STUDENTS’ DIFFICULTIES IN WRITING LINKING WORD

The objective of the research was to find out the students ’ difficulties in writing linking word. The design of this research was descriptive method. The instrument of the research was linking word test by Buczko et.al (2017 :1-10) and questionnaire adapted from Pramadani (2021) about students ’ difficulties. The result showed the fourth semester students in English study program have difficulties in writing linking word. The students lack knowledge about linking word because they difficult to understand the material so they difficult to identify linking word in the sentence. After that, the students also did not how much type of linking word and how to use it so they difficult to choose word and write the correct linking word that appropriate with the sentence. It is suggested the students: Students need the assistance to overcome the difficulties that they faced in writing linking word. The students should learn and practice to write linking word more to increase their ability in linking word.


INTRODUCTION
Writing is one of the important language skills. In addition, writing is a skill to uses ideas and opinions as a tool to convey information and communication tools. This means writer who writes more uses minds to generate ideas and information. Apsari (2017) stated that writing is important for our lives. This can be a great tool to help us discover more about the way we think because it can strengthen ideas and thoughts, and help us to learn how to form language, how to spell, how to plan, and how to make logical arguments or how to persuade, especially through writing.
In writing there are many aspects that should be noticed to make the writing be perfect. One of them is ability to using linking words. Linking words play an important role in both language use and learning, especially in second language learning (Liu, 2016). Linking words perform an important function in writing. They signal to the reader the direction the writer is taking by connecting or linking ideas within a paragraph and providing a bridge between paragraphs. Some can be used to link paragraphs and others can only be used to link ideas within a paragraph. It means that linking words are some words that used to show relationships between ideas by connecting two or more clauses, sentences or paragraph. Linking words helps the writer fluency in English, as they help to create longer sentences. In addition, linking words are linking device to connect each sentence in a paragraph or text. Furthermore, linking words/phrases are very useful devices for connecting ideas and, hence, for connecting sentences and paragraphs (Onwuegbuzie, 2016).
Many thing that makes the students difficult to write perfectly such as grammar, vocabulary and punctuation. According to Jaya, Sinarman (2022:170) he found the common problems in writing that are faced by students while writing are grammar problems and also limited vocabulary. Students find it difficult to distinguish what grammar they use in writing, and limited vocabulary also hinders students' writing because they are confused about interpreting Indonesian vocabulary into English. Based on interview some students in sixth semester, it found that some students still did not know about linking word more specific. They only know the word like ″because, although, in contrast, first, finally and etc″ as connecting the word in writing. So, in this research, the researcher wants to know the students' difficulties in writing linking word.
There are some previous studies that support this research they are: First, Apse and Farneste (2018) Error Analysis of the Use of Linking Words and Phrases in Tertiary Level Essays. The main findings of the research indicate that proficient users of a language tend to use linking words and phrases appropriately. The main type of errors found in the essays is intralingual errors caused by faulty learning or teaching, forgetfulness or overexposure to informal use of the target language. Second, Dhanufebry (2019) Error Analysis in the Use of Linking Words in Writing Essay of the Fifth Semester Students of Muhammadiyah University of Makassar. He found that total 32 errors appear in the students' essay which is consist of 4 omission errors (12.50%), 11 addition errors (34.38%), 13 misinformation errors (40.63%) and 4 misordering errors (12.50%). Misinformation errors was the most dominant kind of errors that found by the researcher, while omission and misordering were the most infrequent kind of error of all.
Third, Abdelrhan et.al (2019) Error analysis of the use of linking words in tertiary level Essays. The main findings of the research indicate that proficient users of a language tend to use linking words and phrases appropriately. The main type of errors found in the essays is intralingua errors caused by faulty learning or teaching, forgetfulness or overexposure to informal use of the target language. The last, DE P I K A PRAMADANI T. (2020) "The Difficulties Faced by Students in Using English Linking Verbs" (A Descriptive Research at the First Grade Students of SMP Muhammadiah 1 Makassar). He found that the test of objective test and questionnaire are, students didn't like study English, students were lack of vocabulary, students were difficult to understand linking verbs was caused first language influence, students were difficult to identify ten linking verbs in sentences, students were difficult to differentiate sentences, which were using and not using linking verbs, students not interested in learning grammar.
From the result of previous studies, it can be concluded that many students' difficulties in writing using linking word. So, in this research more focus to find out the students' difficulties in writing linking word. The tittle of this research is ″An Analysis of the Students Difficulties in Writing Linking Word″.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Design
This research used qualitative research as the research design. Lune and Berg (2017, P 22-26) said that qualitative research is research on collecting non -numeric primary data such as word and pictures that function as their own instruments making qualitative research suitable for providing factual and descritptive information Subject The subject of this research was the fourth semester students in English Education Program.

