Exploring Writing Challenges Among High School Students in Loja

Abstract

Abstract: The study "Exploring Writing Challenges Related to Grammar, Sentence Construction, and Punctuation Among Secondary School Students" aimed to analyze the impact of explicit instruction in grammar, sentence construction, and punctuation on students' writing performance. A mixed-methods design incorporating both quantitative and qualitative approaches was employed. The research was conducted at a state-subsidized school in Loja, Ecuador, involving sixty-eight third-year secondary students and two English teachers. Data collection tools included pre- and post-tests, questionnaires, classroom observations, and semi-structured interviews with students and teachers. Quantitative data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel to calculate frequencies and percentages. The results showed that, prior to the intervention, the most frequent errors involved the incorrect use of articles, subject-verb agreement, comma misuse, run-on sentences, sentence fragments, and comma splices. Following the intervention, explicit instruction improved students' writing by reducing composition errors.