AHMED DRAÏA UNIVERSITY - ADRAR

FACULTY OF LETTERS AND LANGUAGES

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

Writing Difficulties of EFL Learners

First Year Pupils of El Shikh Mohammed Abdou Secondary School
In Ghar -Tamanrasset as a Case Study

A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

the Degree of Master of Arts in Applied linguistics and Didactics

Candidate: Supervisor:
Siham Ben Aissa Pr. Fewzi Borsali

Members of the Jury:

Pr. Fewzi Borsali
Dr. Aziz Mostefaoui
Ms. Hadjer Belhamidi

2017-2018
 I

Abstract

Research on the writing skill tackles different topics. Writing difficulties are

among the problems encountered by EFL learners in Algeria. The present dissertation

aims to identify the writing difficulties that affect the writing level of EFL learners in an

Algerian secondary school, El Shikh Mohammed Abdou, which is in the region of In

Ghar-Tamanrasset. The descriptive, analytical and applied methodologies are suitable in

this design work to collect data. Seventy-six learners participated in the research through

answering fifteen questions. Eleven questions about the writing skill were answered by

the learners and four questions, were answered by the teacher. According to the results of

the case study, the learners have difficulties in using spelling, nouns, the correct tenses,

pronouns, vocabulary, with adverbs, and with sentence structure. Therefore, the learners

need a lot of practice in order to remedy their writing difficulties, since writing is one of

the most challenging and complex tasks for language learners.

Key words: The writing skill, difficulties, EFL Learners, challenging, complex tasks.
 ‫‪II‬‬

‫الملخص‬

‫التي يواجهها متتلمو اللغة‬ ‫الكتابة هي من بين المشووووا‬ ‫مختلفة‪ .‬صووووتوبا‬ ‫البحث في مهارة الكتابة يتناول موضووووو ا‬

‫اإلنجليزية لغة أجنبية في الجزائر‪ .‬تهدف الرسوالة الحالية إلى التترف لى صووتوبا الكتابة التي تؤثر لى مسوتو الكتابة‬

‫لمتتلمي اللغة اإلنجليزية لغة أجنبية في مدرسووة ثانوية جزائرية‪ ،‬الشووي محمد بده‪ ،‬في منطقة ان غار ‪-‬تمنراسوو ‪ .‬تتتبر‬

‫المنهجيا الوصوفية والتحليلية والتطبيقية مناسوبة في هذا التصومي لجمع البيانا ‪ .‬شارك ستة وسبتون متتلما في هذا البحث‬

‫من خالل اإلجابة لى خمسووة شوور سووؤاا‪ .‬ت اإلجابة لى أحد شوور سووؤااا حول مهارة الكتابة من قب المتتلمين وأربتة‬

‫أسوللة‪ ،‬وت الرد ليها من قب المتل ‪ .‬ووفقاا لنتائج دراسووة الحالة‪ ،‬يواجه المتتلمون صووتوبا في اسووتخدا التهجلة واألسووما‬

‫وااحوال وبنية الجملة‪ .‬لذلك‪ ،‬يحتاج المتتلمون إلى الكثير من التدريب من أج‬ ‫واألزمنة الصووحيحة والضووومائر والمفردا‬

‫تابته ‪ ،‬حيث أن الكتابة هي واحدة من أ ثر المها صتوبة وتتقيدا بالنسبة لمتتلمي اللغة‪.‬‬ ‫متالجة صتوبا‬

‫الكلمات المفتاحية‪ :‬مهارة الكتابة‪ ،‬الصعوبات‪ ،‬متعلمي اللغة اإلنجليزية كلغة أجنبية ‪ ،EFL‬مهام صعبة‪ ،‬معقدة‪.‬‬
 III

Résumé

La recherche sur la compétence en écriture aborde différents sujets. Les difficultés

d'écriture sont parmi les problèmes rencontrés par les apprenants EFL en Algérie. La présente

thèse vise à identifier les difficultés d'écriture qui affectent le niveau d'écriture des apprenants

EFL dans un lycée algérien, El Cheikh Mohammed Abdou, qui se trouve dans la région d'In

Ghar-Tamanrasset. Les méthodologies descriptives, analytiques et appliquées sont appropriées

dans ce travail de conception pour collecter des données. Soixante-seize apprenants ont

participé à la recherche en répondant à quinze questions. Onze questions sur la capacité

d'écriture ont été répondues par les apprenants et quatre questions ont été répondues par

l'enseignant. Selon les résultats de l'étude de cas, les apprenants ont des difficultés à utiliser

l'orthographe, les noms, les temps corrects, les pronoms, le vocabulaire, les adverbes et la

structure des phrases. Par conséquent, les apprenants ont besoin de beaucoup de pratique pour

remédier à leurs difficultés d'écriture, car l'écriture est l'une des tâches les plus difficiles et les

plus complexes pour les apprenants.

 IV

Table of Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Abstract…..................................................................................................................................I

‫…الملخص‬.....................................................................................................................................II

Résumé …................................................................................................................................III

List of Tables…………………………………………………………………………..…...VII

List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………..…VIII

General Introduction…………………………………………………………………………1

Chapter One: The Writing Skill………………………………………………………….….3

1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………….....3

2. The Definition of Writing… …………………………………………………….........3

3. The Purpose of Writing ………………………………………………………………..4

4. EFL Writing Approaches ……………………………………………………………...5

4.1 The Product Approach……………………………………………………….......5

4.2 The Process Approach ………………………………………………………......5

4.3 The Genre Approach ………………………………………………………….....7

5. Types of Writing ……………………………………………………………………….7

6. Writing and Other Skills …………………………………………………………….....8

6.1.Writing and Listening……………………………………………………………....9

6.2.Writing and Reading………………………………………………………………..9

6.3.Writing and Speaking……………………………………………………………..11

7. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………12

Chapter Two: Common Difficulties of EFL Learners…....................................................13

1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………………...13
 V

2. Types of Common Difficulties……………………………………………………..…13

2.1. Spelling .……………………………………………………………………..…..13

2.2. Grammar .……………………………………………………………..................15

2.3. Vocabulary……. ………………………………………………………………...15

2.4. Punctuation…………………………………………………………………........16

2.5. Handwriting………………………………………………………………...........17

3. Some Reasons of Writing Difficulties………………………………….......................17

3.1. Lack of Reading…................................................................................................17

3.2. Lack of Motivation…...........................................................................................18

3.3. Inadequate Time…...............................................................................................19

3.4. The Lack of Practice….......................................................................................19

3.5. The Influence of the First Language on Target Language Writing…................19

4.The Reasons of the Difficulty to Learn the Writing Skill............................................... 20

