An Analysis of Grammatical Errors in English Academic Writing: A Case of Tanzanian Undergraduate Students
Abstract
The general objective of this study is to analyse the grammatical errors that undergraduates face in Tanzania. Despite the fact that the undergraduate students underwent different studies in different levels of education from standard one to form six, they cannot produce a well-written piece of academic work in English. Such academic works include writing correct sentences and logical ideas and observing punctuation marks. This study will employ the Cognitive Process Theory of writing as its theoretical framework. The Cognitive Process Theory of writing assumes that writing is a process involving three basic elements for an individual to be competent, namely (a) the task environment, (b) the writer’s long-term memory and (c) the writing process and repetitions. If the teachers were aware of the writing process this would help in teaching appropriate strategies and that would also improve the writing skills of the students. The study used mixed research techniques. The data was obtained using convenience sampling and stratified random sampling. The study used document analysis/documentary review and interviews as methods of data collection. The findings indicate that undergraduate students face challenges in utilizing English for academic writing, which encompass issues such as syntax errors, lack of coherence, poor organization of ideas, difficulties in selecting appropriate content, formulation of topic sentences, restricted vocabulary, misuse of vocabulary, and failure to comply with rhetorical conventions.
Downloads
References
Abdulkareem, M. N. (2013). An Investigation Study of Academic Writing Problems Faced by Arab Postgraduate Students at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 3(9), 1552-1557.
Abdullah, A. T. H., Azmi, M. N. L., Hassan, I., Atek, E. S. E., &Jusoh, Z. (2021). Investigation into Common Errors in English Writing among Non-Academic Staff at a Malaysian Public University. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ), 12(December), 446–461.
Aldabbus, S. & Almansouri, E. (2022). Academic Writing Difficulties Encountered by University EFL Learners, British Journal of English Linguistics, Vol. 10, Issue
Altınmakas, D., & Bayyurt, Y. (2019). An Exploratory Study on Factors Influencing Undergraduate Students’ Academic Writing Practices in Turkey. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 37, 88–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2018.11.006
Baratta, A. (2007). A Developmental Analysis of Features of Academic Writing. Ph.D.
Dissertation. The University of Manchester.
Bob, K. (2003). Writing Strategies and Writers' Tools. London: Macmillan.
Burris, S. T., & Burris-Melville, T. S. (2020). “A Glimps at Thierraiting”: Target Inconsistencies Found in UTECH Students’ Academic Writing Papers. Journal of Arts Science and Technology, 13(1), 167-189.
Bushesha, M., Mtae, H., Msindai, J. &Mbogo, S. (2012). Challenges Facing Supervisors and Students in The Process of Writing Theses/Dissertations Under ODL: Experiences from the Open University of Tanzania. Huria, 12(1), 118-131.
Bwenge, C. (2012). English in Tanzania. A linguistic cultural perspective. International Journal of Language, Translation and Intercultural Communication, 1(1), 167-182.
Byrne, D. (1988). Teaching Writing Skills. London: Longman Press.
Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
Criper, C., & Dodd, W. (1984). Report on the Teaching of English Language and Its Use as a Medium of Instruction in Tanzania. The British Council.
Croll, J. &Willson, E. (1995). Acts of Teaching. How to Teach Writing. Englewood: Teacher Idea Express.
Dudu, Gonye, Mareva, & Subanda, (2012). Academic writing challenges at Universities in Zimbabwe: A case study of Great Zimbabwe University. Journal of English and Literature Vol. 3(3), 71-83, March 2012 Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/IJEL.
Edith Ideh, A. (2019). English Language in a Tanzanian University. Covenant Journal of Language Studies, 7(1).
Eng, L. S., Luyue, C., & Lim, C. K. (2020). A Comparison of the English Grammatical Errors of Chinese Undergraduates from China and Malaysia. International Journal of Instruction, 13(1), 931-950.
Fadda, H. Al. (2012). Difficulties in academic writing: From the perspective of King Saud University postgraduate students. English Language Teaching, 5(3), 123–130.
Fatimah, N. (2019). Students’ Needs for Academic Writing at the English Education Department. English language teaching educational journal, 1(3), 161.
Fitrawati, F., & Safitri, D. (2021). Students’ Grammatical Errors in Essay Writing: A Pedagogical Grammar Reflection. International journal of language education, 5(2), 74. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v5i2.16128
Fitria, T. N. (2020). Spelling Error Analysis in Students’ Writing English Composition. Getsempena English education journal, 7(2), 240–254. https://doi.org/10.46244/geej.v7i2.988
Imam, S.R. (2005). English as a Global Language and the Question of Nation-Building Education in Bangladesh. Comparat. Educ. 41(4):471-486.
