The Problem of Differentiating Between Kinds of Preposition Among ESL Students

 

Contents

Section 1: Abstract. 3

Section 2: Introduction. 3

Section 3: Statement of the Research Problem.. 4

Section 4: Research Objective. 4

Section 5: Problem Documentation. 4

Section 6: Significance of the Study. 6

Section 7: Research Goals. 6

Section8: Research Questions. 6

Section 9: The domain of the Study. 6

Section 10: Definition Key Terms. 7

Section 11: Expected Results. 7

Section 12: Contextual Background. 8

Section 13: Literature Review.. 8

Section 14: Research Methodology. 9

Section 15: Results. 10

Section 16: Discussion of the Results. 12

Section 17: Recommendations. 12

Section 18: Conclusion. 13

References. 14

 

 

 

Section 1: Abstract

Schools in these non-native speaking communities teach or introduce English as the second language. Students have the challenge of utilizing prepositions properly during communication and writing of the English language. One of the significant problems faced includes the application of prepositions. The students also find it challenging to position the prepositions and identify when to apply and avoid prepositions. The majority of the students still have to place the prepositions at the end of the sentence. Another problem occurs in incidences, where the students do not know the right prepositions to apply in particular sentences. The research used a class test as a research methodology to measure the effect of flashcards in learning. The study concluded that the application of flashcards improves English communication and writing skills. 

 

 

Section 2: Introduction

Students in communities who learn English as a second language face various challenges while communicating or writing in English. One of the significant problems faced includes the application of prepositions. The students also find it challenging to position the prepositions and identify when to apply and avoid prepositions. The majority of the students still have to place the prepositions at the end of the sentence. Another problem occurs in incidences, where the students do not know the right prepositions to apply in particular sentences. I can apply the flashcard strategy to help the students overcome various challenges experienced when using prepositions. Flashcards refer to a card that bears information on both sides, which has people apply to aid in memorization. Flashcards have a visual representation of prepositions describing a location, time, or place.

 

Section 3: Statement of the Research Problem

Students attending school at Malik Anas Bin Model Boys School can distinguish between the different prepositions. The students are currently in grade 4, and they find it difficult to differentiate the kinds of prepositions. I have 28 students in my class, with the majority of the students experiencing differentiating between prepositions. The students also find it challenging to position the prepositions and identify when to apply and avoid prepositions. The majority of the students still have to place the prepositions at the end of the sentence. Another problem occurs in incidences, where the students do not know the right prepositions to apply in particular sentences. I can apply the flashcard strategy to help the students overcome various challenges experienced when using prepositions. Flashcards refer to a card that bears information on both sides, which has people apply to aid in memorization. Flashcards have a visual representation of prepositions describing a location, time, or place.

Section 4: Research Objective

This study paper focuses on challenges experienced while applying prepositions and how to make students better users of prepositions. The correct application of prepositions will ensure that students communicate effectively in the English language. I will introduce ways and strategies of how to enhance the utilization of prepositions in one semester. I will focus on teaching prepositions with the help of flashcards.

Section 5: Problem Documentation

The school has its location set in a non-native speaking community. Schools in these non-native speaking communities teach or introduce English as the second language. Students have the challenge of utilizing prepositions properly during communication and writing of the English language. The pronunciation of words differs significantly from the written version of the story, making it difficult for students to place prepositions correctly as required. I have 28 students whom I will focus on how they utilize and apply prepositions during communicating in English. The application of preposition also requires practice as English remains a foreign language and not the mother tongue. The school focus and has invested in the flashcard method of assisting the children in learning prepositions.

Description of Work Setting

Malik Bin Anas Model Boys School is located in Qatar. The school is classified among other independent schools established in Qatar. The majority of grade 4 students have difficulties in using prepositions. Children’s problems have prompted the need to look at the risk factors that lead to commonprepositions’ application. Arabic remains the dominant language in the school. The school teaches English only as a subject. Further, English remains an isolated language in every day’s context, mostly in urban areas affecting its application.

Writer’s Role

As an English teacher, I have many tasks in class and outside the classroom. My English teacher’s responsibility has enhanced my ability to pinpoint preposition challenges in students using English for communication. Noticing problems have prompted the need to seek a solution to the issue of application of prepositions. I always involve other teachers in English, where we have formed an English discussion group. The team discusses various risk factors that result in the issue of utilization of preposition during English application.

