Abstract:
This study was conducted with an aim to investigate problems in Yendi Senior High
School learners’ writings and factors that hinder their writing skills. It also aimed at
obtaining suggestions on how to improve the SHS learners’ writing skills. For this
purpose, a pre survey and questionnaires were administered to English language
teachers and sampled final year students in the School. Writing samples were also
collected from 84 SHS English learners to identify the major problems in their
writings. The errors derived from students’ essays were analyzed using a combination
of content analysis and thematic analysis. The findings revealed that the major
problems in SHS learners’ language writings are insufficient linguistic proficiency
(including command over grammar, syntax and vocabulary), writing anxiety, poor
writing habit, lack of ideas, reliance on L1 and weak structure organization. These
challenges are influenced by various factors including untrained teachers, ineffective
teaching methods and examination system, lack of reading and writing practice, large
classrooms, low motivation and lack of infrastructure and TLMs. Remedial measures
such as increased reading, conscious and incidental vocabulary teaching, writing
practice, employing trained teachers and reforms in the examination system, and
writing competitions are recommended for an improved performance of writing by
the students.
Description:
A dissertation in the Department of Applied Linguistics, Faculty of Foreign
Languages, submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment
of the requirement for the award of the degree of
Master of Philosophy
(Teaching English as a second Language)
in the University of Education, Winneba
JULY, 2020