Identifying the Phonological, Semantic, and Syntactic Proficiencies of EFL Students at Al-Imam Al-Kadhim University

Aya Hussien Ahmed; Shaima Mahdi Saalh

doi:10.31185/wjfh.Vol22.Iss4/Pt1.2139

Authors

Res. Aya Hussien Ahmed Department of English Language, College of Education for Women, University of Baghdad, Iraq Author
Prof. Dr. Shaima Mahdi Saalh Department of English Language, College of Education for Women, University of Baghdad, Iraq Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0536-9483

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31185/wjfh.Vol22.Iss4/Pt1.2139

Keywords:

Linguistic Proficiency/Phonological Proficiency/Semantic Proficiency/Syntactic Proficiency/EFL Students/English Language Learning

Abstract

This study identifies the level of linguistic proficiency among second-year EFL students at the University of Imam AlKadhim in three main areas: phonology, semantics, and syntax. The study adopted a quantitative descriptive design. A linguistic proficiency test was developed by the researcher and administered to a sample of 55 students. The test measured students’ performance in phonological discrimination and production, semantic knowledge and relations, and syntactic accuracy and structure. The results revealed that students’ phonological proficiency was significantly below the expected level, indicating weaknesses in sound discrimination and pronunciation. In contrast, students demonstrated a moderate level of semantic proficiency, showing relatively better performance in vocabulary knowledge and meaning relations. Syntactic proficiency was also found to be below the expected level, reflecting difficulties in sentence structure and grammatical accuracy. The findings indicate that EFL learners exhibit uneven linguistic proficiency, with relative strength in semantics and noticeable weaknesses in phonology and syntax.

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