INVESTIGATING COLLEGE STUDENTS’ PROBLEMS IN WRITING ENGLISH COMPOSITION

Khalid Sh. Sharhan (Ph.D.), Haidar K. Al-Ābedi (Ph.D.), Mazin Jasim Al-Hilu (PhD)

The paper investigates Iraqi college students’ writing performance at Imam al-Kadhum College to identify the problems students encounter with the hope of putting forward suggestions to overcome them. Twenty-five undergraduate students’ essays have been chosen as the data of the study. The essays have been examined at different levels starting with the word and ending with the discourse. Case study methodology is adopted in this research and this method is composed of four consecutive steps: the selection of sample, preparation of the students, and analysis of the collected data. The results of the analysis reveal that the students under investigation have problems at every level examined and such problems may be attributed to a number of factors such as low language proficiency, little reading and weak writing practice, overgeneralization and mother tongue interference. A number of suggestions and recommendations are given to improve the students’ writing skill.