the reading difficulties facing English language students in the Department of English, Faculty of Education, Dhamar University

        ABSTRACT

This study aims to find out the reading difficulties faced by English language students in the Department of English at the Faculty of Education, Dhamar University. and the  factors and causes of reading difficulties. and  methods and ways that can be used to overcome reading difficulties .

         And to achieve the objectives of the study, the researchers developed two different data collection tools: a two-part questionnaire. The first part of the questionnaire contains (17) elements  Includes reading Oral difficulties and phonological difficulties.  and the second part of the questionnaire contains (8) elements includes reading difficulties comprehension - and vocabulary difficulties.

          And interview as a second way to collect data from students. The interview contains (5) questions all open questions. Researchers conducted this study on English language students in the Department of English at the Faculty of Education at Dhamar University. And who learn English as a foreign language at the University of Dhamar. A random sample was taken from all levels of the English Department. The total population of (360) students for the year (2019).

          The sample consisted of 40 students from the total population. The results of the study showed that There are multiple difficulties faced by students and these difficulties: -

- Oral difficulties.

- Difficulties in the pronunciation of phonetics.

- Difficulties in reading comprehension.

- Difficulties in vocabulary.

 Purpose of the Study:

The purpose of this study is to explore the reading difficulties facing students studying English at Dhamar University College of Education. As well as knowledge of the causes and factors of reading difficulties, the researchers conducted this study and applied to English students in the Department of English, Faculty of Education, University of Dhamar.

 Statement of the Problem:

         In fact, lack of English proficiency  within the university is a serious problem affecting all levels of the academic ladder. Solutions are needed and the causes of reading difficulties are highlighted, while focusing on avoiding reading difficulties before they occur.

      There are many students who learn English and find it difficult to read in terms of (speed - correct pronunciation - misuse of the tone) and others.

      This may be because of learning English as a second language, or because of teaching methods or curriculum . Hence the problem of research is clear (what are the reading difficulties facing English students in the Department of English, Faculty of Education, University of Dhamar) an attempt to find reasons and some treatments and recommendations for the next generation .

 Objectives of Research:

- This research seeks to identify and explore the difficulty of reading faced by English language students.

- Know the reasons and factors that lead to difficulty reading in English.

- Find some treatments and solutions to these difficulties.

 -Find suitable recommendations and suggestions that can be used to overcome the difficulties of reading faced by students of the Department of English at the Faculty of Education, Dhamar University.

 Research questions:

This search attempts to answer these questions:

Main questions:

1- What are the reading difficulties facing English language students in the Department of English, Faculty of Education, Dhamar University?

2. What are the factors and causes of reading difficulties?

3. What methods and ways that can be used to overcome reading difficulties?

    After the researchers put the research questions, the researchers suggest the following hypotheses:

1. There are many reading difficulties faced by students, including:

( oral difficulties - difficulties in vocabulary - difficulties in comprehension  reading ..etc

2. The factors and causes that lead to difficulty in reading may be:

- Factors and causes may be due to differences between L1 and L2.

- Common factors and reasons for: students, methodology and teachers.

- Reasons attributed to learning phonetics . Phonological awareness..etc.

1-11 Significance of the study:.

      The researchers believe that the results of this research will be useful for all students studying English as a second language.

This research will also be useful for researchers in the field of education at the local level.

       The researchers believe that the findings, recommendations and research proposals will benefit teachers and all students with reading difficulties in English.

 Limitations of the study:

The researchers classified the limitations of the study into four:

Limitation of topic: The study was conducted to examine the difficulties of reading in English in the Department of English, Faculty of Education, Dhamar University.

Limitation of place: The study covered English students at all levels in the Department of English, Faculty of Education, Dhamar University.

Time limits: This study was applied in academic year 2018/2019.

limitation of human: The sample was stratified and randomly composed of all English language students in the Department of English, Faculty of Education, Dhamar University.

Time limits: This study was applied in the academic year 2018/2019.

Terms Definition :

Reading:

 The process of constructing meaning from written texts. It is a complex skill requiring the coordination of a number of interrelated sources of information (Smith 1994).

the action or skill of reading written or printed matter silently or aloud.

Reading Difficulty:

 A type of learning disability that specifically impairs a learner's ability to read. These learners typically read at levels significantly lower than expected despite having normal intelligence. Although the disorder varies from person to person, common characteristics among learners with reading difficulty are difficulty with spelling, phonological processing (the manipulation of sounds), or rapid visual-verbal responding (Commeyrars and Inyega, 2007).

Students: a persons who is studying at a Faculty of Education, Dhamar University.

Department: is a division of college that giving instruction in a particular subject.

Faculty: is a part of an university that offers courses in a specified subject.

Education: is a field of study that deals with methods and problems of teaching.

Dhamar University: One of the Yemeni government Universities located in the province of Dhamar and away from the capital Sana'a about 100 km.