Statement of problem
As English emerges as the world's most widely spoken language, writing becomes a crucial skill for expressing thoughts and ideas across various professional contexts Many individuals rely on their writing abilities to produce work documents; however, they often encounter challenges when crafting paragraphs, sentences, or essays in English These difficulties can lead to misunderstandings or confusion among readers, a common issue particularly prevalent in high school settings.
Vietnamese high school students still get some difficulties in writing English.
Since this problem happens to most students in Vietnam I decided to choose this topic:
“Difficulties and mistakes in writing English of grade 10th students at The Asian
International School, Cao Thang campus” to find out barriers which constrain their development in writing English
Purposes of the study
This study aims to identify the barriers high school students face when writing English essays or paragraphs, focusing on challenges related to grammar, vocabulary, coherence, logic, and essay structure By highlighting these difficulties, the research seeks to offer solutions to improve students' writing skills.
Significance of the research
This research is crucial for understanding the challenges students face in writing English, ultimately providing solutions to these issues Conducted to assist both teachers and students in identifying weaknesses in writing skills, the study aims to enhance educational development in Vietnam Additionally, this research is essential for my graduation, reflecting my academic journey at The Saigon International University.
Research questions
What difficulties do students in high schools get in writing English?
Why do they get into dificulties with writing?
How do they improve their writing skills?
Scope and limitation of the study
This study primarily concentrates on enhancing English writing skills, with minimal references to other English language skills to support this focus The research will take place at The Saigon International University, and a survey will be conducted at The Asian International School Collaboration will be established with students from class 10/32 at The Asian International School to facilitate the completion of this study.
In my study titled “Difficulties and Mistakes in Writing English of 10th Grade Students at The Asian International School, Cao Thang Campus,” I face a tight timeline of just ten weeks, which may lead to some errors despite my best efforts to minimize them Conducting surveys presents challenges, as some students may be unwilling to participate in filling out the questionnaire Additionally, logistical issues, such as traffic when traveling between home, school, and survey locations, can further complicate the process With limited time to gather extensive knowledge from existing literature on English writing, my research may also lack sufficient evidence to support my findings.
Definitions of Key Terms
Vietnamese high school students, studying English from grades 10 to 12, frequently encounter challenges in writing Common difficulties include essay structure, word choice, and vocabulary usage These issues can hinder their ability to express ideas clearly and effectively in English.
Review Previous Works
Writing is an essential skill that permeates various aspects of our daily lives, from crafting notes and emails to composing letters and documents This skill is fundamental in every language we use, but it can also lead to mistakes and challenges that may confuse readers.
A 2015 study highlights that writing is a crucial language skill essential for expressing ideas, thoughts, opinions, and attitudes It enables individuals to share their feelings and effectively persuade and convince others through the written word.
(Alfaki,2015,p.40) Therefore, we can see the importance of writing skills in English If you can improve your writing skills, your career will be better in the future
Verbs in English vary in form based on tense and the subject they accompany, leading to challenges for second language writing students (Tyner, 1987) In Vietnam, many English learners often struggle with grammatical errors, particularly in verb conjugation Common mistakes include neglecting to add "s" to verbs for third person singular subjects (he, she, it, or a name) and failing to correctly change present tense verbs to their past tense forms when writing.
Teaching writing is crucial for educational programs, yet many English learners find it unappealing (Jenkins, 2017) Writing courses can often become tedious, particularly for students lacking interest in the subject (Cendana, 2018) Additionally, writers frequently struggle with writer's block and self-doubt regarding their abilities (Nixon, 2018) This sentiment resonates with many students, who often feel bored and disengaged during writing classes Consequently, they may struggle to generate ideas for their writing, leading to disappointment in their skills.
In her 2015 article, Sarah Macfadyen highlighted that English grammar poses challenges for both native speakers and those learning it as a second language The complex rules and numerous exceptions lead to diverse teaching methods among generations of educators aimed at developing proficient English writers Mastery of grammar is essential for effective writing, as proper grammar enables readers to clearly grasp the writer's ideas.
Some methods that make students feel interested in learning English writing skills
According to an article in 2015 writen by Stephanie Long, she provided ways to make learning English writing skills more exciting:
Allowing students the freedom to select their writing topics can significantly enhance their engagement and productivity By encouraging them to write about subjects they are passionate about, such as their favorite basketball player or movie, even the most reluctant writers can produce extensive content This approach not only fosters creativity but also boosts their confidence in writing.
Allowing students to select topics they are passionate about fosters engagement and focus in the classroom This approach not only enhances their creativity but also equips them with the skills needed for effective brainstorming in future writing assignments.
