The Cognitive Development in Writing Skills Among Students of Insan Mulia Integrated Islamic High School

Abstract

Junior high school students (SMP) are in the formal operational stage of cognitive development, where they are capable of using symbols to logically understand abstract concepts. They also develop flexibility in thinking, abstract thinking, formulating mental hypotheses, and considering alternatives and solutions in problem-solving. However, students' writings often contain errors in aspects such as spelling, grammar, punctuation, vocabulary, and tense. This study aims to analyze the cognition of 9th-grade students at SMPIT Insan Mulia Batanghari in writing descriptive texts in Arabic as a second language. The research design used is qualitative descriptive, employing interviews, observations, and text analysis as data collection methods. The data collected consist of sentences from descriptive texts, interview transcripts, and observations of the students' writing processes. The results of the study indicate that students' cognition in writing descriptive texts follows the stages of the writing process, including pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Moreover, students have goals and motivations for writing, grounded in the belief that writing can enhance their skills in learning Arabic as a foreign language. This study provides valuable insights into the cognitive processes of students in writing descriptive texts in Arabic and its relevance in the context of second language education.