"Science and Education" Scientific Journal September 2021 / Volume 2 Issue 9

Language skills and their relationship to learning difficulties

in English language from the students’ point of view

Mohamad Ahmad Saleem Khasawneh

[email protected]
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1390-3765
King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia

Abstract: This study aimed to identify the relationship between learning language
skills and learning difficulties in English language among students in the elementary
stage in Irbid Governorate from the students’ point of view. The study used the
descriptive-analytic approach. The sample of the study consisted of (300) male and
female students, who teach the fourth and fifth grades, distributed as follows: (150)
males and (150) females. To achieve the objectives of the study, a questionnaire was
designed to identify the relationship between learning language skills and learning
difficulties among students in English language. The questionnaire included the
following dimensions, listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The results of the
study revealed that the overall degree for the relationship between learning language
skills to students’ learning difficulties In English language at the primary stage from
the teachers' point of view was high in all dimensions of study. The study concluded
that it is important to identify the importance of learning language skills for students
with LDs and teachers should be aware of these skills and their role.
Keywords: English language, speaking, listening, reading, writing, learning
disabilities.

Introduction
In recent years, English language has facilitated the widespread of electronic
network in the field of public communication. This spread in turn has contributed to
improving the use of English as an international language (Almousah, 2020). In
addition, Al-Arifi (2020) emphasized that English is the language of communication
and understanding between many countries of the world, as it is the language of
political and scientific conferences and forums, and the language of publishing and
scientific research in many fields, especially technical and medical ones. Therefore, the
Jordanian Ministry of Education has continuously developed the teaching of English
language, as English is the second official language in Jordan.
There are clear indications of students’ weakness in English language, as students
are unable to speak English, and their ability to comprehend and understand written
texts is also weak (Minshar, 2020). In addition, students are weak in understanding

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conversations they listen to in English and are weak in written expression. This led to
the increase in learning disabilities in English language among students and its great
impact on the future of children, their social and professional lives, and their
psychological stability. Such a phenomenon requires a comprehensive, careful, and
insightful view of the familial, social, and economic factors interacting with the
preparations, tendencies, and psychological trends of each student separately. It is also
important to avoid random judgments and intolerant trends such as the misconception
of some teachers and parents that learning disabilities are linked to misunderstanding
and mental retardation (Musaed, 2018). Therefore, this problem triggered the
researcher to investigate and identify the most important reasons behind the students'
learning difficulties in English language, including those related to learning language
skills.
Problem statement
The level of students in the elementary stage in English language does not meet
the expected learning outcomes in various language skills (Al-Zoubi, 2013). Therefore,
it has become necessary to identify the causes of students' learning disabilities in
English language from its various aspects. The rationale behind this reason is that
English language is very important in achieving the objectives of the educational
system and the progress of individuals scientifically and practically. The idea of this
study came to identify the relationship between learning language skills to the learning
disabilities of students in English language and methods of treating them. Therefore, it
was necessary to take the opinions of students to face these difficulties, as taking their
opinions will lead to a deeper understanding of the language, In addition to achieving
better performance on the part of both the teacher and the learner alike.
Research objectives
This study aimed at achieving the following objectives:
- Identifying the causes of learning disabilities among students in English
language at the elementary stage in Irbid Governorate from the students’ point of view.
- Identifying the relationship between learning language skills and learning
difficulties in English language.
Research questions
The present study seeks to give answers to the following research question:
- What is the relationship of language skills with the learning disabilities of
students in English language in Irbid from the students’ point of view?
Significance of the study
The significance of the current study stems from the importance of English
language as the first global language that contributes to the progress of individuals
scientifically and practically, so everyone needs to learn it. Therefore, research on the
relationship of language skills to students’ learning difficulties in English language

