The Factors Leading Learners to Fail in End of Year English Test from the Unsuccessful Students Perspective - Erbil Sample

Abstract

Foreign language acquisition is not an easy situation and continues within a certain program and process. Furthermore, no matter what a foreign language it is, the individual who wants to learn the language faces difficulties. These difficulties are sometimes caused by prejudice against speech and the inability to get rid of habits. Since the individuals living in Iraq are a multinational state, the number of people who know at least two languages is quite high. However, while people who acquire languages are good at speaking, their writing skills have not developed well enough. In face-to-face conversations, some prospective students learnt the English language by watching television or playing online games. 

This research is a qualitative study. In this study, we evaluated the first-year English language learners' thoughts about their failure at the year-end pass exam through an unstructured face-to-face interview made with 10 students who were subjected to 30 weeks of intensive language education in the 2021-2022 academic year in the language preparatory year of a private university. In the interview, students were asked one open-ended question. Their responses were recorded, not changed and then scripted as they said. As a result, the three most important reasons affecting students' learning of foreign languages were found. These include 1- Internet addiction, 2- Failure to do assigned homework 3- Overconfidence.