Investigating the Problems that Students Encounter in Common First Year at Majmaah University in Using the Simple Present Tense Correctly

Abstract

This study aims to shed light on the problems that face common first year (CFY) students at Majmaah University – KSA in using the present simple tense, and to find out whether they receive proper techniques to improve their usage of the present simple and to highlight some of effective methods which help them to use the present simple tense correctly. This study use the methods of discusses descriptive analytical approach to data collection by Test. The populations of this study are students of common first year at Majmaah University – KSA. The study took place for academic year. The samples of this study are 60 students from Majmaah University first common year. In this study, only one tool used for data collection, designed test contains of 20 questions divided into four parts to explore the problems of using the present simple tense correctly among (CFY) students. The data were analyzed using statistical software packages for social sciences (SPSS) program. The results of the study concluded that the students have general background about the present simple tense but they do not have sufficient ability to form the verbs correctly and they lack awareness of the adverbs beside their weakness of forming negative and interrogative. With the reference to the results of the study, the researcher recommended that The present simple tense should paid more attention, should be taught in the beginning at secondary school effectively, the students should do many classroom activities and exercises about the simple present tense, also the teachers should use motivations methods to enhance the students' level in the present simple tense. The researcher suggests the following further areas for other researchers: 1) Investigate the problems which encounter secondary school students in using inflectional morphemes (s, es, ies ) of the present simple tense.2) Comparative studies could be conducted to find similarities and dissimilarities between the present simple tense and other tenses. 3) Investigating the problems that encounter secondary school students in using the present simple tense when they write a descriptive paragraph.

Keywords:  importance – difficulties – effective methods- simple present tense- adverbs – common first year (CFY)

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-9-18

Publication date:March 31^st 2020