Error Analysis in First-Year AB English Language Students&rsquo; Written Compositions

Michael  B. Garcia,; Ruby  F. Amado,

Error Analysis in First-Year AB English Language Students’ Written Compositions

Discipline: Education

Abstract:

This study addresses the gap in understanding grammatical errors in English compositions among first-year ABEL (Bachelor of Arts in English Language) students at Pangasinan State University – Urdaneta City Campus during the academic year 2022-2023. The objectives include identifying the demographic profile of the students regarding their mother tongue and attitudes toward English grammar and writing, analyzing the most common grammatical errors using the Surface Strategy Taxonomy, exploring the relationship between errors and profile variables, and determining the causes of these errors. A mixedmethod research design was employed, with data collected through a researcher-made questionnaire administered via Google Forms and face-to-face writing compositions about students' experiences during the pandemic. Findings revealed that the majority of respondents (60%) spoke Tagalog as their mother tongue, demonstrating a highly favorable attitude toward English grammar learning (mean score of 3.40) and a moderately favorable attitude toward English writing (mean score of 3.00). The most frequent grammatical error identified was misformation (40.69%), followed by omission (32.19%), addition (25.86%), and misordering (1.27%). Results showed no significant relationship between the errors and demographic profile variables. Semi-structured interviews with ten participants confirmed interlingual interference as a significant factor influencing errors, highlighting challenges transitioning from the student’s mother tongue to English. The findings emphasize the need for targeted grammar instruction to enhance independent learning and student outcomes. Practical recommendations include integrating interactive grammar activities, personalized feedback mechanisms, and mother tongue awareness strategies into ESL instruction to address persistent error patterns effectively.

References:

Al-Dubib, D. (2013). Error analysis of subject-verb agreement in the writing of FL Saudi female students: a corpus-based study (Thesis). Department of English, College of Languages and Translation, Imam Mohammad bin Saud University.
Bialystok, E., Dulay, H., Burt, M., & Krashen, S. (1983). Language two. Modern Language Journal, 67(3), 273. https://doi.org/10.2307/327086
Corder, S. P. (1967). The significance of learner’s errors. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 5(4), 161-170. https://doi.org/10.1515/iral.1967.5.1-4.161
Garcia, R., Roeser, J., & Hohle, B. (2018). Thematic role assignment in the L1 acquisition of Tagalog: use of word order and morphosyntactic markers. Language Acquisition, 26(3), 235–261. https://doi.org/10.1080/10489223.2018.1525613
Harun, O. F., & Sufian, A. (2018). Errors in subject-verb agreement: a study based on Bangladeshi University Students. Green University Review of Social Sciences, 2(2). https://tinyurl.com/bde2chjw
Heydari, P., & Bagheri, M. S. (2012). Error analysis: sources of L2 learners’ errors. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 2(8). https://doi.org/10.4304/tpls.2.8.1583-1589
James, C. (1998). Errors in language learning and use: exploring error analysis. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/bde8t9sr
Javier, D. R. (2022). App review using tech tools for academic writing: “Grammarly” as a pedagogical tool. MEXTESOL Journal, 46(2). https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1357805
Kholik, N., Nainggolan, F., & Sudirman. (n.d.). The correlation between students (Thesis). University of Lampung.
Malana, M. (2018). First language interference in learning the English language (Thesis). College of Teacher Education, Cagayan State University, Philippines.
Mendoza, P. J. (2016). Analysis of in-class writing errors of college freshmen students (Thesis). Mindanao University of Science and Technology, Philippines.
Meunier, F. (2006). Analysing learner language. International Journal of Lexicography, 19(1), 110–111. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijl/eck003
Ramos, A. B. (2019). Common writing errors of first year college students. International Journal of Advanced Research in Management and Social Sciences. https://tinyurl.com/3jsy23e7
Royani, S., & Sadiah, S. (2019). An analysis of grammatical errors in students’ writing descriptive text. PROJECT (Professional Journal of English Education), 2(6), 764. https://doi.org/10.22460/project.v2i6.p764-770.
Taylor, J. (2019). Just because you think something is reality doesn’t make it reality. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/2x7wktt45