119048431_Problem_Statement_1.doc

Running head: PROBLEMS FACING ENGLISH AS SECOND LANGUAGE
1
PROBLEMS FACING ENGLISH AS SECOND LANGUAGE 2

Problems Facing English as Second Language (Is it problems facing English as a Second Language “Learner”?
Mohammed Alharbi
University of Central Oklahoma

Title: English as Second Language Encounter Unique Challenges

Purpose Statement

English language students are the fastest-increasing group of learners in the American schools. Availing high-quality educational services is a significant investment for the future of the nation as well as that of the entire world (Duff, 2015). However, assessing the students accurately in English as the law requires is always a challenge. In several instances, the English students get evaluations even before they become familiar with the language (Segalowitz & Hulstijn, 2009). Equally, the inadequacy of convenient research-based assets and strategies required to train and evaluate the English language learners is what poses the biggest threat to the English as Second Language program.

Over the last 16 years, the population of English language learners has tripled to nearly 6 million students. By 2015, their enrollment in the United States institutions reached 10 million. The figure is set to rise, and enrollment will remain high by 2025 (Duff, 2015). Moreover, one out of every three individuals will be a student taking English as a second language in the U.S. The problem of communication threatens a majority of the teachers who conduct training for the ESL learners. Additionally, the lack of instruction equipment, as well as inappropriate assessments for analyzing(this problem statement is still very big) the student needs remains another hindrance to success in learning the language (Duff, 2015). Establishing the learning needs of the learners becomes a hectic activity when there is delayed counter action against the challenges facing ESL programs. As a result, the groups responsible need to coordinate and collaborate with all the educational systems. It means that everyone must sustain the learning of ESL (Segalowitz & Hulstijn2009). Besides, the problems originate from the learning institutions where interventions of the problems should start.
With the need to generate an understanding of the challenges facing these students, the study will be tailored around to answer these research questions:

Are these questions about teachers or students???!!!
1. What is perceived by teachers as the factors affecting the classroom learning of students studying ESL?

2. What is perceived by participants in the research as the factors that influence the classroom learning of ESL?

3. What is perceived by the teachers as the problems faced in offering support to these students in the classroom?

References

Duff, P. (2015). Language, literacy, content, and (pop) culture: Challenges for ESL students in
mainstream courses. Canadian Modern Language Review, 58(1), 103-132.

Segalowitz, N., & Hulstijn, J. (2009). Automaticity in bilingualism and second language
learning. Handbook of bilingualism: Psycholinguistic approaches, 371-388.
Akasha, O. 2013. Exploring Challenges Facing Arabic Speaking ESL Students & Teachers in Middle School. Journal of ELT and Applied Linguistics (JELTAL) Volume 1-Issue 1, October, 2013.

Boundless homepage. 2011. English as a Second Language. Retrieved from: https://www.boundless.com/sociology/textbooks/boundless-sociology-textbook/education-13/issues-in-the-u-s-education-system-103/english-as-a-second-language-579-10403/

Kannan, R. 2009. Difficulties in Learning English as a Second Language. Research Journal. ESP World, www.esp-world.info, Issue 5 (26), Volume 8, 2009