<![CDATA[Abstrak Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis bentuk-bentuk kesulitan yang dialami mahasiswa dalam merumuskan masalah penelitian bahasa dan sastra, mengungkap faktor-faktor yang melatarbelakanginya, serta merumuskan rekomendasi intervensi yang dapat dilakukan dalam pembelajaran metodologi penelitian. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan desain fenomenologi. Subjek penelitian adalah mahasiswa Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra Indonesia Universitas Negeri Medan, sedangkan objek penelitian berupa proposal penelitian yang telah disusun mahasiswa. Data dikumpulkan melalui analisis dokumen proposal penelitian dan wawancara mendalam terhadap mahasiswa. Data dianalisis melalui tahap reduksi, kategorisasi, interpretasi, dan penarikan makna pengalaman. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kesulitan mahasiswa meliputi: (1) ketidakmampuan mengidentifikasi kesenjangan penelitian (research gap), (2) kesulitan membatasi fokus penelitian secara spesifik, (3) ketidaksesuaian antara latar belakang, tujuan, dan rumusan masalah, (4) belum optimalnya pemahaman terhadap konsep penelitian bahasa dan sastra, serta (5) keterbatasan kemampuan berpikir kritis dan analitis dalam mengonstruksi masalah penelitian. Faktor penyebab kesulitan tersebut berasal dari kurangnya pengalaman membaca artikel ilmiah, pemahaman metodologi penelitian yang belum memadai, dan minimnya latihan merumuskan masalah penelitian secara sistematis. Berdasarkan temuan tersebut, penelitian ini merekomendasikan intervensi berupa pembelajaran berbasis analisis artikel ilmiah, penggunaan scaffolding dalam penyusunan proposal, serta pengembangan modul diagnostik perumusan masalah penelitian bahasa. Penelitian ini diharapkan berkontribusi pada pengembangan strategi pembelajaran metodologi penelitian yang lebih responsif terhadap kebutuhan mahasiswa dalam menghasilkan proposal penelitian yang berkualitas. Kata kunci: analisis kesulitan, perumusan masalah penelitian, penelitian bahasa, intervensi akademik Abstract This study aims to analyse the forms of difficulties experienced by students in formulating language research problems, identify the underlying factors contributing to these difficulties, and propose intervention strategies that can be implemented in research methodology courses. The study employed a qualitative approach with a phenomenological design. The participants were students of the Indonesian Language and Literature Education Study Program at Universitas Negeri Medan, while the research objects consisted of research proposals prepared by the students. Data were collected through document analysis of research proposals and in-depth interviews with the participants. The data were analyzed through the stages of data reduction, categorization, interpretation, and meaning-making of participants' experiences. The findings revealed that students encountered several difficulties, including: (1) an inability to identify research gaps, (2) difficulties in narrowing the research focus to a specific scope, (3) inconsistencies among the background of the study, research objectives, and research problem formulation, (4) inadequate understanding of language research concepts, and (5) limited critical and analytical thinking skills in constructing research problems. These difficulties were attributed to insufficient experience in reading scholarly articles, inadequate understanding of research methodology, and limited practice in systematically formulating research problems. Based on these findings, the study recommends several interventions, including learning activities based on the analysis of scholarly articles, the application of scaffolding strategies in proposal writing, and the development of a diagnostic module for language research problem formulation. This study is expected to contribute to the development of more responsive research methodology learning strategies that address students’ needs in producing high-quality research proposals. Keywords: difficulty analyse, research problem formulation, language research, academic intervention]]>