5.Some Strategies for Improving the Writing Skill……………………………...............21

6.Conclusion…………………………………………………………………..................23

Chapter Three: The Case Study …………………………………………………………..24

1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………....24

2. The Research Design……………………………………………………………..24

3. Pupils’ Questionnaires………………………………………………….…...........25

3.1. Analysis of the Questionnaires……………………………………………26

3.2. Findings and Discussion……………………………………....................34

4. Teachers’ Questionnaires………………………………………………………....36

4.1. Analysis of the Questionnaires …................................................................36

4.1. Findings and Discussion……………………………………………….…..37

5. Recommendations ………………………………………………………………..37
 VI

6. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………..........38

General Conclusion................................................................................................................39

References…………………………………………………………………………………....41

Appendix 1: Students’ Questionnaire................................................................................. 46

Appendix 2 : Teachers’ Questionnaire….............................................................................49

 VII

List of Tables
Table 1: Participant’s Gender….......................................................................................25

Table 2: Writing in Class.................................................................................................26

Table 3: Writing Paragraphs in Class…..........................................................................27

Table 4: Writing at Home….............................................................................................28

Table 5:Writing Paragraphs at Home……………………………………………….......29

Table 6: Difficulties in Using Spelling…………………………………………….…....30

Table 7: Difficulties in Using Nouns…………………………………………………....31

Table 8: Difficulties with Adverbs…..............................................................................32

Table 9: Difficulties in Using Pronouns.........................................................................32

Table10: Difficulties in Using Vocabulary………………………………………….....33

 VIII

List of Figures
Figure 1: The Process of Writing…………………………………………………………....6

Figure 2: Producing a Piece of Writing…………………………………………………….21

Figure 3: Participants’ Age ………………………………………………………………..25

Figure 4: Frequency of Writing in Class…………………………………………………..26

Figure 5: Frequency of Writing at Home…………………………………………………..28

Figure 6: The Participants’ Answers about Frequency of Writing at Home…....................30

Figure 7: Pupil’s Difficulties with Tenses…........................................................................31

Figure 8: Pupil’s Difficulties with Sentence Structure…………………………………….33

Figure 9: Pupil’s Document during Writing Activities. …………………………………..34

Chapter One: The Writing Skill 3

1.1. Introduction

The writing skill is one of the four foundational language-learning skills that also

include listening, speaking and reading. It is taught in colleges and high schools where learners

find it as the most challenging skill when they attempt to express ideas and opinions in a piece

of writing. This chapter defines the writing skill in general, its purpose, approaches, types, as

well as the relation between writing and other skills.

1.2 The Definition of Writing

Writing is an essential skill in learning a language. It is a means of communication that

allows the learners to organize their ideas and opinions about a certain subject. G. Yule (2010)

thinks that writing is the symbolic representation of language through the use of graphic signs.

Writing needs more practice of activities for learners unlike speech that is acquired. The learner

has to learn how to write in order to be a good writer. Byrne (1991) also states that the symbols

have to be arranged or combined to form words, and words to form sentences, and sentences to

form paragraphs and essays. However, Fischer (2001,p.12) thinks that“no definition of writing

can cover all the writing systems that exist and have ever existed”.

Writing is the most difficult skill for learners, Byrne (1991) argues that writing is a

difficult task for learners because it requires conscious mental effort and takes time to learn it.

He classifies the difficulties into three types. The first is a psychological problem where the

writer faces the problem of lack of interaction and feedback between the writer and the reader.

The second is a linguistic problem because writers have to express their ideas in a grammatical

sense. The third is a cognitive problems in that writing has to be taught over formal instructions

where the writer masters the organization of his or her ideas in written communication.
Chapter One: The Writing Skill 4

1.3. The Purpose of Writing

The Kansas State Department of Education states that there are eleven common types

of writing purpose. First, learners write in order to express ideas or opinions, this type of writing

purpose is personal for learners themselves or for their friends, and it is informal like in journal

writing. Second, learners write to describe people, things or places to provide readers with a

mental image about what they write. Third, writing aims to learn or explore, in which learners

ask questions, think about a topic, and reflect on topics which defy simple answers. Fourth,

writing to entertain takes the form of brief joke or a television script. It aims to make the

audience enjoy and share funny stories with them.

Fifth, students write in order to inform and convey information accurately and

objectively, such as laboratory reports or economic reports. Sixth, writing to explain depends

on definition, process analysis, cause/effect analysis, and synthesis. In this type, learners require

to know: who, what, how, why, and wherefore in order to analyze their subject. Seventh, writing

an argument paragraph or essay in order to convince the readers believe or act in a certain way.

Eighth, writing to convince readers about opinions, and knowledge about a subject, logical

thinking, and strong argument. Ninth, writing to evaluate a person, thing, or product needs

evidence to justify opinions about a certain subject, such as facts or statistics.

Tenth, students write to solve problems, in this type of purpose they use arguments in

order to find a solution to a particular problem. It has two main components, which are a

description of a serious problem and an argument for specific recommendations that will solve

the problem. Eleventh, in writing to mediate, called traditional arguments, writers defeat the

arguments of the opposition party since it becomes a kind of war. The writer of a mediated

argument needs a middle position, which helps arrange the differences of the opposing

positions.
Chapter One: The Writing Skill 5

1.4. EFL Writing Approaches

Various approaches have been provided by several scholars in order to teach the writing

skill in EFL classrooms. They comprise the product, the process, and the genre approaches.

1.4.1. The Product Approach

This approach focuses on the result or final production of the learners during the writing

process. R.V. White (1988) explains different phases in three steps. The first step is to study

the model, where learners analyze the rules of language (i.e. grammar rules, and the structure

of sentence). The second step is to manipulate the elements in which learners study the model

text in components, such as rules and vocabulary. The third step is to produce a parallel text

similar to the model text.

The final product involves different aspects, according to Hedge (1988) it involves the

following seven aspects: correct grammar, a range of vocabulary, meaningful punctuation, the

correct use of conventions, accuracy spelling, linking ideas and information in order to develop

a topic, developing and organizing the content in a clear way.

Despite the advantages of the product based approach on the learners, J. Robbins (2014)

argues that repetition is the most important disadvantage that affects the work of the product

approach since students feel that they are doing the same thing again and again, till it becomes

boring. It affects their creativity because this makes them believe that there is only one method

of writing while this is incorrect.

1.4.2. The Process Approach

While the product approach focuses on the final product of the learner’s draft, the

process approach focuses on stages through which EFL learners create their production,
Chapter One: The Writing Skill 6

because writing is a combination of process and product. Brown (2001) states that writing is a

thinking process, in which the learners create a final written product.

The process approach has different stages; Nemouchi (2014) defines four common

stages in this teaching approach as a sequence of exercises and activities that the EFL learners

have to follow in order to process their production. First, the pre-writing stage where the

learners gather information that helps them discover the topic and brainstorm their ideas and

knowledge .Second, it is the drafting stage, during which the learners develop their main ideas

that help them to create an introduction to a topic through different drafts. Third, it is the

revising stage, where learners discover their mistakes and errors in their draft paper. The

revision involves the organization or the modification of ideas in an appropriate way. Finally,

it is the editing stage, in which the EFL learners correct their mistakes and errors related to

grammar, punctuation, handwriting, lexical and syntactic changes.

