STUDENTS’ DIFFICULTIES IN WRITTEN EXPRESSION IN THE DEPARTMENTS OF ENGLISH AND ARABIC AT AL-QUDS UNIVERSITY

Abstract

This study aims to identify the nature of students’ difficulties in written expression in the Departments of English and Arabic at Al-Quds University. It also aims to identify the impact of each of the variables gender, level, department and achievement on the degree of students’ writing difficulties in both departments. To achieve the objective of the study, a questionnaire was designed comprising 32 items applied to the study sample which consisted of 128 students from the Departments of Arabic and English at Al-Quds University in Palestine. The results of the study showed that students’ difficulties in written expression were fain in degree; they also revealed statistically significant differences in the averages of students’ difficulties in written expression due to gender in favor of females, and the presence of statistically significant differences in the averages of the difficulties in written expression due to level, and in favor of third and fourth year students; there were also statistically significant differences in the averages due to department and in favor of the Department of Arabic. The results of the study showed that there were no statistically significant differences in the averages of the difficulties of written expression due to level of achievement. Based on the results of the study, the researchers recommended the need to hold language activities in class, such as reading and writing articles and short stories, which overuse words and vocabulary that may help to develop students’ written expression, and there is a need to instate a course for written expression on the graduation plans of the above-mentioned departments, and the importance of taking into account students' tendencies when choosing topics that include written expression. Article visualizations: