An Experimental Study of the Written Composition of Freshman Students of Prairie View College for 1934-35

It has been found that Prairie View college students, generally speaking, have a poor background In grammatical principles. Freshman English tests, given at the opening of school, help to prove the above statement. The large per cent of senior students who fail the English test given prior to graduation is further proof of the fact that the background of many Prairie View students in grammatical rules and their application is poor. The large number of seniors taking drill English indicates the fact that little has been accomplished during the students\u27 four years In college toward strengthening their weaknesses in grammar. Drill English classes are offered to freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. However, when a student has been enrolled in these classes and still fails the senior English test, the obvious conclusion is reached that these drill classes have not been as effective as they should have been. The condition is very probably poor instruction in high school and in grammar school English. Locating the reason for the condition, however, does not remedy it. In the writer\u27s opinion, to remedy the condition, one must start the remedial measures on the entering freshmen and work with them during their entire four years. The advantages of knowing how to write and speak English are too obvious and numerous to mention. To say that a knowledge of correct English is important enough to demand all the emphasis possible will suffice