A STUDY OF COMMON ERRORS IN WRITTEN COMPOSITION AMONG SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN JOS NORTH LGA PLATEAU STATE NIGERIA

This study investigated the common errors in written compositions among senior secondary school students in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria. Writing is a crucial component of academic achievement and communication, yet students at this level often struggle with grammatical, lexical, and organizational accuracy in their written work. The study was guided by the five research questions, Correspondingly, the objectives of the study were to identify the types of writing errors, examine their causes, determine the influence of students’ backgrounds and habits on writing, and evaluate teachers’ strategies in improving writing performance. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population consisted of all senior secondary school students and English teachers in Jos North LGA, out of which a sample of 120 students and 15 teachers was selected from ten secondary schools using stratified and random sampling techniques. A structured questionnaire and writing tasks were used as instruments for data collection. The instruments were validated by experts in language education, while reliability was established through pilot testing, yielding a coefficient of 0.82 using Cronbach’s Alpha. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequencies, means, and standard deviations) for the research questions, and inferential statistics (t-test and ANOVA) for hypothesis testing at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that students frequently committed errors in grammar (particularly tense, agreement, and prepositions), spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, and organization of ideas. Poor reading culture, limited vocabulary, first language interference, and overreliance on informal digital communication were identified as major causes of writing errors. Hypothesis testing showed significant relationships between students’ reading habits, digital communication exposure, language backgrounds, teacher instructional strategies, and their writing performance. The study concluded that writing challenges are influenced by both cognitive and contextual factors, and addressing them requires integrated efforts from teachers, students, and policymakers.