It is not an easy task for the learners to go through the process as each stage is based on

the previous one, and they will face difficulty in writing since there is an interrelationship

between the steps. According to Avellino (2012), the Process Approach takes too much time

because coming to the final draft is not as easy as following a model in the Product Approach.

The following figure created by Hedge shows the different steps of the Process

Approach so as to get a correct and coherent final product.

Figure 1: The process of writing (from Writing, p 51 by T. Hedge)

Chapter One: The Writing Skill 7

1.4.3. The Genre Approach

Genre is a type of a written text, such as an essay or a novel, which serves a specific aim

in society. Byram (2004) states that the genre approach is a framework for language instruction.

In the genre-based approach writing requires a social context where texts such as reports and

letters of apology are created in order to achieve a specific purpose. The genre approach is

considered as an extension of the final product especially in its aims on the formal features and

its neglect of the linguistic skills.

This approach has different stages, Evans (1997) specifies three steps in it. The first step

introduces and analyzes a model of a specific genre in order to work on. During the second step

learners carry out exercises that manipulate connected language forms. The third step is the

production of text. Thus, the genre approach considers writing as the analysis and imitation of

texts provided by the teacher, which is also what the product approach seeks to achieve.

The genre approach is not always suitable for EFL learners, because it gives them no

chance to discover the right or the hidden message behind the text. Badger and White (2000)

argue that since the genre approach emphasizes on the content of text, it limits the learner’s

creativity.

1.5. Types of Writing

The type of writing depends on the age, interests, and level of the students according to

Harmer (1998). He also states that the tasks for elementary students depend on their abilities

and their languages in order to complete the task, since any student has an ability to write a

simple story but he or she has no ability to create a complex narrative. Writing has various

forms due to its aim and meaning. This makes learners use different types of techniques to fit
Chapter One: The Writing Skill 8

their purposes for writing. These techniques are useful for them to produce a perfect written

text; therefore, learners have to be aware of using these techniques.

The syllabus of first year Algerian middle schools includes four different forms of

writing. First, in descriptive writing learners describe an object, life style or a person to help the

audience visualize people, objects and places. In this type of writing the learners select a subject;

use descriptive words, for example sensory or descriptive words; organize ideas with

chronological words, such as first or then; and in the end they write a logical conclusion.

Second, in a comparison and contrast type, learners indicate the similarities and differences

about a topic. They use a comparison to show what is alike or in common while they use contrast

to show what is not alike or not in common. For example, they make a comparison between life

and lifestyle. Third, narrative writing is the easiest type of writing for the learners, because it

conveys what precisely happened, and it talks about a real life situation. This type of writing

involves a clear definition of the setting, characters, plot and point of view, including an

introduction, a climax and a conclusion. Fourth, argumentative writing is a type of writing in

which learners produce a piece of writing to convince their teacher that their opinions are

correct, by using logical reasons or arguments. In this type of writing the learners, start with a

thesis, which is a clear explicit statement of assumptions or opinions.

1. 6. Writing and other Skills

There is an integration between writing and other skill, according to Harmer (2007)

while the ability to use a language in a communicative way is not only a single unified skill,

much recent thinking has divided language ability into four separate skill areas: listening,

reading, speaking, and writing. Listening and reading are known as the receptive skills, whereas

speaking and writing are known as the productive skills. When learning a foreign language,

receptive skills usually come first then followed by practical application of productive ones.

The students need these four skills because if a learning process lacks one of them, the outcome
Chapter One: The Writing Skill 9

will not be complete. Thus, productive skills will not exist without the support of receptive

ones. Furthermore, Moffett (1976) thinks that learners need to practice all the roles and the

relations of the communication structure since there is an integration relationship between the

skills. He also states that people learn the writing skill through the speaking one, they learn the

reading skill through the listening one, and they learn the speaking skill through the reading

one.

1.6.1 Writing and Listening

There is an relation between the writing skill and the listening one, Irene Lurks Clark

(1981) states that an effective writer expresses thought and transforms it in different ways

according to the needs of the reader. She thinks that the concept of the audience, a method that

has not yet received a great deal of attention, has an effective impact on the writing skill,

because when the learners listen to their own writing and to that of their classmates, they can

add or delete as well as they can develop their writing skill. In addition, Clark thinks that

listening to written works effectively during the revision stage, where learners gain positive

comments about their drafts, helps learners to correct their mistakes for example “good you

used the tenses correctly or negative one, for example “What do you mean by that sentence?”.

1.6.2. Writing and Reading

Writing and reading represent two different language skills; The first is productive or

encoding whereas the second is receptive or decoding. They are so complementary skills that

one serves the other. In addition, they are the major language skills in both the mother tongue

and the foreign language classroom. According to Sandra Stotsky (1983), the good reading

comprehension and vocabulary scores are connected with the good quality of writing.
Chapter One: The Writing Skill 10

There are different similarities between the writing skill and the reading one, Kern

(2000) thinks that there are seven similarities between the two literacy skills; reading and

writing. The first similarity is in interpretation in which writers interpret the world and readers

then interpret the writer’s interpretation by using their own ideas. The second likeness is in

collaboration, where writers write for an audience though they write for themselves, and readers

then add their experience and knowledge so as to make the writer’s text meaningful. The third

similarity is in convention since cultural conventions govern writing and reading. This cultural

convention develops and modifies due to individual purposes. The fourth similarity is in cultural

knowledge since writing and reading work within specific systems of attitudes, customs,

beliefs, ideals and values. The fifth similarity is in problem- solving since both writing and

reading require figuring out relationships between words, larger units of meaning and between

texts and real or unreal worlds. The sixth similarity is in reflection and self-reflection, in which

writers and readers think about language and its contact to the world and themselves. The

seventh likeness is in language use since both of writing and reading need knowledge about the

use of language in spoken and written contexts to produce discourse.

There is an interrelation between writing and reading. Menzo and Menzo (1995, p.113)

define the interrelation between writing and reading as the idea of “Two- way relationship

between reading and writing”. They think that this method is the easy one of teaching language

learning because reading to write is based on the idea that reading helps and shapes foreign or

second learners' writing through the acquisition of language input when learners are doing

reading activities, and learners acquire knowledge of vocabulary or grammatical structures of

texts through reading. In addition, writing to reading supports learners to engage with texts that

are shared with different audience.

Chapter One: The Writing Skill 11

1.6.3. Writing and Speaking

The writing skill differs from the speaking one. Grabe and Kaplan (qtd. In Weigle 15)

state that the educational researchers think that the written form of language is ‘more correct’,

therefore it has more value than oral language. Whereas linguists think that speech is primary

then written language, it is just a reflection of spoken language. Furthermore, Harmer (2004)

states different aspects of divergence between writing and speaking. They are summarized in

three main ways.

