The Influence of Arabic on the Writing Skills of Algerian Secondary School Learners: A Case Study of Second-Year Level at Abderrahmane Mira Secondary School, Bouira

Abstract

Teaching writing skills is a vital aspect of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), particularly for Algerian secondary school students whose first national official language, Arabic, often interferes with their production. This dissertation examines the influence of Arabic on the writing skills of second-year secondary school learners, focusing on lexical, syntactic, semantic and discourse errors stemming from Arabic interference. The study was conducted at Abderrahmane Mira secondary school in Bouira, involving second-year students, whose paragraphs were analyzed qualitatively. It also involved two questionnaires administered to teachers and students which were analyzed quantitatively. Data analysis revealed prevalent errors at different levels. Teachers unanimously confirmed the impact of Arabic through translation reflexes and grammar transfer, while students identified vocabulary as their main struggle, often thinking in Arabic first. The findings highlight the need for contrastive teaching strategies like explicit structural comparisons, English brainstorming, and guided paraphrasing to mitigate Arabic interference and foster clearer English writing. By addressing these challenges, the research proposes practical approaches to enhance EFL writing instruction, recommending larger samples and diverse tasks for future studies to generalize results.