Paragraph writing problems Encountered by EFL Sudanese Secondary School Students : A Case Study of 2 nd year Bait Al Mal Governmental Boys' Secondary School

Abstract

This study aimed at exploring problems of paragraph writing encountered by Sudanese secondary students. It intended to get responses to the questions manifesting that students are very weak in the knowledge of paragraph writing and in using grammatical rules, cohesive devices, and punctuation. However, the study intended to exploit specific episodes of literary texts (Sudanese Short Stories) as a technique of paragraph writing. The descriptive analytic method was used for analyzing the collected data from the students’ tests and teachers' questionnaire through SPSS programme. The samples of the study consisted of second class students from Bait Almal Secondary school for Boys in Omdurman Locality, the teachers’ questionnaire concerning secondary school teachers from Khartoum and an interview with some English secondary stage directors from Khartoum and White Nile State .The study hypothesized that the students are in much need of grasping the concept of basic sub-skills of writing and knowing the techniques of paragraph writing, but it was found that students have no idea about methods, procedures of using literature in paragraph writing regardless, the use of basic sub-skills. So the study suggested doing a lot of practice on grammatical aspects. Accordingly, a course on exploiting short stories is useful for improving and promoting students' level in methods of paragraph writing and in grammatical aspects and mechanics.