Learners' and teachers' perspectives about causes of poor argumentative English essay writing

Abstract

The study aimed at understanding the causes of poor argumentative essay writing at LGCSE. The study was guided by Weiner (1972) Attribution theory of Success and Failure. The study followed a qualitative approach in which a case of three schools was employed. Data was collected from sample drawn from Form D students and their English language teachers using questionnaires and a focus group with teachers. The students also wrote an essay under the supervision of their teachers for reliability of the findings. The essay was written to help the researcher identify possible causes that might contribute to poor argumentative English essay writing. The findings for this study revealed that most students fail to perform argumentative English essay writing well due to failure to argue their points convincingly. Additionally, the study indicated that students fail to use language accurately. On this note, the study proposed that students be exposed to various situations where they can learn or observe how other people state and defend their arguments.