Challenges Faced by Pre-Intermediate EFL Learners in Learning Expository Texts

Running head: HELPING PRE-INTERMEDIATE EFL LEARNERS
Helping Pre-Intermediate EFL Learners
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1HELPING PRE-INTERMEDIATE EFL LEARNERS
Introduction
The teaching of the foreign language has been essential and a complex procedure in the
context of education. The world wide changes have induced the development of the teaching and
learning of the foreign languages. The learning of the English language requires the learning and
mastery of the four major fundamental skills namely speaking, listening, writing and reading of
the language. These important factors and skills have a very important role in the acquisition of
the language (Gilakjani & Sabouri, 2016). Researches has observed that EFL learners face
significant numbers of challenges or difficulties while learning the language that results in
prevention of performing the basic factors of learning to them. The development of the
productive skills such as the writing and speaking tends to be more critical than the development
of the receptive skills namely the reading and listening and extracting from short communicative
messages in case of the EFL learners. Factors like notices, notes, text messages, and warning
signs generate difficulty in understanding to the EFL learners (Lems, Miller & Tenena, 2010).
The essay highlights the importance of the issue and the problems and challenges of the EFL
(English as Foreign Language) while learning or acquiring knowledge in the English language. It
is essential for the ESL learners to transform the competence of the English language in an actual
performance while dealing with the skills of productivity.
Analysis of the topic
A: Definition of Expository Texts -Expository texts can be defined as the nonfiction and
informational text. These types of texts differ from the narrative type of texts on the basis of
style, features, tone and structures. Expository texts utilize specified structure for presentation
and explanation of the information. Expository texts are structured for enabling facilitation to the

2HELPING PRE-INTERMEDIATE EFL LEARNERS
process of the study for the prospective readers. These types of texts include information and
topics like economic data, scientific information and historical narrations. To summarize, these
types of texts are generally precise, subject specific and includes vocabulary that is domain
specific in nature. Organizational tools such as table of contents, headings, appendices, glossary
and pronunciation guide are included in the expository texts. Expository texts include certain
features which supports and enhance factors like illustrations, charts, graphs, timelines, captions,
photographs and more.
B: The difference Between Main Idea and Supporting Ideas – Main ideas are usually placed in
the first sentence of any paragraph or statement. The main idea is usually reinforced by a number
of series or information which contributes to the premises of main idea. Articles, sentences,
paragraphs, textbook chapters and passages, all have topics and their related main ideas.
Supporting idea on the other hand guides, clarifies, explains, illustrates and describe the main
idea. Supporting ideas mainly leads towards the stated main idea that contains important
information which formulates the min idea while implementation (Greenall & Swan, 1986). The
supporting ideas are important and essential since it helps in grasping the content and the
structure of the essay or the paragraph. The primary difference between the main idea and the
supporting idea is that the main idea just only states the issue or the concern with no further
explanation. It is the topic of discussion, while the supporting idea is the discussion and
evidences for the support of the main idea. It is a far more illustrated and descriptive portion of
any language or essay.
C: Positions of Main Idea and Supporting Ideas (beginning, middle and end) – In any of the
comprehension of expository texts, the main idea is positioned at the beginning of the sentence.
This is because the main idea highlights the introduction part of the essay or the language under

3HELPING PRE-INTERMEDIATE EFL LEARNERS
discussion. The main idea is followed by supporting ideas which clarifies and illustrates the topic
of main idea. The discussion or the body of the essay or the expository texts consists of the
supporting ideas (Grellet, 1981). Lastly the conclusion includes the highlight of the main topic
and the important points in support of the main topic of discussion.
D: Strategies to Identify the Main idea and supporting details/ideas- To recognize and identify
the main idea one needs to follow some of the strategies:
 Asking one’s self regarding the idea or topic of discussion
 To locate the main ideas in various places within the essay.
 To recognize and analyze the concluding statement of the paragraph since the main ideas
are also found in the conclusion
 To persuade the purpose statement as stated by the author or the illustrator
To effectively recognize the strategies that are required to identify the supporting ideas include:
 To identify the examples and illustrations in relation to the main topic
 To go through the description part and the explanation part of the essay for identifying
the supporting ideas
 To determine the body of the summary of the main topic of discussion
 Identifying the supporting evidences, proofs and data to the main sentences in the
introduction.
E: Challenges faced by the learners while learning main and supporting ideas of expository texts-
According to some of the researches, teachers often faces uncomforting and difficulty to teach
the curriculum, since the learners or the students are not respondent and active in adoption of the
knowledge in the classroom (Turkan & Buzick, 2016). Learners are subject to discrimination