Investigation Into Classroom Factors Influencing The Practice And The Development Of Grade Ten Students' Writing Skills: The Case Of Hamda Diksis Secondary School.

Abstract

The main objective of this thesis was to investigate into classroom factors affecting the practice and development of grade ten students’ writing skills, at Hamda Diksis Secondary School, and how these factors affect teachers’ instructional practices and students’ writing performance in the classroom, and as well what the teachers and students of the stated school and grade are doing to overcome the challenges posed by the identified factors. In general, the participants of the study were forty grade ten students who were selected using random sampling technique and six teachers who were teaching English language in grade ten in the academic year of 2014-2015. Accordingly, data were gathered through questionnaire, interview, classroom observation and textbook analysis. In order to answer the research questions, qualitative and quantitative methods of data analysis were employed. The study revealed that teachers should apply various techniques to identify and analyze classroom factors influencing the practice and the progress of grade ten students’ writing skills at this School in general. It was primarily found out that the teachers and students related factors mainly affect students' writing skills together with some extent of task related related-factors. As a whole, the findings indicate that what the students and the teachers should do to overcome the difficulties of their related factors in the classroom to practice and improve writing skills. Thus, it is recommended that students ought to read and exercise extensively and comprehensively so as to develop their vocabulary knowledge, use the correct spelling and punctuations and as well use various techniques which are very important for the development of their writing skills and give equal emphasis for writing skills. In addition, teachers should motivate students to use a variety of strategies and techniques to practice and develop writing skills and make the students should be aware factors that impede the practice and improvement students' writing skills so as to minimize the problems.