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may contribute to finding solutions for these reasons. This will help reduce the number
of students with learning difficulties in English language in the future. The current
study also derives its significance from the importance of the elementary stage, which
represents the first pillar of the next educational stage in the educational system, which
depends on its quality, and development of students' academic performance (Saadeh
and Dhmour, 2017).
Delimitations of the study
The results of this study are limited to human limitations, as it was applied to the
fourth and fifth primary students. The study tools were applied in public primary
schools in the Second Directorate of Education in Irbid Governorate during the second
semester of the academic year 2020/2021. The results of the study also are limited to
the validity and reliability of the study instrument.
Definition of operational terms
The primary stage: is defined as the stage at the beginning of the educational
ladder, where students undertake their spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional, and
social care in a manner consistent with the nature of each student and according to the
goals of the society in which they live (Al-Mutairi, 2009). The researcher defines it
procedurally as the stage that includes students from the fourth grade to the sixth grade
in public schools in the Second Education Directorate in Irbid Governorate.
Reasons: They are defined as the factors that stand behind a particular problem or
work to make something happen (Olimat, et al, 2013).
Students with learning disabilities: those who have disorders in one or more of
the basic psychological processes, which include understanding of written or spoken
language and their use(khasawneh, 2019).
LITERATURE REVIEW
Students face difficulties in learning English as a second language, which is a
multifaceted problem that requires organized and multidimensional solutions. They
also face other challenges related to mastering the skills necessary for reading
comprehensions, such as rapid recognition of words and an abundance of linguistic
vocabulary. They need a kind of education that directly solves their deficits and
promote their language level (Nuruzzaman, Islam & Shuchi, 2018).
The problem of students’ weakness in English language is one of the challenges
facing researchers in the field of teaching and learning English in general. The
improvement of students’ achievement in English language confirms the good progress
of the education process in the right direction. In addition, the teacher grows a positive
motivation towards the teaching profession and helping students achieve better. On the
other hand, we will find that the achievement of many students in English language is
a complex problem, as they feel that it is an unsuitable subject for them and that
whatever they do they will not be good at. Therefore, so we must look into the reasons

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behind the formation of negative trends towards the acquisition of English language
subjects, the most important of which is the low achievement rate (Turki, 2019).
The general atmosphere prevailing in elementary schools neither helps nor
encourages learning English language. The student speaks Arabic with the school
administration and teachers and learns Arabic language in all subjects. The remaining
time to learn English is just limited to a class of forty-five minutes, most of which is
covered with Arabic. The time specified to learning English language is very limited
compared to other study subjects, which is of course not enough for students to practice
and acquire the language. Therefore, it is necessary to take advantage of all the
opportunities available to the student in learning the language. As for teaching
methods, we find that they do not achieve their goal for several reasons, including that
teacher do not speak English in their performance and focus on giving information and
teaching it as a subject only, regardless of the purpose of teaching English. In addition,
teachers focus on the written contents of the curriculum and neglect the verbal side of
the language.
Previous Studies
Several studies have been conducted to investigate the reasons behind learning
disabilities in English language and these studies have come up with different results.
Al-Mawajdeh (2020) identified the reading difficulties facing the 9th-grade
students in English language and how to deal with these difficulties from the teacher’s
point of view in Jordan. The sample of this study consisted of 100 teachers ( 40 males
and 60 females) from Almazar Directorate of Education in Jordan. The author used the
analytic descriptive method and developed a questionnaire where its validity and
reliability were verified. The result of this study showed statistically significant
differences in the teacher’s perceptions and these differences are attributed to the
variable of years of experience.
Abdel Moneim (2019) investigated the effectiveness of a training program based
on strategies of attention and working memory to improve reading skills among
students of the third primary with learning disabilities in English at Kafer El Bateek Al
assay School, Kafer El Bateek Idara. The sample of this study consisted of 30 students.
The study followed the quasi-experimental where the students were randomly divided
into 2 groups, a control group of 15 students and an experimental group of 15 students.
A pre-test was applied to both groups and then only the experimental group took the
training program which consisted of 24 sessions and after that a post-test has been
applied to both groups. A reading and writing scale and IQ test of Ahmad Zaky Saleh
were used alongside the training program. The results of the study revealed that there
are significant differences in student’s performance on post-test in the experimental
group that proves the training program is effective.

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Williams (2020) examined the effects of an intensive reading intervention RIA (

Reading Intervention for Adolescents) on reading outcomes (word reading,
vocabulary, and comprehension) for ninth-grade English language learners with
learning disabilities (LD). The sample of this study were students from 3 different large
high schools in an urban, diverse southwestern U.S. school district where all student
were English Learners by the time of this study or during the past 5 years, this study
analyzed the treatment effects only for the English Learners with learning disabilities
from the full sample in the study of the ( Reading Intervention for Adolescents (RIA)
for English Learners (Vaughn et al., 2018). And to analyze the treatment effects, 2
groups (treatment and comparison) were created from the four originally randomized
groups of 10 to 15 students. The results of the study exposed the challenges of
improving reading outcomes for English learners with learning disabilities in high
school.
Swanson (2020) examined the prevalence of latent classes at risk for reading or
math disabilities for elementary school children whose mother tongue was Spanish.
The sample of this study consisted of 394 students ( 155 first grade, 129-second grade,
and 110 from the third grade) were selected from 30 classrooms from urban schools
with a high poverty representation from two large school districts in the southwestern
United States, 192 boys, and 202 girls. The findings of this study supported the idea
that children at risk for certain LDs reflect a latent class group that can be separated
from a heterogeneous sample of children who differ in reading, L1, and L2 measures
of vocabulary, math, fluid intelligence, and attention.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This section provides information on the methodology of the present study, which
includes population and sample, research instrument, and validity and reliability of the
instrument.
Population and sample
The study sample consisted of (300) male and female students, who were chosen
from the teachers who teach the fourth and fifth primary grades. 10 schools of males
and females were chosen by the stratified random method to consist of (5 schools for
females) and (5 schools for males). The study was conducted on a sample of 300
students as shown in Table (1).
Table 1
Distribution of the study sample according to independent variables
Category Frequency Percentage
Gender Male 150 50%
Female 150 50%
School grade Fourth 100 33.33%
Fifth 100 33.33%
Sixth 100 33.33%
Total 300 100.0

