PAKISTANI M.PHIL. STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCES AND CHALLENGES IN USING THE ENGLISH ARTICLE SYSTEM

Abstract

The English article system poses difficulties for English language learners, particularly those whose mother tongues or L1 do not possess the article system as in the English language. This mixed-method study aimed to measure if Pakistani M.Phil. students used the English article system correctly. Moreover, this study also explored the participants’ perspectives about the factors which caused problems for them in using the English articles correctly. To achieve these objectives, the present research adapted Miller’s (2005) instrument. Through the purposively sampling technique, data was gathered from 108 MPhil students from one of the universities in Balochistan, Pakistan. Overall, the quantitative analysis suggests that the use of correct English articles was a problem for most of the participants. The qualitative data analysis also corresponds with the results of the quantitative data as the participants acknowledged that the English article system caused difficulties for them. From participants’ perspectives, such difficulties stem from several factors including lack of reading, absence of articles in participants’ L1, government schooling background, teachers’ lack of English language proficiency, grammar-based teaching method, and learners’ least knowledgeability about the grammatical aspects of the English article system. Based on the findings of this study, pedagogical recommendations are proposed.