EXPLORING GRADE 7 STUDENTS’ SECOND LANGUAGE DIFFICULTIES: IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING

Authors

  • Realyn A. Gruta Teacher, Olimpio A. Guarin Jr. National High School, Sorsogon State University, Philippines
  • Susan F. Astillero PhD, Sorsogon State University, Philippines

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v11i7.5403

Keywords:

language difficulties, second language, teaching and learning

Abstract

This study investigated the second language difficulties of Grade 7 students in one national high school in Sorsogon province, Philippines, S.Y. 2023-2024. Specifically, it identified the grammatical errors of students in their narrative essays along with subject-verb agreement and verb tenses. It determined the second language difficulties leading to their grammatical errors and their implications for language teaching and learning. Based on the 45 essays analyzed by the 15 students, the results showed that the grammatical errors identified were along the verb tense, which ranked highest (66%), and subject-verb agreement (42%), indicating a high level of students’ writing difficulty. Several linguistic difficulties that contributed to these errors were vocabulary gaps, limited knowledge of grammatical rules, syntactic differences between the students’ local language (L1) and English language (L2), the challenging learning environment, lack of resources, distractions, and insufficient family support. The students’ L2 difficulties may have implications for teaching and learning, particularly in terms of communicative effectiveness, reading comprehension, shift in teaching approach, and balancing formal and communicative activities.

 

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Author Biography

  • Realyn A. Gruta, Teacher, Olimpio A. Guarin Jr. National High School, Sorsogon State University, Philippines

    Ms. Realyn A. Gruta is a Junior High School teacher at Olimpio A. Guarin Jr. National High School in Bacolod, Juban, Sorsogon. She is committed in pursuing milestones to reach her academic endeavors. As a very dedicated educator, she is currently pursuing Master’s Degree in Education major in English at Sorsogon State University. She is a strong advocate of literacy and conducted several activities that promotes literacy like reading programs and writing workshops to students. She has led numerous training sessions on reading literacy, inspiring individuals to cultivate a love for reading. Her passion for literacy shines through in her recenty conducted study, as she strives to address issues on the English language.

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Published

2024-06-03

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