The first is situation; unlike speakers, writers do not share the same situation with their

readers and they use only grammatical and stylistic techniques, for example, using italics

question marks or exclamation marks since they have no ability to use paralinguistic features

such as gestures or intonation to convince their readers. In addition, speakers can add or correct

their information when it is necessary, as the communication and the feedback are

instantaneous; however, writers require a plan and a careful choice in order to achieve an

effective communication.

The second is grammatical choices. Since writing consists of fully developed sentences,

and its topic deals with the use of conjunctions and cohesive ties, speech is concerned with

words and phrases rather than complete sentences, like in the two following questions that are

written by Harmer (2004) in speech: Biscuit? While in writing: Would you like a biscuit? The

third is lexical density; it is the proportion of content words to grammatical or function words

used.

Furthermore, Halliday (1989) thinks that “Relative to each other, written language is

dense, spoken language is sparse”. However, the written text has more content words than

grammatical words, in speech the proportion of content words is smaller. In addition, in speech

the ideas are conveyed in many words since there is much repetition. Unlike in speech, in
Chapter One: The Writing Skill 12

writing there are some grammatical features, which are less commonly used, for example, the

tag questions are more common use in speech than in writing.

1.7. Conclusion

Since writing is the tool of effective communication, it is not acquired in a natural setting

such as at home or in the streets. Learners have to go through many practices in order to improve

their writing abilities since they write to others. Any weakness in writing makes difficulties for

the learners and, writing should go hand in hand with the other skills instead of teaching it in

isolation.
Chapter Two: Common Difficulties of EFL Learners 13

2.1 Introduction

The EFL learners face difficulties in writing more than other learners since the English

language is not their mother tongue, so they have to make more efforts in order to write an

appropriate piece of writing. The present chapter focuses on four common writing difficulties

the EFL learners encounter, including type, and the possible reasons of causing them. The

chapter also presents some strategies for improving the writing skill.

2.2 Types of Common Difficulties

Writing difficulties refer to the areas where the students have difficulties in one or more

elements of the writing skill, for example the use of tenses, the use of nouns, and spelling

mistakes. In other words, it refers to the problems that affect the productivity of the students

when they produce or create a free piece of writing. Raimes (1983) thinks that writing is a

difficult task, because it consists of many aspects of language, for example punctuation,

spelling, vocabulary, grammar and syntax.

2.2.1 Spelling

Spelling is the act of forming words correctly from letters. When the students have no

ability to form the words, they produce a weak piece of writing. Also the mixing of the spelling

in English languages affects the writing accuracy of the students, since they sometimes confuse

which word spelling to use whether American English spelling or British one.

There are different reasons for spelling mistakes. According to Smith (1973), Bahloul

(2007), Al-Hassan (2011) and Jayousi ( 2011), the first main reason of spelling mistakes is

irregularities of the English pronunciation since English spelling needs more efforts of

memorizing rules. For example, the vowel /e/ is pronounced as /i/ in the word he and she.
Chapter Two: Common Difficulties of EFL Learners 14

Similarly, /o/ is spelled as/a/ in the word come or /oo/ in the word move. In addition, spelling

is difficult for learners because of the absence of complete correspondence between the sound

of a word and the way it is spelt, in other words the absence of correlation between phonemes

and graphemes makes spelling more difficult for learners. For instance the word”meet “has

only one possible pronunciation /m i: t/; but this form is also written in another way

“meat”.(cited in :Al-Bereiki, Spelling Errors of Omani EFL Students :Causes and

Remedies,2016,p23).

Various steps have been developed in order to remedy the spelling difficulties of

learners. Stewart and Singh (1986) used a five strategies procedure in which learners mimicked

the teacher through pronouncing words and its letters five times before writing it. Graham and

Freeman (1986) think that if learners trace and check the spelling of words five times, they will

remedy their spelling disabilities. Moreover, Kearney and Drabman (1993) think that the use

of negative reinforcement has a great impact in improving spelling mistakes, therefore teachers

have to ask their learners to practice missed words into five times in the first day, ten times in

the second day, and fifteen times in the following day in order to improve their spelling

mistakes. Bernard Smith and Michael Swan (2001) think that the mother tongue is the main

reason that leads to spelling mistakes in writing, but the learners can avoid these writing

problems by using the synonyms of words instead of the difficult words.(Cited in : Janice A.

Grskovic, M.S. 133; and Phillip J. Belfiore.1996).

Correct spelling has a great importance for a good piece of writing, however Harmer

(2007) thinks that incorrect spelling does not affect the understanding of a written text, it affects

negatively the judgment of the reader, and bad spelling refers to the lack of education or care.

Therefore teachers should motivate their learners to read a lot.

Chapter Two: Common Difficulties of EFL Learners 15

2.2.2 Grammar

Grammar means the rules that structure the language, and writing a meaningful sentence

or paragraph requires understanding grammar rules. For example, this sentence has

grammatical sense “She writes the lesson”, unlike these sentences “Her writes the lessons”, or”

Writes the lesson she”. The two last sentences break the grammatical rules: the first sentence

breaks the rule that a pronoun must be in the subjective case when it is the subject of a verb,

and the second one breaks the rule that the conventional order of the English sentence is : subject

verb- object.

Moreover, Harmer (2001) thinks that grammar is the rules that organize language, and

grammatical rules are not the pronouncements of teachers, editors, or other authorities. It only

describes the way of people speak and write, and the rules change when people start to speak

and write in different ways.

2.2.3 Vocabulary

Vocabulary is a powerful carrier of meaning according to Hubbard (1983). It is one of

the main important language skills that the learner needs to have, because it is the main key of

communication through any language, either by writing, or by speaking. Also Al-Zahrani, M.

(2011) thinks that “vocabulary teaching and learning represents one of the major challenges

that face EFL / ESL teachers and learners. Most ESL/EFL learners have difficulties in

communicating with the English language because of their limited vocabulary.” A little

vocabulary prevents the EFL learners to express their ideas, since it affects their English

language negatively.
Chapter Two: Common Difficulties of EFL Learners 16

2.2.4 Punctuation

Punctuation is the marks used in writing that divide sentences and phrases such as

comma (,), period (.) and colon(:) according to the Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary (eighth

edition). The use of different punctuation marks seems to be the difficult task for the learners

because it needs much time and practice.

The punctuation system has two principal roles. The first gives meaning to longer

sentences in order to read them coherently through classifying successive units, for example,

sentences are separated by full stops. The second identifies language function, such as a

question mark which is used to ask a question.

These functions are divided into three main steps according to Halliday (1989); the first

step consists of making boundaries in order to classify units of grammar from each other, for

example words and sentences. Concerning the writing system, a full stop is used to indicate

stronger boundaries such as sentences, while colons semi-colons and commas are used to

indicate weaker boundaries, like words and phrases.

