International Congress of Science Culture and Education, Antalya, Türkiye, 29 Ekim - 02 Kasım 2019, cilt.1, ss.841-846
ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to examine difficulties encountered by preparatory class students
of English Language Teaching Department in developing English writing and speaking skills. To meet the study
objective, a survey questionnaire designed by researher was administered to 44 students of ELT department in a
state university. The questionnaire consisted of two parts. The first part included demografic questions about
students’ age, gender, English language level and type of high school attended. The second part contained closeended questions to determine the most difficult language skill and productive skill for students. It also included
open-ended questions to determine difficulties encountered by them in developing productive skills. Qualitative
and quantitative analysis methods were employed to analyse the data collected. Results of the study indicated
that students’ lack of vocabulary knowledge was the topmost difficulty in developing speaking skill. Results
revealed that inadequate grammar knowledge was the most rated difficulty encountered by students in
developing writing skill.
Keywords: speaking, writing, productive skills