Obstacles and Problems Facing Students when Learning English as a Basic Subject for Secondary School Female Students

Abstract

English is one of the most important languages in the world. It is the global ‎language of business and is spoken by millions of people around the world. ‎However, English can be one of the most difficult languages to learn. The English ‎language is full of rules and exceptions to the rules that make it difficult to master. ‎

In Iraq, English language instruction is highly valued since the ‎Ministry of Education takes notice of it! Teaching English as a foreign ‎language and incorporating it into the school curriculum is very important. 

From this perspective, this research was conducted with the aim of identifying the obstacles that prevent mastery of learning the English language in secondary schools.

Our research relied on a descriptive research methodology based on analysis, using the descriptive methodology to provide the optimal analysis of the problem by creating a questionnaire consisting of 25 questions divided into three scales (always, sometimes, and never), and choosing a research sample consisting of 60 female students from (Saad Al-Mosul) High School for Girls who were randomly selected.

The research came out through the research sample with several results, including that students are unable to speak fluently in the English language due to their lack of familiarity with English vocabulary, as well as the scarcity of audio and visual means necessary for learning and mastering the English language. Middle school students face a high degree of obstacles and challenges in learning and mastering English language skills.

The research also presented several recommendations to raise the educational level of students while learning the English language, the most important of which are providing modern and advanced audio labs, involving English language teachers in development courses and workshops, and reconsidering English language learning curricula.