I have worked in the school for several years, where I have taught different grades, four groups. Interacting with various groups has enhanced my understanding of the problem. I created an English club, which allows students to meet once in a while and discuss English as a non-native language. The English club has profoundly contributed to the profound improvement. Students have developed a liking for English, which has seen better and increased application. Besides forming an English club and participating in an English discussion group, I have consistently taken part in English symposiums across the country.

Section 6: Significance of the Study

          The majority of students in the current grade 4 class have problems with the utilization of prepositions. Over 80% of students in Malik Anas Bin Model Boys School have issues with a preposition while using English. The high numbers of students who have problems using prepositions have reduced the English retention rate among students in grade 4. As a result, the students have difficulties completing their assignments and communicating in class discussions properly and outside the class. Low application of prepositions makes it sound awkward and hard to learn English, thus reducing English lessons’ effectiveness and the teachers’ desire to achieve. As a result, the majority of the students have missed developing necessary English communication skills.

Section 7: Research Goals

This research aims to analyze whether the application of flashcards in teaching prepositions in English lessons could improve students’ communication and writing skills among ESL students in Qatar.

Section8: Research Questions

Does the application of Flashcards during preposition learning lead to enhanced utilization and application of the English language in Qatari schools?

Section 9: The domain of the study

The domain of the Study focuses on the student’s improvement in applying prepositions. Prepositions occur over different categories, including prepositions of place, prepositions of position, prepositions of direction, and prepositions of time. This study focuses on the four types of prepositions as the students confuse the context with which they apply them, leading to distortion of information during communication. Examples of prepositions that students must learn include at, on, to, in, down, and up among others. In addition to clearing confusion among the students, the study aims at enhancing the student’s application of prepositions through flashcards.  The subjects of the Study are grade 4 students at the Malik Anas Bin Model Boys School in Qatari.

Section 10: Definition Key Terms

Defining critical terms applied in this research and the English lessons helps understand the research’s aim. The key terms used in this research comprises grammar, prepositions, and flashcards.

1. Grammar refers to the Study of words, how people apply them in sentences, and how they alter them.
2. Prepositions touch on words that connect things, expressions, and nouns to other terms in a sentence. Prepositions mainly portray something, the period something happens, and how people apply in doing something. Prepositions include prepositions of place, prepositions of position, prepositions of direction, and prepositions of time.

• Flashcards refer to a card that bears information on both sides, which has people apply to aid in memorization. The cards have pictures and words which portray the meaning of an object and verbs of action.

Section 11: Expected Results

This research paper expects that flashcards’ application during English lessons when teaching prepositions will enhance the students’ communication and writing skills.

Section 12: Contextual Background

Prepositions refer to function words used to convey the relation and link of other discourse parts in a sentence. Prepositions notoriously remain difficult for English learners to comprehend sue to many of them in the English language and their polysemous attribute (Lorincz& Gordon, 2012, p. 1). Prepositions have different meanings that confuse English students during learning and communication. Students face identifying prepositions, especially during oral speech, as they have few syllables.

Flashcards refer to a group of cards that have words and pictures that describe the terms. Flashcards grab the learner’s attention during learning. The learners can then comprehend the meaning of a story. Further, flashcards’ application during studies helps teachers attractively explaining prepositions, thus avoiding boredom among students. The teachers could make learning lessons enjoyable by creating flashcard learning games. The application of these strategies during learning makes the students understand the content taught. According to Wissman, Rawson, &Pyc (2012), flashcards could improve the learner’s practice and timing as repetition enhances retention (p. 568). As a result, applying the flashcard method during preposition English lessons could quickly help them understand the content. The research conducted by Wissman, Rawson, &Pyc (2012) indicates that 65% of students apply flashcards to enhance content retention during learning (p. 572).

