By Rashid Al Dosari Khalid Al Subaie Hassan Al Habger Maher Al Mitairy
By Rashid Al Dosari Khalid Al Subaie Hassan Al Habger Maher Al Mitairy
By Rashid Al Dosari Khalid Al Subaie Hassan Al Habger Maher Al Mitairy
PSAU
By
Rashid Al Dosari
Khalid Al Subaie
Hassan Al habger
Maher Al mitairy
Background 1.1
Grammar is one of the most difficult aspects of a foreign language
to master. It is defined as “the rules that govern how a language’s
sentences are formed” (Thornbury, 2000, p. 1). Grammar is often
the most feared aspect of the English language. Teaching grammar
to ESL students is one of the toughest tasks faced by most ESL
instructors, and for good reason. Many of us do not even fully
understand our own grammar rules. Even when we do, conveying
them in an understandable format for ESL students can be
challenging. English grammar has been traditionally viewed as “a
system of syntax that decides the order and patterns in which
words are arranged in sentences” (Close, 1982, p. 13). It is argued
that mastering grammar is a complex process that requires
“making a series of decisions about when and why to use one form
rather than the other” (Celce-Murcia, 2002, p. 121). Of course,
teachers know correct grammar rules, but it's one thing to know
them, and another thing to effectively teach them, and transmit
them so that students not only understand the rules, but also
apply them correctly. Grammar is an essential element of learning
.a language. Yet it can be hard to learn and difficult to remember
The Statement of the Problem. 1.2
Mastering the grammar of English language is
essential for achieving linguistic competences. This
is because it enables learners to communicate
effectively through written and/or spoken English.
In turn, this assists learner attain accuracy, which
is crucial. However, many problems are faced by
students regarding learning of grammar in ESL/EFL
context, and this may affect their communicative
competence. Therefore, the propose of this study
is to examine the problems of learning English
grammar faced by Saudi EFL learners. Identifying
such difficulties and being consciously aware of
them would help teachers find ways of overcoming
.them and provide effective grammar instruction
The Objectives of the Research 1.3
The results of the study will hopefully aid the students and
teachers of English language as a second language. It is also
the hope of this study to raise the consciousness of the role of
correct grammar in writing and speaking English to reach a
high level of proficiency of English. The research will also
provide new directions for further studies that can be explored
related to this topic. Furthermore, the study aims for the
enhancement of the teacher education instruction, especially
.teaching in the early grades, early childhood education
Methodology of the Study 1.6
Design 1.5.1
The study adopted the mixed method design since it used a
questionnaire that contained both
..close-open-ended questions
Participants 1.6.1
The participants of this study consisted of EFL students who were
enrolled in Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University. This language
center is specialized in teaching English for students age 18 and
above who plan to study towards their undergraduate or
postgraduate degrees in Saudi Arabia. The center can be
characterized as heavily academic and intensive. The students
who participated in this study were upper-intermediate EFL
learners. All the participants were enrolled in a grammar class in
. the language center
Instrument 1.6.3
3.1. Design
The study used the mixed method
design.
Sampling Technique. 3.2
The forth item 55.6% of the students agreed that they had problems when using
the correct word form, 27.8% of them were neutral, and 16.7% of them where
disagree.
Regarding the fifth item, 66.7% of the subjects agreed that they had problems
when forming irregular verbs, 27.8% of them were neutral, and 5.6% of them
disagreed.
Half of the participants 50.0% were neutral regarding item six, 33.3% agreed and
16.7 %.
As for the seventh item 50.0% of the students agreed that they had problems
when forming English sentences., 22.2% of them were neutral and 27.8% of them
disagreed.
Half of the participants 50.0% agreed that they had problems
when they use pronouns, 16.7% of them were neutral, and 33.3%
of them disagreed.
For the ninth item 66.7% of the students agreed that they had
problems when they use the correct grammar communicatively in
writing, 27.8% of them where neutral, and only 5.6% of them
disagreed.
Thank You
Hassan Alhabjar
Khalid Alsubaie
Rashid Aldosari
Maher Almutairi