The second function is status marking, it indicates the speech functions of sentences, for

example, a statement or a question. The full stop signs a statement, the question mark signs a

question. The third indicates the relation units of a sentence. This includes the hyphen that

marks a compound word like this word “full-time job”, the apostrophe shows the possessive

relation between words as in this sentence “learner’s writing level” or signs an informal variant

by the deletion of letters, for example in this sentence “I didn’t come”, the dash indicates the

opposite relation between two elements; parentheses add minor elements to the sentence.

Punctuation has a great impact in the development of the writing level of the learners.

Murray and Hughes (2008) show that punctuation marks facilitate the understanding and
Chapter Two: Common Difficulties of EFL Learners 17

reading process, because a good capitalized and punctuated piece of writing makes the work of

the learners easy to read and understand, and it produces a good impression on the readers.

2.2.5 Handwriting

Handwriting is an individual issue. According to Harmer (2001) while communication

occurs by using a computer keyboard at the present day, handwriting is still important for

personal letters, written assignment and mainly for exams. Hence, teachers have to deal with

the importance of a good handwriting, as well as motivate their learners to improve their

handwriting through copying activities since bad handwriting affects the reader or exam

corrector negatively.

2.3 Some Reasons for Writing Difficulties

The majority of the EFL learners have difficulty in the writing skill due to many reasons.

The following paragraph explains some possible reasons of the difficulties that affect the

writing of the learners. It includes lack of reading, lack of motivation, inadequate time, the lack

of practice, and the influence of the first language on target language writing.

2.3.1 Lack of Reading

Many writers agree that better readers are better writers and better writers face problems

in language exposure more than poorer readers. Raimes (1994,p. 42) emphasizes the importance

of reading into a foreign language “the more our students read, the more they become familiar

with the vocabulary, idiom, sentence patterns, organizational flow, and cultural assumptions of

native speakers of the language”. Kroll (1997, p. 48) thinks, “It is reading that gives the writer

the feel for the look and texture of reader based prose”. The lack of reading is among the sources

that cause displeasure in the writing of EFL learners. Consequently, the EFL teachers make a
Chapter Two: Common Difficulties of EFL Learners 18

strong effort with the reading skill in order to develop the competence of their learners to write

a correct sentence and paragraph.

2.3.2 Lack of Motivation

Motivation is the reason underlying behavior according to Harmer (2007). It has two

main types, which are intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation comes

from within the individual’s enjoyment, interest, or pleasure. Extrinsic comes from the external

side such us the need to pass an exam.

In addition, Harmer (2006) states three different factors that affect learners from writing

correctly. First, fear of failure, that is, fear of not being able to achieve their goals especially in

contexts where they are asked to reflect their knowledge about the language and their abilities

in putting this knowledge in different frameworks. Second, the fear of committing mistakes is

another factor that prohibits learners from writing. EFL learners feel uncomfortable over the

structure of the piece of writing that they follow. Third, some learners are uncertain to show

their productions, shadow their disabilities and convince themselves not to carry on writing as

they fail to create any piece of writing. Therefore, EFL teachers use motivated topics to make

their learners feel at ease to voice their thoughts in order to reduce this phenomenon.

Motivation has different sources. Harmer (2006) also explains four sources of

motivation. The first source is the society where the learners live, it affects the learning attitude

of the students, because it is the first place where people discover knowledge, so learners can

bring ideas to class in order to understand the lessons. The second source indicates the help of

other people. The closer people to the students such as their parent or their neighborhoods affect

the language learning of the students, the third source is teachers. They are the main factor in

the continuance of the motivation of the students, since they play many roles in the classroom,

for example, they are the controllers of the class atmosphere, who decide everything, and they
Chapter Two: Common Difficulties of EFL Learners 19

are the motivators since they select motivated topics in order to engage the learners to the

lessons. The fourth source is the method, it describes a way of confidence of both the teachers

and the learners. If both of them lose confidence, their motivation will affect negatively, but if

both are comfortable with their method, both will success in their work.

2.3.3 Inadequate Time

Time is an essential element in the writing process and an element that differentiates

writing from speaking according to Raimes. Hedge (1988) also states that the idea of time

requires to be given attention since writing activities by nature have many steps that need so

much time. Learners need time for gathering information, organizing their information, writing

drafts, proof- reading and re-writing.

2.3.4 The Lack of Practice

Since the practice has a great impact on the writing level of the learners, Hedge (1988,p.

11) states that “my own experience tells me that in order to become a good writer, a student

needs to write a lot”. Similarly, Grabe and Kaplan (1996) think that writing does not come

naturally but actually acquired through frequent effort and enough practice. Furthermore,

students have to take the responsibility for their learning whether meaningful learning is to take

place or not.

2.3.5 The Influence of the First Language on Target Language Writing

In addition to the lack of practice among the EFL learners, another obstacle affects their

writing. According to Frieddlander (1997, p.109) “writers will transfer writing abilities and

strategies, whether good or deficient, from their first language to their second or third

language”. So the students think about the mother tongue language instead of thinking of the
Chapter Two: Common Difficulties of EFL Learners 20

target language when they write sentences or paragraphs (in this dissertation the target language

is English language).

However, Blanchard and Root (2004, p. 204) state that” writing remains a difficult skill

to acquire and each language has its own writing conventions that the writer needs to learn them

without interfering with other language or languages”. They think there is no interference

between languages, each language has its own conventions, and therefore learners have to learn

these conventions, such as grammar and punctuation in order to produce a good piece of

writing. Moreover, Kroll (1990) states that the EFL learners do not need to be perfect in the

first language to be so in the second or in the foreign language.

2.4 The Reasons of the Difficulty to Learn the Writing Skill

Writing is the most complex language skill, because it requires both mental and physical

efforts, lengthy stages, enough time, and more practice in order to produce an accurate and

effective piece of writing. According to Byrne (1988) there are three kinds of problems of

writing. First, a psychological problem that comes from the lack of interaction and feedback

between the reader and the writer. Second, a cognitive problem that comes from the

organization framework of the ideas in written communication, so it has to be mastered. Third,

a linguistic problem that comes from writing needs to express the ideas in clearer and more

grammatical manner than in speech, so as to stop the absence of some features of spoken

language, such as gestures.

Nine components are stated by Raimes (1983), that are syntax, content, the writing

process, audience, purpose, word choice, organization, mechanics, and grammar; the

combination of all these components make writing a difficult skill for the learners since they

have to handle them at the same time. The following figure shows the element that the students

have to deal with, in order to produce a clear, fluent, and effective communication of ideas.
Chapter Two: Common Difficulties of EFL Learners 21

Figure 2: Producing a Piece of Writing by Raimes (1983).

While writing is not an easy task,Weigle (2002) thinks that teaching the writing skill to

EFL learners needs more efforts and techniques, since students often find difficulties in their

writing.

