Investigating the Correlation Between EFL Learners’ Perceptions of Teaching Methods and Their Sentence Construction Ability

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the correlation between students’ perceptions of teaching methods and their ability to construct sentences in English. A quantitative correlational approach was applied to 33 eighth-grade students from SMPN 3 Wates. Students’ perceptions were measured using a validated questionnaire consisting of 19 items, while their sentence construction ability was assessed through a short paragraph writing task. The written work was evaluated holistically based on sentence structure, variety, clarity, vocabulary use, and proper punctuation. To provide additional context, a semi-structured interview was also conducted with the English teacher to gain insight into the instructional methods commonly used in the classroom. The Pearson correlation analysis showed a very strong and statistically significant relationship between the two variables, with a correlation coefficient of r = 0.773 and a significance value of p = 0.000. These results indicate that students who perceive their teacher’s instructional methods positively tend to demonstrate stronger sentence construction skills, highlighting the importance of aligning teaching approaches with students’ learning perceptions.