Online Discussions in Enhancing Students’ Writing Skills in Writing for the Media Class

Abstract

The study discovered students’ perceptions of English writing skills from the perspective of the learners. The study investigated online discussions as a component in enhancing students’ comprehension related to English writing skills. It conducted to answer the research question: ‘What are students’ perspectives on the use of online discussions in their Writing for Media class in enhancing their writing skills? The participants of the study were 20 selected students from two classes at the Writing for the Media class at the English Language Education Program at Satya Wacana Christian University, Salatiga. On the questionnaire, the participants were asked to provide written responses related to online discussions in Writing for the Media class. This study was conducted qualitatively, supported by open-ended questionnaire and semi-structured interviews as the instruments. Those samples were used to provide richer descriptions in the data collection. In addition, the samples were collected using a quota-sampling technique. The data analysis revealed to prove that online discussions helped students in term of receiving peer feedback, increasing students’ awareness of misspelled and grammatical errors, and experiencing flexible learning. On the other hand, students’ passive behavior and poor internet connection were possessed as two major challenges the students faced in the implementation of online discussions. Finally, this study would seem to indicate the importance of online discussions among students in increasing their writing skills. It also suggested different strategies to students in achieving their learning goals during the students’ learning process.