College of Languages Discusses a master’s Thesis Revealing Challenges in Learning English Conditional Structures among Iraqi Students
The Department of English at the College of Languages, University of Baghdad, discussed the master’s thesis entitled “A Principles-and-Parameters Approach to Iraqi EFL College Students’ Acquisition of Conditional Structures: A Cross-Sectional Study” submitted by Sula Ziyad Jabbar.
The thesis investigated how Iraqi university students learning English as a foreign language acquire conditional structures within the framework of the Principles-and-Parameters Theory. It also examined the difficulties associated with resetting linguistic parameters and the influence of Arabic, as the learners’ first language, on the acquisition of English conditional constructions.
The findings indicated that the acquisition of conditional structures was neither linear nor uniform across different linguistic aspects. Learners showed considerable progress in mastering the external framework of conditional constructions, particularly in maintaining the relationship between the conditional clause and the main clause, preserving their order, and appropriately using overt conditional markers.
The committee recommended acceptance of the thesis subject to the required revisions.
Examination Committee:
- Prof. Dr. Rahab Abdul Jalil Saeed – Chairperson
- Asst. Prof. Dr. Atyaf Hassan Ibrahim – Member
- Lecturer Suad Fadhil Kadhim – Member
- Prof. Dr. Mahdi Inayah Karim – Member and Supervisor
