Main Article Content
Abstract
This study looks at how English as a Foreign Language students write and how that is connected to what they know about grammar. It focuses on three parts of grammar that English as a Foreign Language students need to know: how words are formed how sentences are put together and how to make sentences. The study involved 120 English as a Foreign Language students from an universities in Indonesia who are studying to be English teachers. To get the information needed the students took a test, on grammar. Also wrote an essay that was then analyzed. The results showed a significant positive correlation between grammar knowledge and writing performance (r = 0.624; p < 0.001), with syntactic knowledge as the strongest predictor. Regression analysis showed that grammar knowledge explained 32.9% of the variation in students' writing performance. These findings indicate that grammar mastery plays an important role but does not fully determine the quality of writing. Therefore, writing instruction needs to integrate grammar with rhetorical, lexical, and discourse skills through a contextual and process-based approach.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Mike Nurmalia Sari, Riyadi Saputra, Henny Septia Utami

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Ciptaan disebarluaskan di bawah Lisensi Creative Commons Atribusi-BerbagiSerupa 4.0 Internasional.
References
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- Al-Jarf, R. (2022). Role of Instructor Qualifications, Assessment and Pedagogical Practices in EFL Students’ Grammar and Writing Proficiency. 4(2), 6–17. https://doi.org/10.32996/jweep
- Alharbi, W. (2023). AI in the Foreign Language Classroom: A Pedagogical Overview of Automated Writing Assistance Tools. Education Research International, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/4253331
- Alsamani, A.-A. S., & Daif-Allah, A. S. (2015). Introducing Project-based Instruction in the Saudi ESP Classroom: A Study in Qassim University. English Language Teaching, 9(1), 51. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v9n1p51
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- Hetthong, R. (2013). Does Writing Self-efficacy Correlate with and Predict Writing Performance ? International Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.7575/ijalel.v.2n.1p.157
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- Kühl, N., Schemmer, M., Goutier, M., & Satzger, G. (2022). Artificial intelligence and machine learning. Electronic Markets, 32(4), 2235–2244. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-022-00598-0
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- Minami, M. (2017). Task-based EFL language teaching with procedural information design in a technical writing context. Cogent Education, 4(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2016.1264174
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- Mustakim, N., Jaya, M., & Umiyati, J. (2025). Challenges in Grammar Learning Among EFL Students: A Case Study of an Indonesian University. Scope of English Language Teaching, Literature and Linguistics, 8(1), 16–27. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.46918/seltics.v8i1.2598
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- Ortega, L. (2015). Syntactic complexity in L2 writing : Progress and expansion. Journal of Second Language Writing, 15, 82–94. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2015.06.008
- Rahmawati, R., Sinaga, E. F., Saragih, A., & Br Sembiring, S. (2021). The Students’ Ability In Writing Skill: Using Personal Pronoun In Narrative text. Al-Lisan, 6(1), 58–70. https://doi.org/10.30603/al.v6i1.1889
- Ramli, D., Suhartono, L., & Novita, D. (2013). an Analysis on Students ’ Errors in Writing Recount Text. 1(1).
