Writing skills constitute a crucial dimension of twenty-first-century language competence; nevertheless, low idea-exploration ability and a lack of authentic learning media continue to dominate senior secondary education. This qualitative case study analyzes the implementation of teacher strategies in developing students' functional writing skills and learner autonomy through Project-Based Learning (PjBL) integrated with Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) framework. The investigation was conducted in Grade X at Islamic High School Model Zainul Hasan, involving one Indonesian language teacher and six students selected through initial writing diagnostic assessments representing high, medium, and low writing-competency levels. Data was collected over a six-week instructional period through non-participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and multimodal portfolio analysis of student autobiographies and digital Curriculum Vitae (CV) designs evaluated against EYD Edition V spelling standards and rhetorical cohesion. Data were analyzed using Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña’s interactive model with CAQDAS thematic coding. The findings demonstrate that integrating independent-learning strategies within PjBL—utilizing peer-modeling and differentiated scaffolding (asymmetric desk-side mentoring)—effectively bridged initial competency gaps, with low-proficiency students improving text coherence by 40% in draft iterations. Dual product output enhanced both personal reflective writing and professional digital literacy. However, cognitive load disparities and limited computer lab infrastructure caused project timeline extensions. This study provides pedagogical insights for contextualizing adaptive scaffolding in Islamic secondary schools balancing dual curricula.
Downloads
- Affandi, M. A., Ali, N., & Barizi, A. (2024). Model of Students' Prophetic Character Building of Madrasah Aliyah in Responding to Global Sociocultural Change Era. AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 16(2), 991-1004. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v16i2.4218
- Alemdag, E., & Yildirim, Z. (2022). Design and development of an online formative peer assessment environment with instructional scaffolds. Educational technology research and development, 70(4), 1359-1389. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-022-10115-x
- Aminullah, A., Mujahidin, M., Yussuf, A., Syahabuddin, S., & Salenda, K. (2024). The impact of madrasah integration in the national education system on the academic quality of madrasah aliyah alumni in South Sulawesi. Ulumuna, 28(2), 1017-1048. https://doi.org/10.20414/ujis.v28i2.1091
- Aprilia, U. A. (2025). Enhancing elementary students’ critical thinking character through wall magazine project implementation. Jurnal Inovasi Guru Indonesia, 2(2), 70-78. https://doi.org/10.63202/jigi.v2i2.151
- Bachtiyar, M., Bakar, M. Y. A., & Rusydiyah, E. F. (2025). Innovations in Islamic religious education in bilingual madrasah aliyah: A systematic literature review. Al-Ishlah: Jurnal Pendidikan, 17(2), 2115-2124. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v17i2.5453
- Cahyono, B. Y., Irawati, R., Amalia, S. N., & Hidayat, L. E. (2024). Project-based learning in EFL educational settings: A meta-analysis study in EFL/ESL writing. Journal of Writing Research, 16(1), 105-127. https://doi.org/10.17239/jowr-2024.16.01.04
- Deane, P. (2018). The challenges of writing in school: Conceptualizing writing development within a sociocognitive framework. Educational Psychologist, 53(4), 280-300. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2018.1513844
- Demi̇rbaş, İ., & Şahi̇n, A. (2023). The effect of digital stories on primary school students’ creative writing skills. Education and Information Technologies, 28(7), 7997-8025. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11440-7
- Egitim, S. (2025). Collaborative leadership in English language classrooms: Engaging learners in leaderful classroom practices and strategies. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 28(1), 32-52. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2021.1990413
- Elturki, E., & Hellmann, K. (2023). Faculty experiences teaching in linguistically and culturally diverse contexts at the university level. International Journal for Academic Development, 28(2), 190-204. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2021.2007483
