Analysis of Pertinacious Common Errors in the Writing Performance of EFL Learners in Sudan

Abstract

This study is carried out to investigate the pertinacious errors committed by Sudanese university EFL students at three Sudanese universities in Capital Kordufan; namely University of Kordufan, University of West Kordufan and University of Dalanj. The study aims at identifying and analyzing these errors, explaining the probable causes of these errors and suggesting suitable solutions to help in improving students’ competence in writing. However, the study hypothesizes that-Sudanese EFL university students commit errors in their writing performance and these errors are pertinacious from second year to fourth year. It also hypothesizes that the interference of culture and mother tongue of Sudanese EFL university students contribute to most of their writing errors. Moreover, it hypothesizes that the origins of some errors could be found within the structure of university English language curriculum. Besides that it hypothesizes that the teaching and learning strategies contribute to most of the writing errors committed by Sudanese EFL university students. The study adopts the analytical descriptive approach. The researcher uses two different tools to collect data. The first tool is an interview which has been conducted on the university English language teaching staff at the above mentioned universities. The second tool includes the students’ answer sheets of the examinations of the writing performance of the academic years 2006/2007, 2007/2008 and 2008/2009. The study has targeted the answer sheets of twenty (20) students from second year to the fourth year of their academic study at each university. That is, the number of students answer sheets is (180). The results of the study show that most students had problems with the format of composition writing. The ways in which they wrote their compositions clearly show their weak grasp of the basic rules of grammar, spelling, lexis, punctuation and discourse of English language. The study also shows that there are some factors which contribute to most of the pertinacious errors committed by students in their writing performance such as: interference of culture and mother tongue of Sudanese EFL university students in the learning process. In addition to that, learning strategies adopted by Sudanese EFL university students such as: overgeneralization and simplification of the target language rules. Other factors also include insufficient activities and practice of the basic techniques of writing besides the lack in following-up the students’ writing performance. The study concludes by recommending that more attention should paid to the teaching of the basic techniques of composition writing in general and to the teaching of coherence, cohesion, paragraphing…etc. in particular with sufficient activities besides giving more emphasis to the teaching of grammar, spelling, lexis, punctuation of English language.