Investigating Second Year Students' Errors in the Use of English Spatial Prepositions (in, on, at) at the Faculty of Medical Technology, Azzaytuna University

Abstract

This study attempts to identify and analyze errors in the use of English prepositions of place (in, on, and at) committed by EFL undergraduate students at the Faculty of Medical Technology, Azzaytuna University. This study also attempts to explore the reasons behind these errors. The study population consisted of (60) students enrolled in the second year at the Faculty of Medical Technology in the academic year 2025/2026. A sample of 45 undergraduate students was randomly selected in January 2026. They were given a 30-sentence gap-filling test and asked to fill in the gaps with suitable prepositions. The findings indicated that the participants committed several errors in using these prepositions, which could be due to a number of causes, such as interference from the mother tongue or the lack of knowledge of English. The researcher recommends that teaching spatial prepositions at the early stages of teaching and learning should be considered by teachers through exercises about prepositions of place, which may help students to use these prepositions in English properly.