- Roger S. Frantz, Laura E. Starr, and A. L. B. (2025). Syntactic Complexity as an Aspect of Text Complexity. Educational Researcher, 44(7), 387–393. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X15603980
- Savignon, S. J. (2018). Communicative Competence. The TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching Teaching Grammar. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118784235.eelt0047
- Sianturi, B. (2021). The Ability of 10th-Grade Students to Use Past Tenses in Writing Narrative Text in SMA Kartika Jaya 1-4 Pematangsiantar. Indonesian Journal of English Language Studies (IJELS), 7(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.24071/ijels.v7i1.1467
- Siregar, Y. S. P., Tarigan, N. W. P., Mawarni, C. I., Simanjuntak, C. W. B., & Tanjaya, A. (2019). Grammatical Errors on Students’ Writing of Recount Text. Linguistic, English Education and Art (LEEA) Journal, 3(1), 189–200. https://doi.org/10.31539/leea.v3i1.995
- Susanti, A., & Agung, E. L. (2023). Improving Students’ Writing Ability in Personal Recount Text Using Google Jamboard. Journal of Languages and Language Teaching, 11(4), 912. https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v11i4.8520
- Teng, M. F., & Mei, Y. (2025). Metacognitive writing strategies, critical thinking skills, and academic writing performance: A structural equation modeling approach. Metacognition Learning, 18, 237–260. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-022-09328-5
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- Volya, N. A. E. H. R. N. S. W. D. (2024). The Role of Grammar in Learning-Teaching English: EFL Learners Belief. Modality Journal: The International Journal of Linguistics and Literature, 4(1), 13–31. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.30983/mj.v4i1.8004
References
Abdulrahman, N., & Abu-ayyash, E. A. S. (2019). Linguistic Competence, Communicative Competence, and Interactional Competence. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTER AND TECHNOLOGY, 19, 7537–7552. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.24297/ijct.v19i0.8505
Ahangari, S., & Barghi, A. L. I. H. (2012). Consistency of Measured Accuracy in Grammar Knowledge Tests and Writing : TOEFL PBT. May.
Al-Jarf, R. (2022). Role of Instructor Qualifications, Assessment and Pedagogical Practices in EFL Students’ Grammar and Writing Proficiency. 4(2), 6–17. https://doi.org/10.32996/jweep
Alharbi, W. (2023). AI in the Foreign Language Classroom: A Pedagogical Overview of Automated Writing Assistance Tools. Education Research International, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/4253331
Alsamani, A.-A. S., & Daif-Allah, A. S. (2015). Introducing Project-based Instruction in the Saudi ESP Classroom: A Study in Qassim University. English Language Teaching, 9(1), 51. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v9n1p51
Altmäe, S., Sola-Leyva, A., & Salumets, A. (2023). Artificial intelligence in scientific writing: a friend or a foe? Reproductive BioMedicine Online, 47(1), 3–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rbmo.2023.04.009
Andleeb, M., Tasra, A., Khatoon, S., & Mazhar, D. (2025). The Role of English Grammar in Developing Writing Skills : A Theoretical Perspective. International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences, 10(1), 252–256. https://doi.org/10.22161/ijels
Ashrafova, I. (2025). Teaching Generative Skills in the EFL Classroom : Approaches to Writing and Speaking Development. Porta Universorum, 1(4), 178–193. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.69760/portuni.0104018
Belmekki, M., Belmekki, L., Chihab, M., Koumachi, B., Benmhamed, M., Tofail, I., & Tofail, I. (2025). Writing in English and Writing in Standard Arabic in Higher Education: A Correlational Study. International Journal of English Language Studies, 7(1), 17–24. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.32996/ijels.2025.7.1.3
Creswel, W. J., & Creswel, J. D. (2018). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative adn Mixed Methods Approaches. In Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling (Vol. 53, Issue 9). file:///C:/Users/Harrison/Downloads/John W. Creswell & J. David Creswell - Research Design_ Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (2018).pdf%0Afile:///C:/Users/Harrison/AppData/Local/Mendeley Ltd./Mendeley Desktop/Downloaded/Creswell, Cr
Ellis, R. (1998). Second language acquisition by internet archieve. 8(1), vii–137. https://archive.org/details/secondlanguageac00rode/page/n4/mode/1up?view=theater
Galloway, E.P., Uccelli, P. (2015). Modeling the relationship between lexico-grammatical and discourse organization skills in middle grade writers: insights into later productive language skills that support academic writing. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal-Springer, 28, 797–828.
