It is known that EFL learners strive to be skilful at the four language skills namely: reading, listening, speaking and writing. It should be noted that each of them has its own value. Compared to other skills, mastering writing, in any human language, requires much time and effort. Undoubtedly, the process of mastering good writing skills involves encountering numerous difficulties. The present study aims primarily at identifying the difficulties encountered by EFL learners in essay writing. To carry out this research, a questionnaire is used to collect data. The questionnaire was administrated to students at university Sultan Moulay Slimane, Beni Mellal. A final remark to be made is that the results reveal that most students face difficulties in grammar, spelling, coherence, vocabulary, prepositions and punctuations.
Table of Contents
I. General Introduction
II. Statement of the Problem
II.1 Introduction
II.2 Aims of the Study
II.3 Research Questions
II.4 Significance of the Study
II.5 Scope of the Study
CHAPTER I Review of Literature
I.1 Introduction
I.2 Definitions of Terms
I.2.1 Writing
I.2.2 Writing Difficulties
I.2.3 Essay
I.3 The Historical Background
I.3.1 History of English Language in Morocco
I.4 Approaches Used in Teaching Essay Writing Skills
I.4.1 The Product Approach
I.4.2 The Process Approach
I.4.3 The Genre Approach
I.5 The Writing Process
I.5.1 pre-writing
I.5.2 Drafting
I.5.3 Revising
I.I.5.4 Editing\ Proofreading
1.6 The Difficulties Encountered by EFL Learners in Essay Writing
I.7 The Substantial Causes behind Students’ Mistakes in Essay Writing
I.8 Ways to Upgrade Students Writing skills
I.8.1 Developing the Habit of Reading
I.8.2 Provision of Feedback on Students’ Written Essays
I.8.3 Collaborative Writing
I.8.4 Supporting
I.8.5 Using Music
I.9 Previous Studies
Conclusion
CHAPTER II Research Methodology
II.1 Introduction
II.2 Research Method
II.3 Research Instruments
II.3.1 The Questionnaire
II.4 Research Participants
II.5 Conclusion
CHAPTER III Results and Discussion
III.1 Results
III.1.1 Introduction
III.1.2 Students Writing Difficulties
III.1.2.1 Spelling Difficulties
III.1.2.2 Lexical Difficulties
III.1.2.3 Grammatical Difficulties
III.1.2.4 Punctuation Difficulties
III.1.2.5 Coherence Difficulties
III.1.2.6 Preposition Difficulties
III.1.3 Other Writing Difficulties Encountered by EFL Learners
III.1.4 Conclusion
III.2 Discussion of the Attained Results and Recommendations
III.2.1 Discussion of the Attained Results
III.2.2 Recommendations
III.3 Conclusion
GENERAL CONCLUSION
Study Objectives and Core Themes
This research aims to identify and analyze the specific difficulties encountered by English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students at Sultan Moulay Slimane University during the essay writing process. By investigating common pitfalls, the study seeks to offer actionable pedagogical insights for both students and instructors to enhance academic writing proficiency.
- Analysis of linguistic difficulties in grammar, spelling, and vocabulary.
- Evaluation of structural challenges including coherence and punctuation.
- Investigation of the impact of L1 (Arabic) interference on English writing.
- Assessment of current instructional approaches to teaching essay writing.
- Development of pedagogical strategies and recommendations to support learners.
Excerpt from the Book
I.6 The Difficulties Encountered by EFL Learners in Essay Writing
Nyasim (2014) asserted that students face difficulties in learning essay writing skills. Based on survey results, he realized that most of students have a limited vocabulary. Therefore, they repeat the same words continually. Grabe and Kaplan (1996) said that students do not know how to organize their notions. The majority of students face difficulties in writing a coherent text, taking in the grammatical structure, using the correct spelling and connecting ideas logically. Moreover, Nyasim (2014) pointed out that L1 interference is also considered one of the difficulties that students encounter during writing an essay. For Arab students, the Arabic background affects adversely the ELLs throughout using punctuations; which results in using only comma and full stop in their writings (Tribble, 1996).Harmer (2004)claimed that punctuation is an important norm to judge the quality of a written text. He argued that “many people judge the quality of what is written not just on the content, the language, and the writer’s handwriting but also on their use of punctuation” (p. 49). It is worth mentioning that most of the students do not know how to use them properly; which leads to a complete shift in meaning as illustrated below (Nataq, 2014).
I met Ali Kareem and Bassim. (Two persons)
I met Ali, Kareem and Bassim. (Three persons)
The girl's dresses .(Singular)
The girls' dresses.(Plural)
A woman, without her man, is nothing. (This punctuation is in favor of males).
A woman, without her, man is nothing. (This punctuations in favor of females).
Jimenez et al (2013) indicated that among the difficulties faced by students in essay writing is their poor handwriting. Consequently, they don’t follow paper’s lines, writing letters or numbers backwards or upside down, mixing capital and lower letters inappropriately and so on. In conclusion, the difficulties encountered by students during writing an essay can be summarized as follows: repeating the same words, lack of organization of ideas, lack of coherence, inappropriate use the grammatical structures, poor spelling, poor punctuation, L1 interference and poor handwriting.
Summary of Chapters
I. General Introduction: This chapter introduces the research topic regarding essay writing difficulties among EFL learners at Sultan Moulay Slimane University and outlines the study's structure.
II. Statement of the Problem: This section defines the importance of communicative competence, establishes the research objectives, and lists the core research questions.
CHAPTER I Review of Literature: This chapter provides a theoretical foundation covering concepts like writing, the writing process, and approaches to teaching, while also exploring the history of English in Morocco.
CHAPTER II Research Methodology: This chapter details the qualitative and quantitative methods used, including the design and implementation of the student questionnaire.
CHAPTER III Results and Discussion: This chapter presents the statistical findings of the survey and discusses the implications of the data regarding spelling, lexical, grammatical, and coherence difficulties.
GENERAL CONCLUSION: This final section summarizes the study's core findings and offers recommendations for students and teachers to improve essay writing outcomes.
Keywords
EFL Learners, Essay Writing, Sultan Moulay Slimane University, Writing Difficulties, Grammar, Punctuation, Coherence, Vocabulary, L1 Interference, Writing Process, Pedagogical Support, Academic Writing, Student Questionnaire, Language Proficiency, Spelling.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research?
The paper focuses on identifying the common difficulties faced by EFL learners at Sultan Moulay Slimane University when writing academic essays.
What are the core thematic areas discussed in the study?
The study covers linguistic issues like grammar and vocabulary, mechanical issues such as punctuation, and structural concerns like coherence and L1 interference.
What is the main research objective?
The primary goal is to determine the specific obstacles preventing students from writing effective essays and to propose practical solutions to overcome these challenges.
Which methodology was employed for data collection?
The author utilized a quantitative and qualitative research approach, primarily using a questionnaire administered to 70 students from semesters four and six.
What does the main body of the paper cover?
The main body examines literature on writing processes and teaching approaches, presents the methodology, and analyzes survey data concerning specific writing pitfalls.
Which keywords best characterize the research?
Key terms include EFL learners, essay writing, linguistic difficulties, L1 interference, and pedagogical strategies.
How does L1 interference affect the writing of the students studied?
The study indicates that Arabic background significantly influences punctuation usage and sentence structure, often leading to limited punctuation use and stylistic challenges.
What are the key recommendations provided by the author?
The author recommends that students improve their reading habits and think in English, while teachers are encouraged to simplify writing stages and provide more effective feedback.
- Quote paper
- El Mehdi Lalam (Author), 2018, Essay Writing Difficulties Encountered by EFL Learners, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/457637
