Causes of Poor Performance in Saudi EFL Students' Writing Skill A Case Study of preparatory year program at Imam Mohammed Bin Saud Islamic university(KSA)

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the Preparatory Year Program (PYP) students’ poor performance in writing skill for the course that has been delivered by the PYP department during one semester of study. An experiment and control group approach was employed in a view that to enable the researcher pin down where the problems lie within a short period of time. Pre-test and post-test along with teachers' questionnaire were used as research instruments. The study sample consists of 60 female students. Teachers were given a questionnaire. SPSS was used to analyze the data obtained. The major findings include: Firstly, one term is not enough to present and practice using the material. Secondly, teachers are not using suitable materials and methodologies to improve writing skill. Thirdly; the preparatory year program program at Imam university does not provide an effective plan to improve students writing skill.