Using Passive Voice in the Writings of Bahraini Students at the University of Bahrain : Problems and Implications

Abstract

ABSTRACT : This study seeks to investigate the use of passive voice and the errors in the different forms of the passive made by first- and second-year students at the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Bahrain. The study sample consists of 50 randomly selected first-year students and 50 second-year students. The researcher designed a test to determine whether there would be statistically significant differences between the two groups of students with respect to first, sentence transformation, sentence translation, and text transformation; and second, the following passive voice forms: simple present, simple past, present perfect, past perfect, present continuous, past continuous, and future and modal. The findings of the study show the following: 1. There are statistically significant differences between the two groups with respect to their performance in sentence transformation and text transformation. 2. There are no statistically significant differences between the two groups with respect to their performance in sentence translation 3. There are statistically significant differences between the two groups regarding the errors made in the following forms of the passive: simple past, simple present, present continuous, and future-modals. 4. There are no statistically significant differences between the two groups regarding the errors made in the following forms of the passive: present perfect, past perfect, and past continuous The researcher attributed the errors made by the students of both levels to the following sources of error: negative transfer and interference, overgeneralization and false concepts hypothesized.