Exploring English Writing Problems of English Major Student-teachers at Kuwait University

Abstract

The study aimed to explore the writing problems which English major student-teachers from the College of Education at Kuwait University face. Sixty participants in their first and second year of study were involved. Gender, year of study and educational districts were tested for significant differences. Employing a quantitative data collection method, a 3-point Likert-scale questionnaire covering 26 items in three domains (punctuation, spelling, and language usage) was administered. The findings show that English studentteachers still have problems in their writing after studying English for 12 years before joining University. In punctuation, students confuse between a colon and a semicolon. They forget to use commas between words in a list. In spelling, they get confused between the spelling of /p/ and /b/. Students also get confused between words of similar spelling but different in meaning. As for their language use, they need constant guidance during composition writing, and they depend on translating words from Arabic to English to write their sentences. The study recommended introducing advanced writing courses based on students’ needs and focus on areas of weakness in students' writing, introducing group/pair writing sessions, encouraging peer correction, encouraging frequent use of dictionaries, and developing reading habits among English language student-teachers.