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Research instrument
The instrument of the study consisted of a measure of the relationship of language
skills to students' learning difficulties in English at the primary stage from the students’
point of view. The study instrument consisted of two parts. Part one included general
information about the study sample (students). The second part included the statements
of the questionnaire addressed to teachers, which were divided into the following topics
(listening, speaking, reading, and writing). The response was graded on each statement
according to a triple scale and was determined at three levels: high (3 degrees), medium
(2 degrees), and low (1 degree).
Validity and reliability of the instrument
To ensure the validity of the instrument, the correlation coefficient was calculated.
The correlation coefficients are shown in Table (2) below.
Table 2
Cronbach's alpha internal consistency coefficient and repetition stability of the
instrument
Field Test Re-test Internal consistency
Listening 0.91 0.85
Speaking 0.87 0.86
Reading 0.88 0.85
Writing 0.90 0.87
Total 0.89 0.86
Table (2) shows that the value of the total reliability coefficient of the study
instrument was (0.89), where the listening field obtained the highest stability factor
(0.91), and the lowest stability factor was (0.87) for the speaking field.
FINDINGS
This section provides the findings obtained from the present study. These findings
are presented based on the research questions that guide the present research.
Results of the research question of the study.
To answer this question, the mean scores and standard deviations of the
relationship of language skills to students' learning difficulties in English were
extracted as follows.
The first field: language skills
Table (3) shows the mean scores and standard deviations of the relationship of
language skills with learning difficulties among English language students and the
overall degree of for the language skills fields.
Table 3
The mean scores and standard deviations of the statements of the language skills
fields arranged in descending order according to the mean scores
Language skills Mean score Standard deviation Rank
Listening 2.17 .567 Medium

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Speaking 2.12 .518 Medium

Reading 2.12 .493 Medium
Writing 2.09 .516 Medium
Total 2.12 .421 Medium
It is evident from Table (3) that the overall degree of assessment of the
relationship of language skills with learning difficulties among English language
students was generally high. All of the statements of the questionnaire were also high,
as the “speaking” field came in the first place, while the “writing field” came in the last
place.
The listening field:
Table (4) shows the mean scores and standard deviations of the relationship of
language skills with learning difficulties among English language students and the total
degree of assessment of the listening field and its statements.
Table 4
The mean scores and standard deviations of the listening field arranged in descending
order according to the mean scores
Mean Standard
Rank Statement Level
score deviation
Weakness of students in following Medium
1 the instructions of the course in 2.19 .688
English language by listening
Not linking the listening material to Medium
2 2.17 .757
real-life situations
Poor ability of students to connect Medium
3 2.13 .761
sentences by listening
Difficulty distinguishing students by Medium
4 2.08 .735
hearing similar words
Lack of sufficient audio materials to Medium
5 2.08 .752
get students used to listening
Poor comprehension of the listening Medium
6 2.08 .777
material
Total listening field 2.12 .493 Medium
The results in Table (4) show that the overall degree of assessment of the
relationship of language skills with learning difficulties in the field of listening was
medium. The highest statement was “students’ weakness in following the instructions
of the course in English by listening”, while the statement “Poor comprehension of the
listening material” came in the last rank.
The speaking field:
Table (5) shows the mean scores and standard deviations of the relationship of
language skills to learning difficulties among English language students, and the
overall assessment degree for the speaking field and its statements.

