particularly in pre-writing activities, models, revision stages, collaborative writing, and feedback practices. These were influenced by contextual constraints such as limited instructional time, classroom management demands, and exam-oriented teaching practices. These findings highlight the gap between teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and classroom practices and the need for instructional support.
This study examines the impact of generative AI on the development of postgraduate EFL learners’ academic writing skills. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into language education, generative AI is believed to support writing processes and enhance learner engagement. This study aims to explore how generative AI influences academic writing development among postgraduate EFL learners. A qualitative library research design was employed, analyzing 30 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2024 and 2025. The data were examined using thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke’s framework, with open coding applied to ensure analytical rigor. The findings suggest that generative AI positively impacts learners’ analytical and critical writing abilities, particularly in improving coherence, idea organization, and error identification. It also contributes to the development of positive learning behaviors, including increased confidence, autonomy, and persistence in overcoming writing challenges. These findings indicate that the integration of generative AI can support more strategic and adaptive academic writing practices, offering valuable implications for language educators.
English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses in vocational higher education often face challenges related to relevance, curriculum alignment, and student engagement. These challenges are more visible in under-researched fields such as Animal Husbandry. This study presents a curriculum-oriented design of project-based English tasks for first-semester Animal Husbandry students and examines students’ project outputs as evidence of learning. Using a qualitative pedagogical research design, the study documents the implementation of Project-Based Learning (PjBL) through poster projects based on real practicum activities, including pregnancy checking using ultrasonography and silage production. Data were collected from student-generated artifacts, such as posters, short written texts, vocabulary lists, and reflections. The findings show that project-based tasks helped first semester students use English in a functional way to describe procedures, explain processes, and communicate discipline-related knowledge. The student posters also show meaningful integration of language and content, as well as positive student engagement. This study suggests that curriculum-aligned project-based tasks can make ESP instruction more relevant, visible, and meaningful for vocational higher education students, particularly in Animal Husbandry study programs.
This study investigates the effect of the Genre-Based Approach (GBA) on senior high school students’ academic writing skills and identifies which writing aspects contribute most significantly to students’ writing improvement, particularly in writing descriptive texts. Employing a quantitative pre-test–post-test experimental design, the study involved 31 Grade X students at SMK Negeri 15 Samarinda who received GBA-based instruction following the Teaching–Learning Cycle. Students’ writing performance was assessed using an analytic rubric covering originality, content relevance, coherence, word choice, grammatical accuracy, vocabulary use, and mechanics. The results of the paired-sample t-test revealed a statistically significant improvement in students’ overall writing performance after the implementation of GBA (p < .05). Further regression analysis showed that all assessed writing aspects significantly contributed to post-test performance, with word choice, content relevance, and originality emerging as the strongest predictors of improvement. These findings suggest that GBA is particularly effective in enhancing students’ lexical control, content development, and clarity of expression. Pedagogically, the study highlights the importance of explicit modelling, scaffolding, and genre awareness in supporting students’ academic writing development in Indonesian EFL secondary classrooms.
This study investigates Indonesian EFL pre-service teachers’ preferences and perspectives on using generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and visual literacy (VL) to support writing instruction. This study employed a case study research design with descriptive and content analyses to examine students’ perceptions of using AI tools across different stages of the writing process and how these tools improved their writing performance. Fifty-nine participants were purposively selected and enrolled in a Basic Writing course, with data collected through classroom observations, documentation, writing assignments, and questionnaires. The findings reveal diverse engagement patterns while some participants relied on AI throughout, others used it selectively, particularly during revising and editing to enhance mechanics, structure, and coherence. Generative AI functioned as a flexible and adaptive resource that complemented VL as multimodal support, enabling learners to integrate linguistic and visual elements more effectively. The writing performance results indicated that six participants showed strong sentence structure and paragraph coherence, suggesting that integrating visual literacy and generative AI improves writing accuracy while supporting vocabulary development. The study highlights both the potential and limitations of AI in promoting autonomy, creativity, and critical engagement in academic writing.
