Students’ Perceptions Of Using Culturally Relevant Materials (Crm) To Enhance Writing Engagement In Efl Classrooms

This study aimed to explore students’ perceptions of using Culturally Relevant Materials (CRM) to enhance writing engagement in EFL classrooms. Writing is often considered one of the most difficult English skills because students frequently experience difficulties in generating ideas, organizing thoughts, and maintaining motivation during writing activities. Therefore, this study investigated how culturally relevant materials influenced students’ engagement and participation in writing tasks. This research used a descriptive qualitative design. The participants of this study were nine students from the English Language Education Study Program at Ar-Raniry State Islamic University. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis proposed by Braun and Clarke. The findings revealed that students generally had positive perceptions toward the use of CRM in writing activities. Students stated that culturally familiar topics helped them generate ideas more easily because the materials were closely related to their daily life, local traditions, and personal experiences. In addition, CRM increased students’ motivation, confidence, participation, and interest in writing activities. Students also felt that writing tasks became more meaningful and enjoyable when the topics reflected their own cultural background. However, several challenges were also identified, including difficulties in translating cultural terms into English, limited references about local culture, lack of detailed cultural knowledge, and differences in students’ confidence levels. Overall, the study concluded that Culturally Relevant Materials (CRM) positively influenced students’ writing engagement in EFL classrooms. Therefore, the use of culturally relevant topics is recommended to create more meaningful, engaging, and student-centered writing instruction.