2.5 Some Strategies for Improving the Writing Skill

In order to improve the writing level of the learners Hedge (2005) argues that successful

writing provides the work of the learners in the appropriate way since it is not only the creation

of clear and accurate sentences. In this respect there are five strategies that students have to

follow in order to improve their writing skill. The first strategy consists in choosing the

appropriate type of topics. He thinks that the teachers have to help their students of choosing

the type of writing and the topic that motivates them including the suitable words and
Chapter Two: Common Difficulties of EFL Learners 22

expressions, because when they write about their interested topics, they feel free to express their

ideas.

The second one involves generating ideas, in this strategy the teachers explain to their

learners how to gather their information without worrying about repetition, spelling or grammar

in order to encourage them to produce more piece of writing and help them to improve their

fluency in generating ideas. The third strategy requires writing more than one draft, in which

the teachers explain to their students the importance of the draft in producing a piece of writing,

and how they can improve their writing level by writing more than one draft.

This method helps them to insert ideas that they did not think about in the first draft.

The fourth strategy is note- taking. Cohen et al (2013) (cited in : Belhabib, I. 2015).) also think

that teachers have to inform their students about the importance of taking notes in class since

they help them in answering the quiz questions. In addition, in this strategy the teachers have

to ask their students during the lessons in order to engage them in the lessons. For example,

they ask questions like: what did you understand about the lesson today? In the same respect,

Raimes (1983) states that in real life, when people need to listen and write, it is impossible to

write down any word they hear. For example in the classroom or in daily communication they

write just the important information.

The final strategy encourages shy students. Harmer (2007) thinks that the teacher is the

first one who encourages his or her shy students to overcome their fears, and to build their self-

confidence by producing paragraphs about what they think, since they have poor self-images

and negative expectations. They also can engage them to work in groups in order to teach them

how to think deeply, and since they provide them with no answers, students have to search

about answers by themselves.

Chapter Two: Common Difficulties of EFL Learners 23

2.6 Conclusion

This chapter focuses on the most common problems of writing among learners, and it

defines the writing difficulties in general. The chapter explaines the possible reasons for these

problems, and discusses some strategies to improve the writing skill, since writing is the most

difficult skill, and learners have to do more practice in order to remedy their difficulties.
Chapter Three: The Case Study 24

3.1 Introduction

This chapter presents the practical part of the research. It sheds light on the research

design, research instruments, the sample, the questionnaire for both students and the teacher

and its analysis. In order to make the study clear, this chapter gives the interpretation of the

results by using tables and figures. It also presents the findings alongside with discussions of

the results of the study.

3.2 The Research Design

The descriptive, analytical and applied researches design are used to make the study

better understood. Dulock (1993, p. 154) thinks that descriptive research is used “to describe

systematically and accurately the facts and characteristics of a given population or area of

interest”. Moreover, descriptive research is concerned with data collection, testing hypotheses,

and answering questions and surveys on the topic.

For this work, a questionnaire is the tool to collect data. It contains 15 questions. The

questions focus on the difficulties of writing for EFL learners in the first year secondary

school of In Ghar -Tamanrasset. The learners are enrolled in literary and scientific streams.

In this study, questionnaires are distributed to the 76 pupils enrolled in the first year in

the secondary school. They are composed of both males and females. The majority of the

participants are females 40, while males amount to 36, as illustrated in the following table:
Chapter Three: The Case Study 25

Table 1. Participant’s Gender

Participants Number Percentage

Females 40 52,63%

Males 36 47,37%

Total 76 100%

14%

49%

37%

15 – 16 17 – 18 19 – 20

Figure 3: Participants’ Age

Figure 3 indicates that the age of the participants varies from 15 to 20 years old. 49% of

the students are aged 15 to 16 years, 37 % of the students are from 17 to 18 years, and only

14% of the students are aged 19 to 20 years.

3.3 The Pupils’ Questionnaire

The pupils’ questionnaire is composed of 11 questions, among which there are yes or

no questions, selecting the appropriate answers about the frequency of writing sentences or

paragraphs in class and at home. In some questions the students give the titles of their topics
Chapter Three: The Case Study 26

either in class or at home and choosing the appropriate answer in some questions. The answers

of the questions help us to identify the writing difficulties of the learners.

3.3.1 Analysis of the Questionnaire

Question 1. Do you write in class?

Table 2.Writing in Class

Answers Number Percentage

Yes 46 60,53 %

No 30 39,47 %

Total 76 100 %

Table 3 indicates that 46 pupils answer that they write in class, whereas 30 pupils do

not.

Question 2. How often do you write for a week in class?

9%

25% 40%

0%
26%

Never Rarely Sometimes Often Always

Figure 4: Frequency of Writing in Class

Chapter Three: The Case Study 27

Figure 4 indicates that 40% pupils do not write in class during the week, and 26% pupils

rarely do, whereas 0% pupils sometimes do not, 25% pupils often do, and only 9% pupils always

do. If we compare the percentage of the pupils, who write in class with those who do not, we

will find that 60% of pupils write in class, and only 40% of the whole populations do not write

in class.

Question 3. What do you write about in class?

In response to the question, the repeated answers are as follows:

1. The importance of the internet and Facebook in the development of communication

2. Writing letters about acceptance or refusing invitation

3. The advantages and disadvantages of advertising

4. Writing a paragraph about the earthquake and the global warming

5. The effects of smoking

6. Writing a paragraph about the causes and the results of pollution

Question 4.What kind of exercises do you do in class?

Table 3. Writing Paragraphs in Class

Responses Number Percentage

Yes 55 72%

No 21 28%

Total 76 100%

Table 3 indicates that 55 learners write paragraphs in class, whereas 21 learners do not.

If we compare the percentage of the learners, who write paragraph in class with those who do
Chapter Three: The Case Study 28

not, we will find that 72 % of the learners write in class, and only 28% of the whole population

do not.

Question 5. Do you write at home?

Table 4. Writing at Home

Responses Number Percentage

No 50 66%

Yes 26 34%

Total 76 100%

Table 4 shows that 50 learners do not write at home, whereas only 26 learners do. If we

compare the percentage of the learners, who write at home with those who do not, we will find

that only 34% of the learners write at home, and 66% of the whole populations do not.

Question 6. How often do you write at home?

60

50

40

30
50
20

10
9 8 6
0 3
Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never

Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never

Figure 5: Frequency of writing at home

Chapter Three: The Case Study 29

Figure 5 shows that only 3 learners always write at home, and 9 learners often do, and

8 students sometimes do, and 6 learners rarely do, whereas 50 learners do not. If we compare

the percentage of the learners who write at home with those who do not, we will find that only

34, 21% of the students learners write at home, and 65,79% of the whole population do not.

Question 7. What do you write about at home?

