Genre-Based Learning, Differentiated Instruction, Practice,
Perception, Writing Skills, English as a Foreign Language (EFL),
Senior High School.
E. This qualitative study examines students’ practices, perceptions, and
challenges in learning English writing through Genre-Based Learning (GBL)
and Differentiated Instruction (DI) in two Senior High Schools in Bekasi
Regency. Using semi-structured interviews with twenty students and classroom
observations, the research explores how genre writing steps, model texts, and
differentiated tasks support the development of writing skills. The findings
indicate that GBL and DI help students understand text structure, construct
clearer sentences, and generate ideas more effectively. Students perceived the
instructional guidance as clear and supportive, and reported increased
motivation when writing tasks were varied, collaborative, and aligned with
their ability levels. However, students also experienced difficulties such as
limited vocabulary, grammatical challenges, spelling errors, and adjusting to
different writing genres. To overcome these barriers, they employed various
strategies including using dictionaries, searching for examples online, and
seeking assistance from teachers or peers. This study provides practical
implications for English teachers to integrate structured guidance and
differentiated support in writing lessons. It also contributes to existing literature
by demonstrating how GBL and DI can enhance writing competence and
learner engagement in the Indonesian EFL high school context.