Students’ Problems to Comprehend Descriptive Texts in the EFL Classroom

Abstract

tion, Jember University. This explored students' perceptions of their comprehension problems when reading descriptive texts in a foreign language classroom. it was conducted at a Junior High School in the 2023/2024 academic year. The research participants are students and each is from four different classes, through face-to-face interviews. In four case studies, students engage in an in-depth examination of the problem by reading a text. Following this, the researcher poses 30 questions to the individual during an interview designed to elicit their feelings and perceptions regarding the text in English. It was found that participating students experienced difficulties with reading, particularly in understanding vocabulary even though they had grasped some of it. To improve their comprehension, they used dictionaries to look up unfamiliar words and noted them for future reference. Despite finding definitions, they still needed the teacher’s assistance to understand the overall text and sentence structure, leading to hesitation in answering questions. The teacher encouraged group discussions to enhance understanding and retention of new vocabulary and provided tasks with incentives such as points or snacks to motivate students. Additionally, the teacher employed engaging methods like video games, music, and movies to support English learning.