Methods to improve writing English skills for students
There was an article which was writen by Karen Dikson in 2016 said that:
Consistent practice enhances every human skill, including writing By incorporating brief daily writing sessions into your classroom routine, you can encourage your students to express themselves Assigning a small word count on a specific topic each day may initially be challenging, but as they write regularly, their writing skills will improve significantly (Dikson, 2016).
Her approach involves assigning extensive writing homework to students, a strategy commonly implemented across various educational settings While this method may not be effective for every learner, it has proven beneficial for many English language students in several instances.
Research design
To identify the challenges students face while writing in English, I employed a quantitative research method As noted by McLeod (2017), quantitative research collects numerical data that can be categorized, ranked, or measured, allowing for the construction of graphs and tables This approach was particularly suitable for my study, as it relied on a survey that provided clear insights through the analysis of response numbers.
Procedures
As I received the requirement of writing graduation thesis on Feburary 27th, 2019, I immediately obtained helps from Mr Nguyen Thanh Tuan who was a great instructor After that, I got a schedule of research procedures which was planned by himself.
Week 1, 2, 3: Chapter 1 and 2 were completed and corrected.
Week 4, 5: Chapter 3 and 4 were completed and corrected.
Week 6: Chapter 5 was completed and corrected.
Week 7, 8, 9 and 10 were reserved for correcting other mistakes and finishing the research.
This research investigates the challenges high school students face in writing English, exploring the reasons behind these difficulties and identifying ways to enhance their writing skills A survey was conducted to uncover the obstacles that hinder students from effectively composing essays, sentences, or paragraphs Additionally, the study aims to understand the underlying causes of their writing mistakes and the barriers they encounter Based on the survey results, potential solutions are proposed to improve the writing skills of 10th-grade students, offering targeted strategies for better academic performance.
To understand the challenges students face in English writing, I aimed to identify common pitfalls such as grammatical errors, poor word choices, sentence and paragraph structure issues, and limited vocabulary variation This investigation was conducted through a questionnaire that gathered insights into these specific areas of difficulty.
Participants responded to my questions by selecting answers on paper, which provided me with valuable insights into the challenges they faced This process allowed me to identify the underlying reasons for their difficulties in constructing sentences and paragraphs in English.
After gathering the completed surveys, I obtained a significant number of responses from students, allowing me to assess each section of the survey through visual charts This evaluation enabled me to identify potential solutions to address their concerns Consequently, both teachers and students developed tailored strategies to enhance their English teaching and learning experiences.
Participants
For my research, I focused on high school students at The Asian International School, located at 177 Bis 2, Cao Thang Street, Ward 12, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City Having completed an internship at the school, I had an advantage in gaining permission from both the manager and my internship instructor, allowing me to conduct a survey I specifically targeted the tenth-grade class 10/32, which comprised twenty students enrolled in two different programs.
Students at the Asian School, both Vietnamese and international, benefit from a unique English learning experience They begin their day with Vietnamese teachers, enhancing their foundational skills, and in the afternoon, they engage with native English-speaking foreign teachers This dual approach provides them with a significant advantage in mastering the language compared to students at other schools.
Sample Selection
During my internship at The Asian International School, specifically at the Cao Thang campus in Ho Chi Minh City, I conducted a survey involving grade ten students The school has seven branches and offers twelve grades, each with around ten classes I chose class 10/32, which consisted of twenty students, for my research Conducting the survey was convenient as it took place on the morning of May 6th at 8:40 AM.
My survey lasted for 30 minutes a class 10/30 room 401B.
Material Techniques
During my research, I utilized Google Forms to conduct my survey, a web application that allows users to create questionnaires for gathering responses Its convenience lies in the ability for participants to submit answers anytime and from anywhere Users can quickly distribute their forms to collect a significant number of responses, and the application automatically generates charts to visualize the data, aiding in trend analysis Additionally, I employed Microsoft Word to present my research findings in a professional manner.
Data collections
I conducted a survey by creating a Google Form, which I then printed onto A4 sheets for ease of use I prepared twenty copies for the students in class 10/32 at The Asian International School After distributing the question forms, the students took thirty minutes to answer the eleven questions provided.
Students had to answer these questions for 30 minutes from 8:40 am to 9:10 am Then, I collected their answered paper for analizing data.
Reliability and Validity
My research is reliable due to the carefully structured stages of my survey, as outlined in the procedures All twenty participants were proficient in English, allowing them to accurately respond to my questions Furthermore, my study is grounded in existing literature, with relevant works cited in the references, enabling a comparison between my survey results and previous research findings.
My research is significant because it relies on reliable feedback from students, providing precise data on their writing challenges in English Conducted with twenty students from class 10/32, the survey highlights common mistakes and difficulties, offering strong evidence to support my findings.