- Faza, A., & Lestari, I. A. (2025). Self-regulated learning in the digital age: A systematic review of strategies, technologies, benefits, and challenges. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 26(2), 23-58. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v26i2.8119
- Gopang, A. S., Gopang, S. S., & Chachar, Z. A. (2023). Analysis of the Effects of Teachers’ Scaffolding on Project-Based Learning of BS-English Students of University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan. Sukkur IBA Journal of Educational Sciences and Technologies, 3(1), 26-42. https://doi.org/10.30537/sjest.v3i1.1272
- Graham, S., Cao, Y., Kim, Y. S. G., Lee, J., Tate, T., Collins, P., ... & Olson, C. B. (2025). Effective writing instruction for students in grades 6 to 12: A best evidence meta-analysis. Reading and Writing, 38(4), 1-46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-024-10539-2
- Gusni, G. (2023). Improving Paragraph Writing Competence through an Inquiry Method Using Audio Media. ETDC: Indonesian Journal of Research and Educational Review, 2(2), 18-39. https://doi.org/10.51574/ijrer.v2i2.656
- Hugueny-Léger, E. (2024). Translingual creative writing in, and beyond, modern languages. Modern Languages Open, (1). https://doi.org/10.3828/mlo.v0i0.498
- Jiang, L., Yu, S., & Lee, I. (2022). Developing a genre-based model for assessing digital multimodal composing in second language writing: Integrating theory with practice. Journal of Second Language Writing, 57, 100869. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2022.100869
- Joshi, D. R. (2024). Teachers’ experiential strategies for bridging writing proficiency gaps among secondary level students. Far Western Review, 2(2), 91-105. https://nepjol.info/index.php/fwr/article/view/79835
- Kennedy, T. J., & Sundberg, C. W. (2025). Twenty-first century skills. Science education in theory and practice: An introductory guide to learning theory (pp. 461-486). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-81351-1_27
- Kim, M., Tian, Y., & Crossley, S. A. (2021). Exploring the relationships among cognitive and linguistic resources, writing processes, and written products in second language writing. Journal of Second Language Writing, 53, 100824. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2021.100824
- Kokotsaki, D., Menzies, V., & Wiggins, A. (2016). Project-based learning: A review of the literature. Improving schools, 19(3), 267-277. https://doi.org/10.1177/1365480216659733
- Kurniawati, F. N. (2023). Fostering students’ creativity in English writing class: Investigating the impact of project-based learning in bridging ideas and words. English Learning Innovation, 4(2), 150-164. https://doi.org/10.22219/englie.v4i2.30611
- Laeli, N., & Wijayanto, P. A. (2025). The Effectiveness of the PjBL Model Assisted by Story Maps Media: The Creative Thinking Skills of High School Students. ETDC: Indonesian Journal of Research and Educational Review, 4(4), 1003-1012. https://doi.org/10.51574/ijrer.v4i4.3647
- Latif, M. M. A. (2021). Remodeling writers’ composing processes: Implications for writing assessment. Assessing Writing, 50, 100547. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2021.100547
- Madkur, A., As' ad, M. S., Prayogo, A., Sunarwan, A., Siregar, S., Harya, T. D., & Irwansyah, D. (2024). Context-responsive pedagogy in English language teaching in Indonesian Islamic boarding schools. Journal of Education and Learning (EduLearn), 18(3), 626-638. https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v18i3.21085
- Magnusson, C. G., Luoto, J. M., & Blikstad-Balas, M. (2023). Developing teachers’ literacy scaffolding practices—successes and challenges in a video-based longitudinal professional development intervention. Teaching and Teacher Education, 133, 104274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104274
- Maryati, S., Lestarika, L., Idi, A., & Samiha, Y. T. (2023). Madrasah as an institution of Islamic education and social change. Jurnal Konseling Pendidikan Islam, 4(2), 317-326. https://doi.org/10.32806/jkpi.v4i2.11
- Mata, L., & Gavrilut, M. L. (2025). Innovative educational approaches to creative writing skills. Innovative trends in Language Teaching, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-7074-1
- Ness, I. J. (2023). Zone of proximal development. The palgrave encyclopedia of the possible (pp. 1781-1786). Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90913-0_60
- Nurasman, M. S., Firmansyah, B., & Nasution, N. (2026). PjBL in Academic Writing Instruction in Higher Education: Challenges, Strategies, and Synthesis of Empirical Findings. Bahtera: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra, 25(1), 51-61. https://doi.org/10.21009/bahtera.251.06
- Overstreet, M., Vaccino-Salvadore, S., & Akhmedjanova, D. (2026). Time, Space, and Tools: A Materio-cognitive Model of Digital Writing Process Development. Written Communication, 43(2), 498-531. https://doi.org/10.1177/07410883251410154
- Putri, N. A., Warsiman, W., & Hermiati, T. (2022). Peningkatan keterampilan menulis teks eksposisi melalui model problem based learning dengan media gambar. Jurnal Metamorfosa, 10(1), 11-21. https://doi.org/10.46244/metamorfosa.v10i1.1712
- Ratu, D. M., Nurhayati, N., Ratni, N. P., Nurmaisyah, N., Rantung, R., Kojongian, P. L., & Tatipang, D. P. (2025). Transforming Writing Education: An Investigation of Students' Experiences with Project-Based Learning in Teaching Writing: English. Utamax: Journal of Ultimate Research and Trends in Education, 7(1), 44-57. https://doi.org/10.31849/utamax.v7i1.25037
- Reynolds, D. (2021). Scaffolding the academic language of complex text: An intervention for late secondary students. Journal of Research in Reading, 44(3), 508-528. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9817.12353
- Romlah, R., Warisno, A., Muslim, A. B., & Harun, A. (2025). Navigating tradition and modernity in the strategic management and transformation of Madrasah Aliyah in multicultural Indonesia. International Journal of Management in Education, 19(3), 284-310. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJMIE.2025.145945
- Rosmayanti, V., Amin, S., Christo, Y., & Khatima, C. (2025). Empowering The Implementation of Self-Regulated Learning Through Project-Based Learning (PjBL) in English Instruction. Jurnal Pendidikan dan Pengajaran, 58(1), 50-61. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpp.v58i1.82086
- Russell, M., Braun, H., & Zhu, B. (2023). Twenty-First Century Skills and Learning: A Case Study of Developments and Practices in the United States. In Key Competences and New Literacies: From Slogans to School Reality (pp. 257-294). Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-23281-7_10
- Sarmiento-Campos, N. V., Lázaro-Guillermo, J. C., Silvera-Alarcón, E. N., Cuellar-Quispe, S., Huamán-Romaní, Y. L., Apaza, O. A., & Sorkheh, A. (2022). A look at Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory (SCT): The effectiveness of scaffolding method on EFL learners’ speaking achievement. Education Research International, 2022(1), 3514892. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/3514892
- Sen, S. (2015). Abolishing English in schools: implications for higher education in West Bengal. Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, 16(2), 269-281. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649373.2015.1037084
- Song, C., & Song, Y. (2023). Enhancing academic writing skills and motivation: Assessing the efficacy of ChatGPT in AI-assisted language learning for EFL students. Frontiers in psychology, 14, 1260843. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1260843
- Śleszyńska, M. (2025). Theoretical Foundations of Writing. Integrating Plain English into Writing Activities in the PhD Language Programme (pp. 1-58). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-93583-1
- Taylor, K. S., Keane, K., Silverman, R. D., & Levine, S. (2026). Elementary teachers’ scaffolding in writing instruction. literacy research and instruction, 65(1), 16-36. https://doi.org/10.1080/19388071.2024.2429509
- Wu, X. Y. (2024). Unveiling the dynamics of self-regulated learning in project-based learning environments. Heliyon, 10(5). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27335
- Yaylı, D. (2024). Unveiling genre analysis and genre-based instruction in EAP. In Teaching English for academic purposes: Theory into practice (pp. 221-247). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-72545-6_10
- Yulianti, Y., Umar, U., Sudewi, P. W., & Isma, A. (2024). Analysis of narrative writing skills among junior high school students in Indonesia. Innovations in Language Education and Literature, 1(2), 41-47.
