Investigating Morphological Difficulties Encountered by EFL University Students in Using Word Formation Processes-

Abstract

This study aims at investigating morphological difficulties encountered by EFL university students in using word-formation processes. It followed descriptive and analytical approaches. It also adopted the qualitative and quantitative methods of data analysis. A diagnostic testand a questionnaire are used as tools for the study. Both tools have beencarefully checked for their reliability and validity. The test is made up of six questions containing all major and minor word-formation processes in English. The sample of this study was the students of the 4th Year majoring in English, College of Languages, English department Sudan University of Science and Technology (SUST). The sample was eighty students from both genders and their ages were 22-24 years. They were chosen to represent the entire EFL university students at all the Sudanese universities. The number of the students who were given the testwere eighty students. Then the data collected was statistically analyzed by using (SPSS) statistical programme.The results revealed that almost all the students encountered critical difficulties in using word-formation processes. The most problematic areas were minor word formation processes, derivational and inflectional morphologyand morphological awareness. A likert five points scale ranging from agree, strongly agree, neutral, disagree and strongly disagree has been used in the questionnaire. A number of forty EFL university teachers of English from fiveuniversities were chosen to represent the entire staff teachers at the Sudanese universities. They were responded to the statements of the questionnaire. These responses were also statistically analyzed. The results revealed that EFL university teachers of English perceive teaching word-formation processes differently. These findings have led the researcher to recommend thatall word-formation processes should be taught in separate courses to EFL university students in order to solve these morphological difficulties and more concentrationshould be on minor word-formation process, inflectional and derivational morphology. Finally, theresearcher has suggested that more researches on word-formation processes should be done and more emphasisshould be on minor word-formation processes.