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Table 5
The mean scores and standard deviations of the statements of the speaking fields
arranged in descending order according to the mean scores
Mean Standard
Rank Statement Level
score deviation
Not focusing on speaking Medium
1 2.20 .757
experiences during the lessons.
Poor ability of students to express Medium
2 2.19 .718
their thoughts orally
Poor ability of students to form Medium
3 2.17 .753
correct sentences
Poor ability of students to synthesize Medium
4 2.11 .738
language terms
Total speaking field 2.17 .567 Medium
The results in Table (5) show that the overall degree of assessment of the
relationship of language skills with learning difficulties in the field of speaking was
medium. All of its statements were also high, as the statement, “Not focusing on
speaking experiences during the lessons” came in the first rank. The statement, " Poor
ability of students to synthesize language terms" ranked last.
The reading field:
Table (6) shows the mean scores and standard deviations of the relationship of
language skills with learning difficulties among English language students and the
overall degree of assessment of the reading field and its statements.
Table 6
The mean scores and standard deviations of the statements of the reading fields
arranged in descending order according to the mean scores
Mean Standard
Rank Statement Level
score deviation
Difficulty reading and summarizing Medium
1 2.20 .762
English texts by the teacher
Difficulty pronouncing vowels in Medium
2 2.16 .727
English
Difficulty understanding the meanings Medium
3 2.13 .718
of the reading material
4 Difficulty deriving word roots 2.05 .780 Medium
5 Difficulty reading English sentences 2.05 .757 Medium
6 Difficulty distinguishing silent letters 1.95 .808 Medium
Total reading field 2.09 .516 Medium
It is evident from Table (6) that the overall degree of assessment of the
relationship of language skills with learning difficulties in the field of reading was
medium. All its statements were also high, as the statement, “Difficulty reading and

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summarizing English texts by the teacher” came in the first place. The statement,
“Difficulty distinguishing silent letters” ranked last.
The writing field:
Table (7) shows the mean scores and standard deviations of the relationship of
language skills to students' learning difficulties in English language and the overall
degree of assessment for the field of writing and its statements.
Table 7
The mean scores and standard deviations of the statements of the writing fields
arranged in descending order according to the mean scores

Mean Standard
Rank Statement Level
score deviation
Lack of marks (grades) for written High
1 2.21 .737
assignments
Difficulty distinguishing letters and High
2 2.13 .740
syllables
Lack of marks (grades) for written High
3 2.12 .771
assignments
Difficulty expressing in writing life High
4 2.07 .751
situations.
Lack of written assignments assigned to High
5 2.06 .778
students
Total writing field 2.12 .518 High
The results in Table (7) show that the overall degree of assessment of the
relationship of language skills to students’ learning difficulties in the field of writing
was medium. All of its statements were also high, as the statement, “Lack of marks
(grades) for written assignments” ranked first, while the statement, "the lack of written
tasks assigned to students" came last.
DISCUSSION
The results in Table (3) showed that all language skills statements received high
grades by teachers, and the fields of the questionnaire came in the following order,
speaking, writing, listening, and reading.
In the field of listening, the results showed that the students face a real weakness
in listening, especially the linking of sentences while listening. The researcher
attributes this to the teachers’ lack of focus in their teaching on this particular skill and
their focus on other skills, in addition to the lack of a curriculum in which the teacher
uses to teach that skill. Listening skill largely depends on the teacher, who in turn can
be asked to possess this skill.
As for the field of speaking, the results showed that all the averages of this field
came at a high level. The researcher attributes the reason for this to the fact that students
face a real weakness in conversation skills because of their teachers not focusing on
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conducting conversations in English in the classroom. In addition, students’ fear of

making mistakes or feeling shy while they speak in front of their colleagues is also
another reason. This indicates that the students' speaking skills are still affected by
many problems. Students face great difficulty in speaking English language due to not
being exposed to sufficient experience to develop this skill.
In the field of reading, the results showed that all the averages in this field came
at a high level. This is a clear indication that teachers see that students face weakness
in terms of reading skills. It is also an indication of the weak foundation of students
concerning reading, especially letter training. Students find it very difficult to
distinguish letters, especially those that are written and not pronounced, as the student
is not exposed to many exercises and activities that enable him to distinguish between
them.
As for the writing field, the results showed that all the averages in this field came
at a high level. This is a clear indication that students face real weakness in the field of
writing. The researcher attributes this to the teachers’ lack of focus in their teaching on
this particular skill and their focus on other skills. In addition, there are weak
appropriate opportunities for the student to show his skill in writing and expressing
himself.
Recommendation
One of the most prominent recommendations of this study is to focus on the need
to diversify in teaching methods, reduce the teaching burden for teachers from lessons,
and open channels of communication between family and school to follow up on
students’ affairs. It is recommended to identify problems in the process of learning
English and increasing the awareness of students and their families about the
importance of learning English. In addition, encouraging schools to establish a special
English language laboratory equipped with the latest equipment to enable students to
listen to the language better and with sound pronunciation, and to encourage teachers
to develop remedial plans to improve the achievement level of students.
Acknowledgments
The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at
King Khalid University for funding this work through Big Research Groups under
grant number (RGP.2 /103/42).

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