Assessment of Sudanese Secondary Level Students' Comprehensibility of English Sentences Containing Polysemous Words

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to assess the Sudanese secondary level students' comprehensibility of English sentences containing polysemous words. The study adopted the descriptive analytical approach and it was based on the data retrieved from Word Meaning Test. The test carried out on fifty (50) grade three secondary level students whom were randomly selected from two public secondary schools in Khartoum State during the school year 2019-2020. Data collected were quantitatively analyzed; relying on the statistical analysis method. The findings obtained from the study indicated that those students were unable to comprehend the different senses or denotations of polysemous vocabulary they are faced by through texts reading. Drawing on the findings and conclusions, the study has come out of some recommendations, most notably: it is a necessity to show the need for adding words study section at the end of each unit or chapter of the English syllabus with a large set of exercises in order to provide EFL students with an opportunity to learn about semantic features of a wide range of words and this would help in being familiar with the use of these words and their contextual meanings later.