Improving the Level of Achievement in Essay Writings Among Non-Native Speakers of Malay Language Based on a Systematic Model

This study was conducted to analyse the achievement of non-native speakers of the Malay language in constructing the content of essay, before and after being exposed to a Systematic Writing Model based on a Linguistic Functional System. Concurrently, it is also to analyse the effectiveness of the model in Malay essay writing. The study employs a quantitative design in the form of quasi-experimental and surveys. Samples include 60 non-native speakers from three secondary schools in Perak state. The research instruments comprise students' essays writings and questionnaires based on the effectiveness of the planned model. Pre-tests and post-tests were conducted to identify the differences in students’ achievement before and after the model was applied in the teaching and learning process. Data from the questionnaire was analysed descriptively and inferentially using Statistical Package for Social Science v25 software. The findings of the study show that there were significant differences in the achievement of the content construction of students’ essay writing before and after the application of the model was introduced. The mean score for student achievement in the pre-test was 8.83 (sp = 2.973) and increased to 14.48 (sp = 2.325) in the post-test. Overall, there was a significant difference in the achievement of scores of pre-test and post-test with a t -value of -20.943 and sig = 0.000 (p <0.05). The research hypothesis was accepted because there was a significant difference in the students’ essay writing achievement. Additionally, the findings from the questionnaire explain that the Systematic Writing Model is easy to use, and students felt happy to apply it in their essay writing. This model is expected to help students with problems in the construction of essay content to produce more coherent and quality writings.