AN ANALYSIS OF EFL STUDENTS’ GRAMMATICAL ERRORS IN RECOUNT TEXT WRITING AT AN ISLAMICSENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Abstract

Writing grammatical accuracy remains a persistent challenge for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, particularly in recount texts that require consistent use of past-tense forms. This study investigated the types of grammatical errors produced by eleventh-grade EFL students and the factors contributing to those errors in an Islamic Senior High School. A descriptive qualitative design supported by simple quantitative analysis was employed with 36 students from one purposively selected class. Data were collected through two recount-writing tasks, a 30-item questionnaire, and semi-structured interviews with five students and one English teacher. Students’ errors were classified using Dulay, Burt, and Krashen’s Surface Strategy Taxonomy, while questionnaire responses were summarized descriptively and interview data were analyzed thematically. The analysis identified 634 grammatical errors across the two writing tasks. Misinformation was the most frequent category (53.63%), followed by omission (26.03%), addition (10.25%), and misordering (10.09%). Questionnaire and interview findings indicated that first-language influence was the strongest perceived contributing factor (77.80%), followed by difficulties in writing recount texts (70.15%), while learning context, students’ uncertainty during writing, and limited grammatical understanding also contributed. The findings suggest that EFL writing instruction should combine explicit grammar teaching with genre-based writing practice, noticing activities, guided revision, and constructive corrective feedback to help learners improve grammatical accuracy in meaningful writing contexts.