Pupils' difficulties in writing on scientific topics. : The case of third year ain merane secondary school pupils, Chlef.

Abstract

No one can deny the fact that writing is not an easy task, and dealing with scientific topics makes it more difficult. The reality shows that the ''terminal'' pupil is unable to write meaningful coherent paragraphs and essays on scientific subjects. Certainly, there are some factors which refrain pupils from expressing their ideas freely and easily in a written form. In this respect, the primary purpose of the present work is to reveal the reasons behind the pupils‟ difficulties in writing on scientific topics. Working with thirty secondary school pupils and ten teachers by submitting questionnaires and a writing test, the findings indicate that “terminal” pupils fail to write successfully on scientific matters due to the following reasons: The lack of motivation and self confidence of both teachers and pupils, the need to master the different mechanics of language like grammar, spelling and punctuation, the teacher‟s role which is not motivating and the lack of the necessary scientific knowledge to generate ideas about scientific subjects. The present thesis consists of four chapters: The first one deals with the methodology design and the learning situation where much discussion is devoted to tackle the situation of teaching English in Algeria and the different writing tasks assigned for secondary school pupils. It also exposes the major pupils‟ deficiencies in writing. The second chapter reviews the related literature into two main parts; the first one is concerned with describing writing and all that may have a relationship with the writing pedagogy. The second one deals with science writing, its characteristics and the different mechanics of language needed for efficient writing on scientific issuers. The third chapter deals with the analysis and interpretation of the tools used in the investigation starting by devoting two questionnaires, one for pupils and one for teachers, and ending with a writing test for pupils to reveal their deficiencies in writing about science. The last chapter is devoted to suggest some solutions and recommendations to overcome the problem.