In response to the question, the repeated answers are as follows:

1. Paraphrasing the lessons

2. Describing accidents

3. Writing a paragraph in Arabic and translating it to the English language by using a

dictionary

4. Ethics, its definition and importance

5. Writing a paragraph to describe themselves

Question 8.What kind of exercises do you do at home?

Table 5. Writing Paragraphs at Home

Response Number Percentage

Yes 58 76,32%

No 18 23,68%

Total 76 100%

Table 5 indicates that 58 learners answer that the kind of exercises learners do at home

is writing paragraphs, whereas only 18 learners answer that they do not.

Chapter Three: The Case Study 30

Question 9. When do you have difficulty in writing sentences or paragraphs?

11%

17%

72%

During exams in Class at Home

Figure 6: The Participants’ Answers about Frequency of Writing at Home

Figure 6 shows that 72% learners have difficulty to write sentence or paragraphs during

exams, and 17% learners have difficulty to write sentences or paragraphs in class, and 11%

learners have difficulty to write sentences or paragraphs at home.

Question 10. What kind of difficulties do you find, when you write sentences or

paragraphs?

Table 6. Difficulties in Using Spelling

Response Number Percentage

Yes 46 60,53%

No 30 39,47%

Total 76 100%

Table 6 indicates that 46 learners from the respondents find difficulties in using spelling,

for example they write “to day “ instead of writing “today”, “sory” instead of writing “sorry”,
Chapter Three: The Case Study 31

“informe” instead of writing “inform”, the word “bat” instead of the word “but”, “May” instead

of writing “My”, and they write “har” instead of writing “her”, while 30 learners face no

problems in using spelling.

Table 7. Difficulties in Using Nouns.

Response Number Percentage

Yes 43 56,58%

No 33 43,42%

Total 76 100%

Table 7 indicates that 43 of the learners find difficulties with the use of nouns. For

istance, as they use “frend” and “frand” instead of using “friend”; they use “Decembre” intead

of writing “December” ; they use “Subtember” instead of using “September”; and they use

“cominkation” instead of using “communication”. If we compare the percentage of the students,

who find difficulties with nouns with those who do not, we will find that 56, 58% of the students

face problems in nouns, and 43, 42% do not.

60
50
40
30
49
20
27
10
0
Yes No

Yes No

Figure 7: Pupils’ Difficulties with Tenses

Figure 7 shows that 49 learners face problems with tenses, for example most of the

students use “it helped” instead of using “it helps”, they use “I am can’t” instead of using “I
Chapter Three: The Case Study 32

can’t”, they use” She working” instead of using “She is working” ,and they use “I write” instead

of writing “I’m writing “but 27 learners do not.

Table 8. Difficulties with Adverbs

Response Number Percentage

Yes 56 73,68%

No 20 26,32%

Total 76 100%

Table 8 indicates that the highest number of the participants, 56, face difficulties with

adverbs, for example instead of using “I’m very happy “they use “I’m more happy”, and they

use “It has also” instead of using “It also has”, whereas 20 learners do not.

Table 9. Difficulties in Using Pronouns.

Responses Number Percentage

Yes 50 65,79%

No 26 34,21%

Total 76 100%

Table 9 indicates that 50 learners find difficulties with the use of pronouns, for example

most of them use the pronoun “It” instead of using the pronoun “She”, and they use the

pronoun” him” instead of using the pronoun ”her”, while 26 learners do not.
Chapter Three: The Case Study 33

Table 10. Difficulties in Vocabulary

Response Number Percentage

Yes 54 71,05%

No 22 28,95%

Total 76 100%

Table 10 shows that 54 learners face vocabulary difficulties. Those learners fail to make

a relation between the question and the content of the paragraph, they write irrelevant sentences.

For example, in order to answer a question about the role of Facebook in the development of

communication, learners answer with no meaning and they have no knowledge to express their

opinion, such as in this sentence “ Facebook peg seel maidia pogram ,advantages”, and others

just rewrite the question, while only 22 learners do not.

25%

75%

Yes No

Figure 8. Pupils’ Difficulties with Sentence Structure

From Figure 8 we can see that 75% of learners have difficulties in using a proper

sentence structure. For example, they write “I write you to inform you” instead of writing “I’m

writing to inform you” “I don’t you acceptance” instead of writing” “I don’t accept” “I like use
Chapter Three: The Case Study 34

to Face book” instead of writing “I like to use Face book “,and “But to Face book advantages

and disadvantages” instead of writing “Face book has many advantages and disadvantages”,

while only 25% learners do not.

Question 11. What kind of document do you use during writing?

60
50
40
Numbers

30
50
20
10 16
10
0
Dictionary Book Internet
Kind of Document

Dictionary Book Internet

Figure 9. Pupils’ Tools during Writing Activities

Figure 9 shows that 50 student use the Internet in order to do their writing activities, and

16 students use books, and only 10 students use a dictionary.

3.3.2 Findings and Discussion

The analysis of the students’ questionnaire reveals that only 46 learners write in class.

However, the second question, which deals with the frequency of writing paragraphs in class,

shows that only 3 learners always write in class this means that the learners have no motivation

to write since motivation has a great impact in the process of language learning. The third

question indicates that the teacher uses interesting topics but the learners do not participate in

class. The fourth question indicates that the learners have to write a paragraph instead of

ordering sentences, this means that they have learnt how to write a paragraph. Moreover, the

fifth question indicates that 50 learners do not write at home while only 26 learners do, this

means that since learners do not participate at home they have problems in their writing skill.
Chapter Three: The Case Study 35

The ninth question shows that the majority of the participants, 72%, have difficulty to write

sentences or paragraphs during the exams, whereas, the rest of the participants,17%, state that

they have difficulty in class, and only 11% learners have difficulty at home.

This means that the majority of learners do not understand the lessons. The tenth

question, which deals with the writing difficulties, shows that the students have a lot of

difficulties, 46 learners have difficulties in spelling since they do not listen to their teacher

during the courses in order to check the correct spelling of words, 43 learners have difficulties

with nouns, 49 learners have difficulties with tenses, 56 learners have difficulties with adverbs,

and 50 learners have difficulties with pronouns. This means that they do not know the correct

grammar rules in order to create correct sentences, 54 learners have problems in vocabulary

since they do not read books in order to reach their thinking process, and 57 learners have

difficulties with sentence structures. This result means that the majority of the participants who

do not listen to their teacher are facing difficulties, since they not consolidate their writing

difficulties in class and at home. Therefore, the teacher should search for the reasons that affect

the writing skill of their learners.

When pupils were asked to read this paragraph page 21from their book :”My name's

Kirsi is a name which is quite common in Finland. I’ m sixteen years old. Nearly everyone my

age goes to school in Finland. Children can finish school when they are 16, but no one really

wants to do so, because without any serious training, they can’t get a good job. I want to become

a journalist later. So I will have to study for six more years.” All of them did not spell the words

correctly and they did not respect the punctuation marks.

