Investigating Common Grammatical Errors Made by Libyan EFL Students in Writing: A Case Study in the Department of English at Sirte University

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to identify the types of grammatical errors made by students in the Department of English at Sirte University in writing. A mixed methods approach using quantitative and qualitative research design was employed in this study. Data was collected from thirty English paragraphs written by students about three familiar topics. Students were asked to write a paragraph of 120-150 words on the given topics within about one hour. Students were also interviewed to determine the possible causes behind their errors when writing in English. The students’ written errors were analyzed based on the Error Taxonomy proposed by Byrd and Benson (1994) in order to identify and classify the different types of errors made by the participants. Responses from the students’ interviews were analyzed thematically and unified themes were generated.

The results revealed that the thirty students committed 282 errors in total. Students made most errors that fell under the “Punctuation and Mechanic Problems” and the “Most Serious Problems” categories. Within these two categories, the most predominant errors among the participants were punctuation (69 instances, 24.47%), capitalization (55 occurrences, 19.50%), and run-on sentences (33 instances, 11.70%). Results from the students’ interviews indicated that limited vocabulary and lack of understanding of English grammar rules were the main causes of these errors. The study concludes by providing some pedagogical implications, which are expected to assist teachers and material designers in considering the grammatical challenges encountered by EFL learners in writing and in suggesting potential remedies to help them overcome these challenges.