Section 13: Literature Review

Researchers such as Akasha (2013) and M. Alsrhid (2013) have widely looked into the issues faced by English as a Second Language (ESL) learners in America and Arabic countries. Others have focused on difficulties faced by children in classes during learning. However, research content looking into prepositions as a significant hindrance to English learning, and proper communication and writing skills remain shallow. Prepositions’ polysemous attribute and identification remain a great challenge for students in Qatari. This research paper looks into the challenges that make preposition learning difficult and a strategy that would bring a solution. The population of English as a Second Language (ESL) continues to grow every day across the world. According to Akasha (2013), the number of ESL students stood at 71% compared to native speaking counterparts 21% (p. 12). Teachers should develop methods to counter the issue of preposition learning at an early stage of education.

Teachers should introduce practical strategies to teach English at an early stage of learning for ESL students. Failure to submit effective learning strategies for ESL students leads to poor English communication and writing skills in tertiary learning institutions and life after school. According to Shaaban (2018), because the teaching of English starts in the first grade or even earlier in most countries, one would expect that by the time learners reached university, they would have no problem pursuing their studies through the medium of English” (p. 1). Hung, Truong, & Nguyen, 2018, notes that ESL schools’ preposition issue must apply effective methods that deal with challenges experienced by teachers and students during communication and writing. Flashcards could enhance preposition learning in schools, especially in the lower grade levels. Teachers should apply flashcards as an enjoyable and interactive method to ensure that students embrace the strategy while retaining high comprehension levels.

Section 14: Research Methodology

This research was conducted about finding the effects of the application of flashcards in preposition learning for enhanced communication and writing in English. The subject of the Study comprises 28 grade, four pupils, at the Malik Bin Anas Model Boys School. I designed a test for the students based on the flashcard application. I gave the students a test before introducing the flashcards in the English class. The pretest allowed me to test background knowledge held by the students.  After the test, I introduced flashcard learning for two weeks in 10 lessons, after which I presented the grade four students with another test. I ensured that the students interactively enjoyed the flashcards, which had pictures and words typed and portrayed in interactive colors to attract the students’ attention.

 

 

 

Section 15: Results

Pretest Results

All 28 students took part in the pretest. The students managed low grades. Only five students among the 28 scored a high mark. Another ten students worked a pass mark of 40%. The rest of the 28 students failed the pretest. The pretest classified the students into three categories: those who reached the 80% high score, those who got the 40% pass mark, and those who failed to reach the 40% pass mark. The majority of the students fall in the below pass mark category. The results indicated that the class required an effective strategy to improve grade 4 students’ grades. On realizing the increased number of students below the 40% pass mark, I arranged for a two-week ten-day lesson, which could allow for an intensive learning practice with flashcards.

Post-test Results

After learning prepositions with flashcards for ten lessons, I subjected the 28 students to a post-test. The students achieved the goals of the flashcard teaching strategy. The students who reached a high score increased from 5 students to 10 students. Additionally, those who attained a pass mark of 40% increased from 10 students to 16 students. Only two students failed to achieve a character above 40%, scoring 38% each. The results varied over different spots distributed in the categories. The post-test indicated improvement after the application of the flashcard strategy.

Section 16: Discussion of the Results

The results attained in the post-test indicate that tests remain essential in evaluating the student’s skills in English communication and writing. Also, conducting the test presents the opportunity to realize difficulties experienced by the grade 4 students. The number of students who attained the 40% pass mark increased after applying the flashcards strategy in teaching prepositions. The increased number of students who earned a score over the pass mark shows improved preposition application levels in communication and writing. This indicates that the flashcard strategy realized the desired outcome.

Section 17: Recommendations

The application of the flashcard strategy has proven an innovative method for grade 4 students. The system has increased the student’s knowledge of the application of prepositions in communication and writing skills. Additionally, the flashcard method created an attractive, enjoyable, and interactive learning environment. The students enjoyed every bit of the ten lessons. I highly recommend that schools in ESL communities adopt the flashcard learning strategy at an early stage.

Section 18: Conclusion

In conclusion, the flashcard strategy can help the students overcome various challenges experienced when using prepositions. Researchers have widely looked into the issues faced by English as a Second Language (ESL) learners in America and Arabic countries. Prepositions occur over different categories, including prepositions of place, prepositions of position, prepositions of direction, and prepositions of time. The other prepositions and the various meanings of the same prepositions confuse ESL students. However, flashcards’ application assists children in effective application of preposition, which effectively improves ESL communication skills and writing skills. Schools in ESL communities such as Qatar and other Arabic countries should apply flashcards to teach prepositions.