ELT Students' Writing Strategies and Grammar Challenges in Academic and Professional Contexts: Exploring Meaningful, Mindful, and Joyful Learning

Abstract

Academic and professional writing remains a significant challenge for English Language Teaching (ELT) students, particularly in managing grammatical accuracy and organizing ideas effectively. Recent discussions in language education emphasize the importance of deeper learning approaches that support students’ cognitive and emotional engagement during writing tasks. This study draws on the framework of deep learning, particularly the concepts of meaningful learning, mindful learning, and joyful learning, to examine ELT students’ writing experiences in academic and professional contexts. Using a qualitative case study design, the research involved five ELT students who had experience completing academic writing assignments. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the qualitative analysis framework proposed by Miles and Huberman. The findings revealed that students employed several writing strategies, including planning, revising drafts, and using external resources to address grammar-related challenges. These strategies were closely connected to meaningful learning through task relevance, mindful learning through awareness of writing processes, and joyful learning through positive engagement during writing activities. The study suggests that integrating meaningful, mindful, and joyful learning into writing instruction can enhance students’ engagement, self-regulation, and writing development in ELT contexts