Indonesian EFL Journal
Vol. 12 No. 2 (2026)

REDUCING NATIVE LANGUAGE INTERFERENCE IN ENGLISH TEACHING WRITING USING GRAMMARLY: A CASE STUDY

Muhammad syarofil Umam (English Education Department, Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training, UIN Kiai Haji Achmad Siddiq, Jember, Indonesia)
Khoiriyah (English Education Department, Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training, UIN Kiai Haji Achmad Siddiq, Jember, Indonesia)
Dewi Nurul Qomariyah (English Education Department, Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training, UIN Kiai Haji Achmad Siddiq, Jember, Indonesia)
Ahmad Ridho Rojabi (English Education Department, Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training, UIN Kiai Haji Achmad Siddiq, Jember, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
25 May 2026

Abstract

Native language (L1) interference continues to pose a significant challenge in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms, frequently resulting in systematic writing errors. Despite its prevalence, L1 interference among senior high school students, especially in relation to automated writing tools, has received limited scholarly attention. This qualitative case study investigates L1 interference patterns among students with Javanese, Madurese, and Balinese linguistic backgrounds and evaluates the effectiveness of Grammarly in reducing these errors. Data were gathered through classroom observations, teacher interviews, and analysis of students' argumentative essays, and subsequently analyzed using a systematic coding-category-theme approach. The findings indicate that L1 interference primarily manifests in syntactic, morphological, and lexical domains, largely due to a translation-oriented writing strategy. The use of Grammarly as a digital scaffold significantly improved students' grammatical awareness and facilitated independent revision. The results suggest that although digital tools enhance structural accuracy and learner autonomy, teacher intervention remains essential for addressing complex semantic challenges. This study provides pedagogical recommendations for integrating technology to reduce negative language transfer in diverse EFL contexts.  

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Journal Info

Abbrev

pub

Publisher

Subject

Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media

Description

The scopes of the journal include critical issues of educational practices in primary, secondary and tertiary education as well as in university level surrounding: English Language Pedagogy Language Acquisition Bilingualism and Multilingualism English language Literacy English for Specific Purposes ...