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.