Exploring EFL University Students’ Errors in English Sentence Structure

Abstract

University students lack the ability to construct well-formed sentences. This is attributed to interlanguage errrors, interalingual errors, and the techniques which are used by some teachers in teaching English language. This study attempts to achieve a number of objectives: First, discover the types of errors that are committed by Sudanese university students in sentence structure. Second, to find out if the teachers correct students' errors in sentence structure or not. Third, to investigate whether the textbooks contain sufficient examples and practice questions or not. This study adopts the descriptive analytical method. Two instruments were used for collecting data. These tools were a test for students and a questionnaire for teachers. The data were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The sample of the study includes eighty participants taken from two universities: Thirty English Language teachers from Sudan University of Science and Technology and Omdurman Ahlia University and fifty third-year students from Sudan University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Education in the year 2014-2015. The results of this study show that errors committed by third year university students due to intralingual errors. Students also committed errors as a cause of interlanguage errors. Teachers always correct errors that relate to grammar and mechanics of writing. The writing activities which are given to students are not sufficient to practice writing skills. The classroom time is not enough to allow students to practise writing activities. Based on these results, it is recommended that the techniques which are used by the teachers in initial phase of teaching new structures and patterns in second language should be effective. Students need qualified teachers to teach writing skills. Students also should improve their level by reading, listening, and speaking. Teachers should give students more practises. Finally, teachers should correct errors that relate to sentence constructions.