Sources of Difficulties in English Grammar and Reading Comprehension among Arabic-Speaking Learners: A Contrastive Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59992/IJESA.2026.v5n9p3Keywords:
Contrastive Analysis, Arabic-Speaking Learners, English Grammar, Reading Comprehension, Error Analysis, Interlanguage, Schema TheoryAbstract
Arabic-speaking learners of English tend to struggle with the same handful of grammatical points and the same kind of reading obstacles, semester after semester, regardless of where they study. This paper asks why, using a contrastive comparison of English and Arabic grounded in Lado's (1957) procedure and in the error-analysis and interlanguage traditions built by Corder (1967) and Selinker (1972). It compares the two languages across tense and aspect, articles, prepositions, word order, negation, and question formation, then follows the same contrasts into the reading process itself, looking at script transfer, sentence parsing, vocabulary inferencing, and cultural background knowledge. Throughout, the analysis is checked against two decades of empirical work on Arab EFL learners (Aljouhani, 2019; Abdelmohsen, 2022; Bensalah & Gueroudj, 2020; Qrqez & Ab Rashid, 2017). The central claim is a simple one: grammatical error and reading difficulty are not two separate problems in these learners but two visible symptoms of the same structural gap between Arabic and English. The paper closes with a set of classroom recommendations built directly on that claim.
References
• Abdelmohsen, M. M. (2022). Arab EFL learners' writing errors: A contrastive error analysis study. British Journal of English Linguistics, 10(4), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.37745/bjel.2013/vol10n4117
• Aljouhani, A. (2019). Contrastive analysis: Difficulties Arabic learners face in using English language tenses. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Learning, 6(2), 146–156.
• Al-Qahtani, A. A. (2021). Reading English as a foreign language: The interplay of abilities and strategies. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 10(3), 580–589. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v10i3.31738
• Al-Hamzi, A. M. S., Nababan, M., Santosa, R., Djatmika, D., & Sumarlam, S. (2023). Frequent linguistic errors in the writing of Yemeni EFL Arabic-speaking learners. Studies in English Language and Education, 10(1), 350–368. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v10i1.26022
• Al Towity, A. A. (2022). Exploring grammatical errors in English writing made by EFL Saudi learners at Al-Dayer University College, Jazan University. Journal of Educational Sciences and Humanistic Studies, 8(20).
• Bensalah, H., & Gueroudj, N. (2020). The effect of cultural schemata on EFL learners' reading comprehension ability. Arab World English Journal, 11(2), 383–394.
• Betti, M. J., & Bsharah, A. M. (2023). Investigating contrastive grammar problems Iraqi EFL learners face in English-Arabic translation. Kufa Journal of Arts, 1(57). https://doi.org/10.36317/kaj/2023/v1.i57.12147
• Btoosh, M. A. (2019). Tense and aspect in the academic writing of Arab L2 learners of English: A corpus-based approach. Journal of Language and Education, 5(2), 26–47. https://doi.org/10.17323/jle.2019.7769
• Catford, J. C., Palmer, D. J., McCarus, E., Moray, E., & Snider, A. S. (1974). A contrastive study of English and Arabic. Defense Language Institute.
• Corder, S. P. (1967). The significance of learner's errors. International Review of Applied Linguistics, 5, 161–170.
• Grabe, W., & Stoller, F. L. (2002). Teaching and researching reading. Pearson Education.
• Khalil, A. M. (1999). A contrastive grammar of English and Arabic. Jordan Book Center.
• Lado, R. (1957). Linguistics across cultures: Applied linguistics for language teachers. University of Michigan Press.
• Nassaji, H. (2002). Schema theory and knowledge-based processes in second language reading comprehension: A need for alternative perspectives. Language Learning, 52(2), 439–481.
• Qrqez, M., & Ab Rashid, R. (2017). Reading comprehension difficulties among EFL learners: The case of first and second year students at Yarmouk University in Jordan. Arab World English Journal, 8(3), 421–431.
• Selinker, L. (1972). Interlanguage. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 10(1–4), 209–231.
