AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE CHALLENGES FACED BY PUPILS IN COMPOSITION WRITING AT ‘O’ LEVEL: A STUDY OF THREE SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KADOMA URBAN AREA

ABSTRACT

The study sought to investigate the challenges faced by pupils in composition writing at Ordinary

Level and to identify possible causes and solutions to the challenges in three secondary schools

in Kadoma urban area. The researcher employed the descriptive survey method. In this study 14

teachers and one hundred and twenty pupils were the sample. Three hundred and sixty

composition exercise books from the three secondary schools were the documents analysed. The

questionnaire, the document observation schedule and the focus group interview schedule were

used as research instruments in the study. The study revealed that the challenges faced by pupils

in composition writing include lack of organisation, poor sentence construction, lack of proper

diction and incorrect and inappropriate use of punctuation marks, tenses, spellings, articles and

prepositions. The study established that the challenges are mainly a result of lack of interest in

reading, poor second language acquisition and poor teaching strategies. The study recommends

that teachers in the area studied should teach composition writing skills using a variety of

teaching methods.The teachers in the area studied should cultivate a culture of reading and

writing amongst pupils.

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