Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Ministry of Education
Univrrity of Bisha
College of Arts
Depatment of English

English Language Problems Reading For School Students

A proposnl subuned to the Depnrtmenl of English,

College of Arts, Bisha [ niseratn: in parual fulfillment

of the requiramenm for the B.A Degree in English

2020
CONTENTS
Page
I. Study Background
1. Introduction………………………………………………………………..3
2. Statement of the problem……………………………………………3
3. Aim of research……………………………………………………………3
4. Research questions………………………………………………………3
5. Significance of the study………………………………………………3
6. Limitation of the study…………………………………………………3

II. Literature Review……………………………………………………………4

III. Methodology…………………………………………………………………..4
1. Sample…………………………………………………………………….…4
2. Instrument and tools…………………………………………………5
3. Data collection………………………………………………………….5
4. Procedures………………………………………………………………….5
5. Data analysis………………………………………………………………5
IV. References………………………………………………………………………6
Introduction :

Through the above, the problems faced by students can be

limited to four main points: These are the so-called basic skills
in learning the English language, namely: listening, reading,
speaking, writing. The relationship between all these skills is
positive, meaning that they depend on each other to varying
degrees, and this can lead to the student’s outcome being zero
in the event that he suffers from a comprehensive weakness in
all skills.

Poor ability to read written texts is often the result of the lack
of books, references or stories in English in the school library or
at home or with vendors in libraries, or the lack of a suitable
book level for the age of the reader, and it may also be the
result of the student himself’s unwillingness to read Or as a
result of his encounter with a huge amount of difficult linguistic
vocabulary, which requires him to search the dictionary to find
its meanings, and reading aloud also depends on the student's
ability to pronounce the correct vocabulary of the language and
this is what many students fear, especially in reading lessons in
the classroom.
Reading is considered one of the most important skills in
acquiring any language. When learning a foreign language, the
focus on the skill of reading must be intensified for its
importance in building a solid foundation in learning and
practicing the language properly. Therefore, failure of the
learner in this basic skill will affect his ability to master the rest
of the skills related to the language.

Reading in the English language, as a foreign language taught

in our schools as a basic subject and in our universities as a
specialisation or an additional subject, is one of the obstacles
for male and female learners in mastering the language. And
since the English language is known for the difference in the
way some letters are written from their pronunciation, and this
is well known in the phonetics of the language, the presence of
such confusion may constitute a dilemma for learners when
reading the written text, in addition to the difference in the
linguistic structure of the learner between the mother language
(Arabic) and the English language As a foreign language, which
affects the student's reading abilities. Dr. Hind Al-Khalifa 2019 .
Presentation of the problem :

The reading problem is one of the serious problems that many

students suffer from, and this is represented in the student’s
inability to read words properly and his inability to know the
correct pronunciation of many words as there is a close
relationship between spelling and pronunciation, and the
reason for this may be that the number of letters in the
language English has 26 letters with 44 different sounds.

The aim of the research :

The poor level of the student who is able to master the English
language in terms of reading, writing and speaking, which
hinders its learning and is due to the learner or the professor,
or to the community, so the student, while reading words,
phrases, sentences, or paragraphs in the English language, must
start from the idea that he does not There is a difference
between reading the text in Arabic or English and reading what
interests him, and he who could not understand and
comprehend can use dictionaries and glossaries, because
reading with understanding requires weeks of practice , In
addition to the results obtained by the researcher from this
study, which show the extent of the influence of the Arabic
language with the nature of its simple reading on the way the
English language is read, as well as the apparent lack of
understanding the foundations of the phonemic system of the
English language, the researcher recommended the necessity
to inform students when learning English about orthography
and its rules Their early school years so that they understand
the complex system of English phonics at an early stage. Also,
identifying weaknesses in reading will benefit language
professors in avoiding these problems in the future and
working to solve them, so that university students grow up on
sound foundations when learning the English language.

Previous studies :

The researcher did not find previous studies that dealt with the
issue of difficulties in learning the English language directly,
which made them touch on the following studies : Researcher
Kitao (1994) discussed reading problems in the English
language, and referred these problems to textbooks. He also
discussed the effect of teaching methods on reading
effectiveness and active reading. He found that students could
not understand texts, or do summaries of what they read. The
researcher indicated that there is a high correlation between
reading ability and speed. He emphasized that properly
organized or prepared reading texts that are appropriate for
learning objectives in the classroom are what is required, and
he also requested that students be encouraged to read
independently.

Solaiman (1995) presented a study on the problems based on

studying English language skills and students ’weakness in
reading. He indicated that the weakness stems from the
educational level of the students, and from the extent of
language use and contact with English speakers. The study
recommended that if the educational level is raised and the use
of Language, and there is more contact with the native
speakers, so there will be no treatment strategies [23].
 (228) teachers, using the descriptive and analytical method,
using the questionnaire, as for the most important results: the
students ’success in exams without mastering the four
language skills, the lack of language laboratories and technical
teaching methods in schools, the course’s focus on English
grammar only and not skills, and also belief Prevalent among
students with difficulty learning the English language .

While Al-Khatib addressed the issue of the difficulties that

the Libyan student faces in learning the French language at the
university (2009), since upon his graduation he is neither able
to learn it nor to pursue his university education. The
researcher emphasized that to improve the level of the French
language at the university, it is necessary to have a qualified
educational cadre capable of mastering the task entrusted to
him, a program that meets the needs of students, and curricula
that achieve the objectives of the educational program. The
researcher indicates that if the previous data are available,
reaching the required level requires that The learner starts
studying the French language from the age of six or in the most
difficult circumstances at the age of twelve and not at the
university stage, which enables them to teach the language in
the future or pursue their university education, and spares
them many difficulties.

Methodology :

The current study aimed to reveal the difficulties of learning the

English language by taking into account the following variables
(the gender of the teacher , the guardian) , and this by
identifying the difficulties in learning the English language from
the viewpoint of teachers and parents , and to achieve the
objectives of the study , the researcher used the descriptive
approach using a questionnaire appropriate to the nature of
the study and the component From an open question , which
is: What are the difficulties that face the student in learning the
English language ? The study sample consisted of 10 teachers
and 20 parents . The results were: Professors attribute English
language learning difficulties to personal factors first , then
educational , parents attribute learning English difficulties to
the teacher and then to social factors .

Conclusion :
Languages are the primary means of acquiring knowledge and
developing it, and language for the child is the tool on which he
relies on communicating with the environment and gaining
direct experiences. So his mastery of it in his early years was of
great importance from an educational point of view; And since
the English language is a prescribed subject for the student, we
have to review the beginning of its learning, with the choice of
English language teachers with care and keenness in the aspect
of writing, reading, linguistic and rhetorical construction skills
to convey information to students with ease so that it is easy
for them to digest, without trouble and hardship.

Research questions :
What are the difficulties that face the student in reading ? .
What are the most important skills in acquiring reading ? .
What are the main skills for learning to reading ? .
Reference :
Hind Al Khalifa, UAE 2019.
Kitau , Language Skills, What They Are and Teaching Methods,
Dar Al-Muslim for Publishing, Riyadh, 1994.

Suleiman, Methods of Teaching Reading and Writing for

Beginners, and Learning Skills, Dar Al Salam Publishing, Jordan
1995.