Students’ Strategies to Overcome Their Difficulties in Writing Thesis (A Study at English Teaching Department Registered in 2023/2024 Academic Year)

Abstract

MIFTAHUL JANNAH, Reg No. 2030104038, entitled: “Students’ Strategies to Overcome Their Difficulties in Writing Thesis (A Study at English Teaching Department Registered in 2023/2024 Academic Year)”. English Teaching Department Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training State Islamic University Mahmud Yunus Batusangkar. The problem addressed in this study was that students' strategies to overcome their difficulties in writing a thesis had not yet been revealed. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe the strategies students used to overcome these difficulties. This study employed a qualitative approach with a descriptive design. The informants were students from the English Teaching Department of UIN Mahmud Yunus Batusangkar in the 2023/2024 academic year. A total of eight students were selected through purposive sampling with a convenience sampling technique. These students were chosen based on specific criteria: they had successfully passed their thesis proposal seminar and had firsthand experience with the challenges and strategies involved in writing a thesis. The researcher served as the key instrument, with an interview guide as a supporting instrument. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with the selected informants. To carry out data analysis, the three stages were followed: data reduction, data display, and data verification (Miles & Huberman, 1994). To ensure the trustworthiness of the data, prolonged engagement was employed to enhance credibility by clarifying and confirming any ambiguous information from the initial interviews. The results of the study indicate that students in the English Teaching Department of UIN Mahmud Yunus Batusangkar in the 2023/2024 academic year employed five key strategies to overcome difficulties in writing their thesis: 1) Using various applications; 2) Recording and noting feedback from advisors; 3) Asking help from friends; 4) Searching for references (journals or books); and 5) Managing Time.