Factors affecting academic writing difficulties among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) university students

This study examines the specific factors that contribute to academic writing difficulties among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students in an English education department at a private university in Indonesia. Unlike other language skills, academic writing requires students to construct well-organized arguments, use formal academic conventions, and integrate evidence from multiple sources. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected through online surveys and interviews with 65 students across different academic years. The findings reveal that affective-motivational factors, such as low motivation and self-confidence, hinder students' ability to initiate and sustain the process of developing and structuring complex written arguments. Linguistic factors, including insufficient command of academic grammar and vocabulary, specifically impede students' capacity to produce coherent, precise, and formally appropriate academic texts. Educational environment factors, such as limited opportunities for academic discourse with peers and lecturers, were found to have a lesser but still relevant impact on students' engagement with academic writing tasks. These results highlight the need for targeted interventions that address the unique cognitive, linguistic, and affective demands of academic writing, rather than general language proficiency alone. The study suggests that specialized support and further research are essential to help EFL learners overcome these distinct academic writing challenges.