Exploring Subject-Verb Agreement Challenges in the Writing of ESL Learners: An Action Research Study in Sri Lanka

Abstract

This study is an action research that is conducted to improve the quality of the writings of students in an international school in the Kalutara district. The students make errors related to subject-verb agreement which is an essential component in mastering the English language. They are not mistakes, instead they are errors because the students are not in a state of understanding them on their own. Further, the students are unaware of the grammar rules. Errors occur due to lack of awareness of these specific grammar rules. However, English as a second language (ESL) learners struggle immensely in mastering subjectverb agreement. This study mainly centers around three error types such as the subject is a list of two or more nouns, the subject is an indefinite pronoun, and the subject agrees with the nearest noun in paired conjunctions. The sample consists of twenty-six students from a grade 08 class of an international school in the Western province of Sri Lanka. A pretest was used to collect data. The main objective of this research is to upgrade the writing skills of grade 8 students, in terms of grammatical accuracy. The use of scaffolding exercises enables the students to understand the grammatical rules clearly and makes them apply the rules correctly. Action research itself is a research design that assists to solve the problems related to the field of education. The problem was identified at first and the intervention was carried out accordingly. Finally, the results were obtained. The difference in mean values of the pre-test and the posttest proves the significant improvements in the writings of the students. Therefore, ESL learners require the necessary guidance and instructions through creative approaches to language learning which creates a learner-friendly environment to become competent writers of English.