Factors causing students’ low grammar score achievement at the English Department of Halu Oleo University

Abstract

This study aimed to find out the factors causing students' low grammar score achievement and the most influential internal and external factors on the students' low grammar score achievement at the English Department of Halu Oleo University, Kendari. This study employed a descriptive quantitative design. The participant of this study was taken from the third-semester students who programmed the Grammar subject. The total population consisted of 98 students. In order to determine the sample of this study, the researcher took the students who got low Grammar score; it was under 3.00, using a purposive sampling technique totalling 41 students. The researcher collected the data by using a closed-ended questionnaire. The closed-ended questionnaire consisted of 20 items that the students should answer. Then, the data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel Software and SPSS version 2.0. The results showed that the students' low grammar scores caused their previous English learning to be irrelevant to the Grammar I subject. This was because, in the Senior High School, they just learned a general English subject, not specific. Thus, the students' problems included internal factors. Moreover, the most influential factor in this study was the internal factor, consisting of three aspects, namely learning strategy, motivation, and interest. From all of the learning strategies, interest was most selected by students.