Major Challenges Of High School Students In Paragraph Development: The Case Of Grade 9 Students At Gedo High School

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the major challenges of grade 9 students of Gedo high school in paragraph development. Thus, descriptive research method was used to meet the objective of the study. In order to obtain the desired data, the researcher randomly selected sixty-four (64) students from four sections of the eight sections available in the school. Three tools of data gathering, namely class room observation, questionnaire, and focus group discussion were employed. The classroom observations were preferred to clearly identify what the EFL teachers were doing during paragraph teaching lessons. Questionnaire was used since it offers the respondents enough times to think alone on the questions to express their idea free in one hand and since it permits the researcher to collect data from large number of respondents at one place in a given period of time in on other hand. Focus group discussion on the other hand, was preferred because, it creates discussions among the teachers to express their own ideas towards the questions based on their individualized experiences. The data obtained from these tools were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Thus, mixed research method was employed for conducting the study. Accordingly, the result of the study stated that grade 9 students of Gedo high school face challenges in paragraph development. Among the major challenges identified inability to produce coherent united, and completed paragraph, failure to use appropriate tenses, punctuation marks, nouns, pronouns, subject-verb agreement, spelling, words, build enough vocabulary, and use techniques of effective paragraph writing were the major ones. These problems were rooted from human and non- human factors. Lack of knowledge on using effective strategies in teaching paragraph writing skills, the students’ lack of making enough practice on writing paragraph outside the classroom, teachers’ lack of making sufficient assistance for the students, and teachers’ less emphasis on writing lessons were human related factors. While, insufficient writing tasks in the students’ text books, students’ low living condition, teachers’ lack of enough training on writing, lack of enough writing materials, and free promotion policy of Ethiopian Education are among the major non-human factors for the students’ major challenges in writing paragraph. Finally, the necessary recommendations were drawn by the researcher depending on the result of the study.