- Zuhri, A., Alnashr, M. S., Nihayah, H., Ihsan, I., Ulumuddin, I. K., Darnoto, D., & Munjiat, S. M. (2026). How madrasahs build students’ character in Indonesia's society 5.0 era: Emerging challenges. Nazhruna: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 9(1), 166-186. https://doi.org/10.31538/nzh.v9i1.412
Copyright (c) 2026 Laili Ramadhani, Uun Widayanti, Hemas Haryas Harja Susetya

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Most read articles by the same author(s)
- Dianatul Qoyyimah, Mohammad Husen, Hemas Haryas Harja Susetya, Implementation of the Reading-Reflection-Sharing Model in Developing Critical Literacy in Vocational High School Students , ETDC: Indonesian Journal of Research and Educational Review : Vol. 4 No. 4 (2025): September
- Hemas Haryas Harja Susetya, Mochamad Ighfir Sukardi, Critical Literacy and Pedagogical Transformation among Prospective Indonesian Language Teachers , ETDC: Indonesian Journal of Research and Educational Review : Vol. 5 No. 1 (2025): December
Similar Articles
- Nelsa Saragih, Adriana Y. D. Lumban Gaol, Think-Pair-Share Model on High Secondary School Students' Academic Outcomes in Human Reproduction , ETDC: Indonesian Journal of Research and Educational Review : Vol. 6 No. 1 (2026): September - December
- Dhea Azar, Agus Pahrudin, Ida Faridatul Hasanah, Rudy Irawan, Fitriani Fitriani, Agus Susanti, Innovation in Aqidah Akhlak Learning: Implementing Think Pair Share to Cultivate Religious Moderation Values , ETDC: Indonesian Journal of Research and Educational Review : Vol. 5 No. 1 (2025): December
- Muh. Rani Rachmansyah Bachtiar, Kartini Kartini, Bulu’ Kanro, Promoting Student Tolerance via Religious Moderation: Evidence from Indonesian Multicultural High Schools , ETDC: Indonesian Journal of Research and Educational Review : Vol. 6 No. 1 (2026): September - December
- Jesika Indah Sari Purba, Desta Riani Br Perangin-angin, Santa Hoky Br Sembiring, Marnita Sihotang, Desveromika Zalukhu, Rosmaida Sinaga, Transformation of the Education Curriculum in Indonesia during the Dutch East Indies Rule: A Historical and Conceptual Review , ETDC: Indonesian Journal of Research and Educational Review : Vol. 4 No. 3 (2025): June
- Sintia Sintia, Sri Sufliati Romba, M. Yusran Rahmat, Hands-On Activity on Fine Motor Skills in Early Childhood Education , ETDC: Indonesian Journal of Research and Educational Review : Vol. 5 No. 1 (2025): December
- Eka Nana Susanti, Interest in Local Wisdom-Based Entrepreneurship among High School Students , ETDC: Indonesian Journal of Research and Educational Review : Vol. 5 No. 1 (2025): December
- Hasmyati Hasmyati, Nur Indah Atifah Anwar, Muhammad Akbar Syafruddin, Alimin Hamzah, Educational Video-Based Play Methods in Physical Education Learning: Social Emotional of Children with Special Needs , ETDC: Indonesian Journal of Research and Educational Review : Vol. 3 No. 4 (2024): September
- Nasrawati Nasrawati, Imam Suyudi, Sudirman Sudirman, Innovating Learning Models: The Impact of Tabata and Rubber Weight on Tapak Suci Kick Speed , ETDC: Indonesian Journal of Research and Educational Review : Vol. 5 No. 3 (2026): June
- Ayu Sartika Br Siregar, Endang Golis L Tobing, Nur Rizka Fitri, Developing of Teaching Materials: Using Animation Media to Learning English Vocabulary For Early Childhood , ETDC: Indonesian Journal of Research and Educational Review : Vol. 1 No. 1 (2021): December
- Nirmawati Nur, Fahrizal Fahrizal, Suwardi Suwardi, Muh. Adnan Hudain, Ahmad Adil, Distance Variation Approach in Elementary School Students: Learning Outcomes of Underhand Passing , ETDC: Indonesian Journal of Research and Educational Review : Vol. 4 No. 2 (2025): March
<< < 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 > >>
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.


