Hans, A., & Hans, E. (2017). Role of Grammar in Communication -Writing Skills ( Assistant Professor in English-University of Dammam Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ). International Journal of English Language, Literature and Humanities, 5(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.24113/ijellh.v5.issue1.42
Harris, C. (2022). Exploring the Role of Grammar and Word Choice in Bias Toward African American English (AAE) in Hate Speech Classification. In ACM International Conference Proceeding Series (pp. 789–798). https://doi.org/10.1145/3531146.3533144
Hetthong, R. (2013). Does Writing Self-efficacy Correlate with and Predict Writing Performance ? International Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.7575/ijalel.v.2n.1p.157
Jagaiah, T., Olinghouse, N.G. & Kearns, D. M. (2020). Syntactic complexity measures: variation by genre, grade-level, students’ writing abilities, and writing quality. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal-Springer, 33, 2577–2638. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-020-10057-x
Kühl, N., Schemmer, M., Goutier, M., & Satzger, G. (2022). Artificial intelligence and machine learning. Electronic Markets, 32(4), 2235–2244. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-022-00598-0
Marzulina, L., Mukminin, A., Erlina, D., Astrid, A., Ajriyah, N., Holandiyah, M., & Habibi, A. (2019). The grammatical awareness of student teachers: The case of an english education study program in Indonesia. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 7(9), 1847–1859. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2019.070902
Minami, M. (2017). Task-based EFL language teaching with procedural information design in a technical writing context. Cogent Education, 4(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2016.1264174
MOURI, C. (2020). Summarizing as a Strategy to Enhance Grammar and Writing Skills: The Case of First Year LMD Learners at the Algerian University Dr. Tahar Moulay-Saida. Arab World English Journal, 11(2), 303–310. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol11no2.21
Mustakim, N., Jaya, M., & Umiyati, J. (2025). Challenges in Grammar Learning Among EFL Students: A Case Study of an Indonesian University. Scope of English Language Teaching, Literature and Linguistics, 8(1), 16–27. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.46918/seltics.v8i1.2598
Odendahl, N., Fowles, M., Bivens-tatum, J., Deane, P., Odendahl, N., Quinlan, T., Fowles, M., Welsh, C., & Bivens-tatum, J. (2008). Cognitive Models of Writing : Writing Proficiency as a Cognitive Models of Writing : Writing Proficiency as a Complex Integrated Skill. October.
Ortega, L. (2015). Syntactic complexity in L2 writing : Progress and expansion. Journal of Second Language Writing, 15, 82–94. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2015.06.008
Rahmawati, R., Sinaga, E. F., Saragih, A., & Br Sembiring, S. (2021). The Students’ Ability In Writing Skill: Using Personal Pronoun In Narrative text. Al-Lisan, 6(1), 58–70. https://doi.org/10.30603/al.v6i1.1889
Ramli, D., Suhartono, L., & Novita, D. (2013). an Analysis on Students ’ Errors in Writing Recount Text. 1(1).
Roger S. Frantz, Laura E. Starr, and A. L. B. (2025). Syntactic Complexity as an Aspect of Text Complexity. Educational Researcher, 44(7), 387–393. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X15603980
Savignon, S. J. (2018). Communicative Competence. The TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching Teaching Grammar. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118784235.eelt0047
Sianturi, B. (2021). The Ability of 10th-Grade Students to Use Past Tenses in Writing Narrative Text in SMA Kartika Jaya 1-4 Pematangsiantar. Indonesian Journal of English Language Studies (IJELS), 7(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.24071/ijels.v7i1.1467
Siregar, Y. S. P., Tarigan, N. W. P., Mawarni, C. I., Simanjuntak, C. W. B., & Tanjaya, A. (2019). Grammatical Errors on Students’ Writing of Recount Text. Linguistic, English Education and Art (LEEA) Journal, 3(1), 189–200. https://doi.org/10.31539/leea.v3i1.995
Susanti, A., & Agung, E. L. (2023). Improving Students’ Writing Ability in Personal Recount Text Using Google Jamboard. Journal of Languages and Language Teaching, 11(4), 912. https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v11i4.8520
Teng, M. F., & Mei, Y. (2025). Metacognitive writing strategies, critical thinking skills, and academic writing performance: A structural equation modeling approach. Metacognition Learning, 18, 237–260. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-022-09328-5
Teuten, E. L. (2009). Transport and release of chemicals from plastics to the environment and to wildlife. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 364(1526), 2027–2045. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2008.0284
Volya, N. A. E. H. R. N. S. W. D. (2024). The Role of Grammar in Learning-Teaching English: EFL Learners Belief. Modality Journal: The International Journal of Linguistics and Literature, 4(1), 13–31. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.30983/mj.v4i1.8004