Isma, A., &Nur, S. (2023). Examining the reading performance and problems among students in Indonesian higher education. Seltics Journal: Scope of English Language Teaching, Literature And Linguistics Journal, 6(1), 12–23. https://doi.org/10.46918/seltics.v6i1.1763
Isma, A., Hermansyah, S., Ramadhani, Y. R., Lestari, I. W., Evenddy, S. S., Talenta, P. I., Sastri, L., Rasmin, L. O., Febrianto, A. R., &Pavita, M. D. A. (2023). Teaching English to 21st Century Learners (1st ed.). Medan: Yayasan Kita Menulis.
Mohamed, H. I. (2006). Academic Writing as Social Practice: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Student Writing in Higher Education in Tanzania. Unpublished Doctoral Thesis. University of the Western Cape. Cape Town.
Mohammed, H. I. (2018). Paradigm Shift in Teaching Communication Skills Course in A Tanzanian University: An Assessment and Lessons for Other Universities. International journal of language and linguistics. Vol. 6, No. 5, 2018, pp. 173-185. doi: 10.11648/j.ijll.20180605.15.
Mpepo, M.V. (2010). Some of the Problems in First Year Students’ Academic Writing in Some SADC Universities. Inkanyiso: Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 1(1), –. doi:10.4314/ijhss. v1i1.62102.
Nyinondi, O. S., Mhandeni, A. S., & Mohamed, H. I. (2017). The use of communicative language teaching approach in the teaching of communication skills courses in Tanzanian universities. International Journal of Research Studies in Language Learning, 6 (3), 89-99.
Pineteh, E. A. (2013). The academic writing challenges of undergraduate students: a South African case study. International Journal of Higher Education, 3(1), doi:10.5430/ijhe. v3n1p12.
Royani, S., & Sadiah, S. (2019). An analysis of grammatical errors in students’ writing descriptive text. Project (Professional Journal of English Education), 2(6), 764. https://doi.org/10.22460/project.v2i6.p764-770
Roy-Campbell, Z.M., & Qorro, M. (1997). Language Crisis in Tanzania: The Myth of English versus Education. Mkuki na Nyota Publishers Ltd.
Sajjad et al. (2021). Examining the Academic Writing Challenges Faced by University Students in Kfueit., Palarch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology 18(10), 1759-1777. ISSN 1567-214x.
Tavakoli, H. (2012). A dictionary of research methodology and statistics in applied linguistics. Tehran: Rahnama Press.
UNESCO (2005). EFA Global Monitoring Report: Education for All - The Quality Imperative. Paris: UNESCO.
Zafar, A. (2016). Error Analysis: A Tool to Improve English Skills of Undergraduate Students. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 217, 697-705. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.02.122
ELbashir B. (2023). Writing Skills Problems: Causes and Solutions, International Journal of English Language Teaching, Vol.11, No.5, pp.52-64.
Machili, I. (2014). Writing in the Workplace: Variation in the Writing Practices and Formality of Eight Multinational Companies in Greece [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of the West of England.
Richards, J. C., & Renandya, W. A. (2002). Methodology in Language Teaching: An Anthology of Current Practice. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Misbah, N. H., Mohamad, M., Yunus, M., & Ya’acob, A. (2017). Identifying the Factors Contributing to Students’ Difficulties in the English Language Learning. Creative Education, 8, 1999-2008. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2017.813136.
Yorke, M. 2006. Employability in higher education: What it is and what it is not. Learning and Employability Series 1.
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/ourwork/employability/employability336 (accessed June 22, 2011).
Cai, L. (2013). Students’ perceptions of academic writing: A needs analysis of EAP in China. Language Education in Asia, 4(1), 5-22.
Mustafa, A., Arbab, A.N., & El Sayed, A. A. (2022). Difficulties in Academic Writing in English as a Second/Foreign Language from the Perspective of Undergraduate Students in Higher Education Institutions in Oman. Arab World English Journal, 13 (3) 41-53. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol13no3.
Eddey, P., & Baumann, C. (2011). Language Proficiency and Academic Achievement in Postgraduate Business Degrees. International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives, 10(1), 34–46.
Richards, J. C., & Renandya, W. A. (2002). Methodology in Language Teaching: An Anthology of Current Practice. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Murray, R., & Moore, S. (2006). The Handbook of Academic Writing. New York: Open University Press.
Babbie, E. (2020). The Practice of Social Research (15th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Neuman, W. L. (2014). Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (7th ed.). Pearson.
Copyright (c) 2025 Triphonius Augustino Lissu, Joseph Hokororo Ismail
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