The graphs presented below were generated using Google Forms to enhance the effectiveness and accuracy of my study They serve as evidence based on the responses collected from questionnaires, which are detailed in the appendix Each chart represents the percentage of student responses to individual questions, allowing for a comprehensive analysis of the issue at hand To gain deeper insights into the problem, I formulated a range of questions in Google Forms that encapsulate the general ideas of my research.
I did the survey, there were some questions that students did not have mistakes Therefore, I just chose survey questions that proved students’s mistakes and difficulties in writing
English Also, I described and evaluated each graph in detail by proportions.
Chart 4.1: Difficult skills of English to learn.
The graph illustrated proportion of students in class 10/32 at The Asian International School had problems with listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills in English.
As I could see that students in class 10/32 had difficulties with listening and writing the most while there was only a small percentage of students who had trouble with speaking English There were 85% students who felt difficult to write English Therefore, most students had trouble with writing skills They might get bored when they were in a writing class
Therefore, they might not practice their writing skills regularly.
The pie chart demonstrated percentage of students who had problem with thinking ideas when writing English.
A recent pie chart revealed that 65% of students struggle with brainstorming ideas for writing essays or paragraphs, while only 35% report no difficulties in writing in English This indicates that a significant number of students face challenges in generating coherent ideas, often resulting in poorly developed thoughts that lack logical structure Consequently, these difficulties hinder their ability to write essays or paragraphs effectively in English.
Chart 4.3: Problems in writing English
The bar graph showed the rate of students had problems with grammar, vocabulary, coherence, logic, struture of a sentence, a paragraph or an essay.
As I could see in the graph above, vocabulary accounts for the most (80%) compared with others There were also 50% of students who felt that they need to improve their structure of a sentence, a paragraph or an essay In the graph, two things that students regularly had mistakes were vocabulary and structure of a sentence, a paragraph or an essay Therefore, lack of words in writing English was a big problem because they could not describe their thoughts and ideas clearly which were very important for readers to understand them Additionally, getting faults of structure of sentences, paragraphs, or essays was a huge trouble as well That was to say that readers might misunderstand what writers illustrated in their works.
Chart 4.4: Choosing righ type of a sentence.
The pie chart illustrated proportion of students’ answers to “Because my coffee was too cold,
I heated it in the microwave” type of sentence.
The chart indicates that a majority of students (60%) incorrectly identified compound sentences as the correct answer, while only 35% selected the accurate response of complex sentences, revealing a persistent misunderstanding between these two types According to Kenneth Beare (2018), complex sentences contain at least one additional subject and verb, and they are connected by conjunctions and other linking words This confusion highlights the need for improved comprehension of sentence structures among students.
Chart 4.5: Choosing righ type of a sentence.
The pie chart demonstrated proportion of students’ answers to “They got there early, and they got really good seats” type of sentence.
In a recent survey, 60% of students opted for complex sentences, while 40% selected compound sentences, with no participants choosing simple or compound-complex sentences The correct answer was identified as the compound sentence, meaning that 40% of students answered correctly A compound sentence consists of two or more simple sentences linked by a conjunction or suitable punctuation.
Both chart 4.4 and chart 4.5 showed me that students had confusion between types of sentences, especially compound and complex sentence
Compound sentences consist of two independent clauses, while complex sentences include one dependent clause alongside an independent clause In contrast, simple sentences are characterized by having just one independent clause Understanding these distinctions is essential for effective writing and sentence structure.
Methods to improve writing skills
Grade 10 students at The Asian International School expressed their dissatisfaction with writing in English, as indicated in Chart 4.1, where they identified writing as a challenging skill to master This sentiment aligns with Karen Dikson's 2016 article, which discusses the difficulties students face in developing writing skills.
Consistent practice enhances every human skill, including writing By incorporating brief daily writing sessions into your classroom routine, you can encourage your students to write a small number of words on a specific topic each day Although this may initially be challenging for them, regular writing will significantly improve their skills over time (Dikson, 2016).
Assigning students a daily homework task of writing a short paragraph can significantly enhance their perception of writing classes By doing so, they can develop not only their writing skills but also expand their vocabulary range This approach can lead to a long-term shift in attitude, transforming writing classes from a dull obligation to an engaging and enjoyable experience.
One effective method for enhancing writing skills in English is to create an outline before diving into the details of an essay or paragraph This approach is widely used and proves beneficial for many individuals, particularly students, as it helps organize thoughts and structure content more coherently.
Structure is essential in academic writing, as it organizes ideas in a coherent order, allowing for a smooth progression of thought By linking similar points and ensuring that arguments develop logically, effective structure enhances the clarity and impact of your work.
Effective writing structure is crucial in English and other languages Creating an outline helps students organize their articles effectively, ensuring they stay on topic and maintain coherence throughout their writing.
In addition, in an outline, they can list all their ideas, which make their writing become easier.