Finally, when the learners were asked about the kind of tool they used during writing,

the greatest proportion of the participants said they used the internet, only 16 out of them used

books, and 10 learners out of the participants used a dictionary. This means that even if the

learners use these documents to write paragraphs, they have writing difficulties.
Chapter Three: The Case Study 36

3.4 The Teacher’s Questionnaire

The teacher’s questionnaire is composed of 4 questions, which generally focus on the

learners’ writing level. The teacher was asked about the most difficult skill for the learners, and

which may help to remedy the writing difficulties of the learners. The participant is one female

teacher with one-year period of teaching experience.

3.4.1 Analysis of the Questionnaire

Question 1. In which skill do pupils face difficulties?

Listening Reading Speaking x

Writing ×

The teacher answered that pupils faced difficulty in writing and speaking skills.

Question 2. How is the pupils’ writing level?

The teacher answered that all of the students had a poor writing level.

Question 3.What type of difficulties do the pupils have in the writing activity?

The teacher’s answer shows that the majority of the participants have difficulties in

spelling, using correct tenses, using pronouns, vocabulary, and in sentence structure, while they

have no difficulties in using singular and plural nouns, adjectives, and adverbs.

Question 4. In your opinion as a teacher, is the time allocated to the program enough to

remedy the difficulties of the pupils?

The teacher believes that time is not enough, since she is required to finish all the

lessons, which are difficult for students, and the learners require more than the time allocated.

Therefore, students need much time to practice in class in order to remedy their difficulties.
Chapter Three: The Case Study 37

3.4.2 Findings and Discussion

The analysis of the teacher’s questionnaire reveals that the learners have difficulties with

the writing skill since it is the complex one. The second question indicates that learners need to

read a lot and practice more in order to improve their writing level. For the third question that

deals with the writing difficulties of the learners, the teacher answered that they had difficulties

in the use of tenses, for example instead of using the verb “is” they use “are”, they have

difficulties with pronouns, for example they do not use the pronouns correctly instead of using

“He” the use “It”, they have difficulties in vocabulary most of them they have no ability to

express their information, and they have difficulties with the sentence structure. The teacher

said that sometimes she does not understand what they mean since they have bad handwriting.

While the teacher agrees that the time allocated is not enough to remedy the difficulties

of the learners, this means that the writing skill needs much time to learn rather than other skills

since writing activities by nature have many steps that need so much time.

3.4. Recommendations

The following recommendations are formulated according to the results of the present

study. Considering that the learners of the first year secondary school have difficulties in the

writing skill; teachers should opt for the following strategies so as to help the learners to remedy

their writing problems: first, teachers have to encourage their learners to practice writing

activities as much as possible even at home, and in their free time. Second, teachers have to

evaluate the writing level of the learners at the beginning of the school year, they should repeat

this evaluation to assess the degree level of their learners. Third, the bad remarks of the learners

especially in the English courses need immediate solutions from the teacher in order to help

their learners. Forth, Since the time allocated is not enough to remedy the difficulties of the
Chapter Three: The Case Study 38

learners, the Algerian educational system should take into consideration this factor and allow

more time to EFL teachers since they are obliged to finish in limited time the entire syllabus.

Finally, since English is an international language teachers should motivate their

learners to read in order to reach their productive skill.

3.5 Conclusion

The answers from the student’s questionnaire showed the difficulties that affect the

writing skill of the EFL learner's. In addition, the teacher’s questionnaire represented that lack

of time had a great impact in the productivity of the students in the writing skill while the

English language needs much of time to be learnt.

General Conclusion 39

General Conclusion

The dissertation has investigated the difficulties of the writing skill of EFL learners of

the first year secondary school of Al Shikh Mohammed Abdou in the city of In Ghar. Chapter

One dealt with the writing skill, its definition, its purpose and its types. It also explained in

details the EFL Approaches of teaching the writing skill, by providing its definition and its

stages. Moreover, Chapter One showed the relation between writing and the other common

skills of language learning. Chapter Two was dedicated to define the writing difficulties, to

show the types of common difficulties of the students, to explain the possible reasons of writing

difficulties, to explain what makes writing a difficult skill for the EFL learners. Finally, it gave

some effective strategies to the learners that could help them improve their writing disabilities.

Chapter Three was devoted to the practical part of the study, it contained two

questionnaires one for students, and the other for the teacher. Moreover, it provided the analysis

of the questionnaires and the results of the study. From the results of the teacher and students’

questionnaires, the participants agreed that reading and a lot of practice in class or at home help

learners to produce an appropriate piece of writing, since the writing skill is known as the

complex one. Furthermore, most of the answers given by both the teacher and the learners

represented that students have problems in writing though they learned writing skill in the

middle schools (English language).

The results of this work may help in guiding the learners to be more productive in

writing skills, since it provides effective steps in the product, process, and genre approaches for

the teacher to remedy the problems of their learners.

General Conclusion 40

Finally, learners need to practice more in class and at home in order to improve their

writing level since the writing skill has a great important in the Algerian educational system

and it is a part of their tests and exams.

References 41

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Appendices 46

Appendices

Appendix 1

Pupils’ Questionnaire

This questionnaire aims to gather information about the difficulties in the writing skill for EFL

learners in the secondary school Al Shikh Mohammed Abdou.

We would be grateful if you answer the following questions:

Age: ……

Gender: Male Female

Class: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1. Do you write in class?

Yes No

2. How often do you write in a week in class?

Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never

3. About what do you write in class?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………

4. What kind of exercises do you do in class?

Kind Yes No

Word order exercise

Writing paragraphs
Appendices 47

5. Do you write at home?

Yes No

6. How often do you write at home?

Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never

7. About what do you write at home?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………

8. What kind of exercises do you do at home?

Kind Yes No

Word order exercise

Writing paragraphs

9. When do you have difficulty in writing sentences or paragraphs?

in Class at Home During exams

10. What kind of difficulties do you find, when you write sentences or paragraphs?

The difficulties with Yes No

Spelling

Nouns(singular-plural)

Tenses

Adjectives
Appendices 48

Adverbs

Pronouns

Vocabulary

Sentence structure

11. What tools do you use during writing?

Dictionary Book the Internet

Appendices 49

Appendix 2

Teachers’ Questionnaire

This questionnaire aims to gather information about the difficulties in the writing skill for EFL

learners in the secondary school Al Shikh Mohammed Abdou.

We would be grateful if you answer the following questions:

Gender: Male Female

Experience:

1. In which skill do pupils face difficulties?

Listening Reading Speaking Writing

2. How is the writing level of the students?

Excellent Good Weak Average

3. What type of difficulties do the students have in writing tasks?

Type Yes No

Spelling

Noun(singular-plural)

Tenses

Adjectives

Adverbs

Pronouns

Vocabulary

Sentence structure
Appendices 50

4. In your opinion, as a teacher, is the time allocated to the program enough to remedy the

difficulties of the students?

Yes No

Please explain:

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………