Instrumentation
The instrument of the research used in collecting the data were linking word test by Buczko et.al (2017 :1-10) and questionnaire adapted from Pramadani (2021) about students' difficulties Technique of Collecting the Data The data collected by using steps below: 1. The researcher met the students in fourth semester 2. The researcher gave explanation about the test 3. The researcher distributed the paper and ask the student to fill the test 4. The researcher gave questionnaire for the students 5. The data will be collected Technique of Analyzing the Data First, the data has been clasiffied used percentage formula. Second, the data has been analyzed and described. The last, made the conclusion.

RESULT AND DISCUSSION
In this part, the researcher identified the result of linking word test of the fourth semester students English study program of Muhammadiyah University of Bengkulu. The result can be seen on the Very poor Based on the table 1 above showed that the total of the result of the linking word test by fourth semester English students. It found that from six types of linking word (contrast, result, reason, purpose, manner and addition) only two types good fair score, they are: result and purpose. It means that the students have difficulties to identified linking word in the sentence because the other types the students get very poor score. The students only know the word that often they used when write sentence such as: ″because, such, to, so, .... etc″. They only guess based on the sentence without know the type of linking word and how to use it.

75% 25% High
Average 60% 40% Highly Sufficient Based on the table 2 above it found that the students in fourth semester have difficulties in writing linking word. It can be seen from the score of the questionnaire 60% (highly sufficient) it means that the almost of the students have difficulties in writing linking word. This statement also supports the final result of linking word test that has very poor classification.
There are some the students' difficulties in writing linking word that found in this research such as the students difficult to identify linking word in the sentence because they do not know much about linking word. The students do not know how much type of linking word and how to use it in the sentence.
The students do not know how to identify the correct linking word in the sentence. It means that the students still lack knowledge about linking word. So, it is a reason why the students still have low score in linking word test.

Discussion
The result shown that the fourth semester students' difficulties in writing linking word. Linking words play an important role in both language use and learning, especially in second language learning (Liu, 2016). In addition, linking words are linking device to connect each sentence in a paragraph or text. Furthermore, linking words/phrases are very useful devices for connecting ideas and, hence, for connecting sentences and paragraphs. There are many types or classification of linking word, but in this study more focus to six types of linking word that mention Buczko et.al (2017 :1-10) they said there are six types of linking word they are: contrast, result, purpose, reason, manner and addition. So, the researcher gives students linking word based on six types of linking word above. It found that the students in fourth semester have very low score in generally. They almost did not how to use the linking word in the sentence such as some linking word use in formal situation, must put commas in before or after the linking word, follow the noun/adjective/verb, can be follow can/could and etc.
One of example of linking word that explain by Buczko et.al (2017 :1-10) However/Nevertheless are close in meaning to but, but they are more formal. They are always followed by a comma, for example: She really wanted to see Mike, however, she kept up the pretense that she did not care. From the example before the student did not know differences linking word and how to write it.
This result contrary with the result of study from Apse and Farneste (2018) the students demonstrate good knowledge and skills of the use of appropriate linking words and phrases in illustration essays as there are rather few errors observed. And also related to another  knowledge and skills of how to use LWPs properly do not result in the overall correctness of a written text and the students' ability to express themselves comprehensively and without errors. Which mean the students in previous study above have knowledge about linking word, so they not made many mistakes in writing linking word.
The researcher also found some the students' difficulties in writing linking word based on the result of the questionnaire. In general, the student lack knowledge about linking word material and difficult to understand the linking word material so it makes them difficult to identify correct linking word in sentence. The students did not know how many types or classification of linking word. They also did not how to use the linking word to appropriate sentence such as to formal sentence, must follow the word ″the fact that″, must follow noun/adjective/verb and etc. Huwari and Fadi in Chairunissa (2021:20) state that there are four reasons behind weakness of writing such as grammatical weakness, knowledge and understanding, less practice, and educational background.
This result is similar with research from Pramadani (2020) he found that from test and questionnaire the students didn't like study English, students were lack of vocabulary, students were difficult to understand linking verbs was caused first language influence, students were difficult to identify ten linking verbs in sentences, students were difficult to differentiate sentences, which were using and not using linking verbs, students not interested in learning grammar.
From the result and discussion above, it can be concluding the students in fourth semester have difficulties in writing linking word. It supports by the result of linking word test and questionnaire. From the result of test, it found that the students get low score in generally and from the questionnaire the student agree they have difficulty in writing linking word.

Conclusion
Based on the discussion in previous chapter above, it can be concluded that the fourth semester students in English study program of Muhammadiyah University of Bengkulu have difficulties in writing linking word. The students lack knowledge about linking word because they difficult to understand the material so they difficult to identify linking word in the sentence. After that, the students also did not how much type of linking word and how to use it so they difficult to choose word and write the correct linking word that appropriate with the sentence.

Suggestion
Students need the assistance to overcome the difficulties that they faced in writing linking word. The students should learn and practice to write linking word more to increase their ability in linking word