THE PROBLEMS OF THESIS PROPOSAL WRITING OF ENGLISH DEPARTMENT STUDENTS AT UIN SULTAN AJI MUHAMMAD IDRIS SAMARINDA

Abstract

Salmawati, 2024. The Problems of Thesis Proposal Writing of English Department Students at UIN Sultan Aji Muhammad Idris Samarinda. This study is under the guidance of Mr. Umar Fauzan, M.Pd as the first supervisor, and Mrs. Nadia Sya’ya, M.Pd., M.TESOL as the second supervisor.

A thesis proposal is a form of scientific writing produced by undergraduate students (S1) to demonstrate understanding and research capabilities in a particular subject. For students, completing a thesis is a major requirement to obtain a bachelor's degree in their field. Writing a thesis proposal can be challenging as students often encounter various obstacles, such as difficulties in organizing ideas, or formulating research questions effectively. This study aims to identify the problems of thesis proposal writing of English Department students.

The study employs a descriptive qualitative method, with participants selected through purposive sampling. The subjects of this study are six students from the English Department in the eighth to ninth semesters who have completed their thesis proposals. Data were collected through interviews, observations, and documentation, and were analyzed using the Miles, Huberman, and Saldana model.

The result of this study identified five main problems encountered by English Department students at UIN Sultan Aji Muhammad Idris Samarinda in writing thesis proposals: lack of motivation, lack of English writing skills, lack of understanding of proposal writing, inability to search for related sources, and student-supervisor communication.