VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ------ PHẠM THỊ LAN PHƢƠNG COMMON ERRORS AND CAUSES OF ERRORS IN PARAGRAPH WRITING TASKS BY E. SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS AT HA HOA TIEN UNIVERSITY (Các lỗi thường gặp và nguyên nhân mắc lỗi khi viết đoạn văn của sinh viên Anh văn năm thứ hai trường Đại học Hà Hoa Tiên) M.A MINOR THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 6014.0111 Hanoi, 2013 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ------ PHẠM THỊ LAN PHƢƠNG COMMON ERRORS AND CAUSES OF ERRORS IN PARAGRAPH WRITING TASKS BY E. SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS AT HA HOA TIEN UNIVERSITY (Các lỗi thường gặp và nguyên nhân mắc lỗi khi viết đoạn văn của sinh viên Anh văn năm thứ hai trường Đại học Hà Hoa Tiên) M.A MINOR THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 6014. NGUYỄN ĐỨC HOẠT Hanoi, 2013 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com i DECLARATION I, Phạm Thị Lan Phương, certify my authorship of the study report entitled “Common Errors and their Causes in Paragraph Writing Tasks by E.
Students at Ha Hoa Tien University” is the result of my own research for the degree of Master of Arts at University of Languages & International Studies-VNU, Ha Noi, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts. Phạm Thị Lan Phƣơng LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ****** I would like to express my thanks to many people who have assisted me when I carried out the research. To my supervisor, Dr. Nguyễn Đức Hoạt, I owe a special debt of gratitude for his profound knowledge, helpful support and enthusiasm which are of utmost importance to the achievement of my study.
I would like to convey my thanks to all my teachers of Postgraduate Studies Department who have supported me with a lot of knowledge. I also would like to thank all my colleagues for their invaluable comments and assistance during the time I was completing my study. My special thanks also go to the students in groups of DA5 and DAC5 for their willingness to participate in writing tasks. Without their helps, this study could not have been so successful.
I owe a great debt of gratitude to my husband who has constantly inspired and encouraged me to complete this research. Last but not least, I wish to thank my readers for their interests and comments on this thesis. LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com iii ABSTRACT ***** This paper studies the common written errors in paragraph writing made by second year English major students in Ha Hoa Tien University and the causes of these errors. To achieve the desired aims of the current study, the author combined both qualitative and quantitative methods, including two main instruments namely analyzing student writing analysis and personal interviews.
The subjects participating in the research were 19 second year EFL students in Foreign Language Faculty in Ha Hoa Tien, a private University in Ha Nam. Research results show that errors second year EFL students often make are basically due to the lack of vocabulary and problems with understanding basic grammatical rules in English. The main causes of these errors are the interference of mother tongue, carelessness, overgeneralization, incomplete application of rules and ignorance of rule restriction, in which interference from the first language is the major cause. LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION.
iii TABLE OF CONTENTS. iv LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES. vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. vii PART I: INTRODUCTION.
Rationale of the study. Objectives of the study. Scope of the study. Significance of the study.
Structures of the thesis. 3 PART II: DEVELOPMENT. 4 CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW. Writing and paragraph writing.
Definitions of errors. Errors versus mistakes. Causes of errors. 14 CHAPTER II: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.
Data collection instruments .Student writing tasks. Procedure of data collection. 19 CHAPTER III: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS. 21 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.
Common errors made by second year EFL students in HHT. Causes of errors made by second year EFL students in HHT. 31 PART III: CONCLUSION. Summary of the study.
Limitations and further studies. ix LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com vi LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES List of tables Page Table 2. Error marking symbols 16 Table 2. Error classification 17 Table 2.
Identification of error causes 19 Table 3. Number and frequency of errors in paragraph writing by 22 types and by groups Table 3. Frequencies of each error types 23 Table 3. Numbers of errors per causes 31 Table 3.
The popularity of each kind of causes to students' common written 32 errors List of fingures Figure 3. Frequency of errors in paragraph writing by groups 22 Figure 3.2 Frequencies of each error types 24 Figure 3.3 The popularity of each kind of causes to students' common written 32 errors LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EFL: English as a Foreign Language HHT: Ha Hoa Tien University EFL: Learning English as a Foreign Language L1: First Language L2: Second Language SVA: Subject-Verb Agreement LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Rationale of the study Writing skill plays an important role in learning English and is considered most difficult skill to be acquired. A proficient writing ability in second language enhances students’ logical way of thinking, thus facilitating students in meeting the requirements of almost every profession.
However, to attain the proficiency in writing has long been a challenge consuming much energy and practice for almost second language learners. In effect, many Vietnamese teachers and researchers have been seeking new and effective methods to improve their teaching with the hope of predicting and preventing errors before they appear. Nevertheless, they pay much more concern to why Vietnamese learners commit errors and how to prevent or reduce these errors. Nowadays, there are many private universities opened in Viet Nam and the real quality of students in these universities raised a big question to both educators and the Government.
As a teacher at Ha Hoa Tien University, the author recognizes English major students’ weaknesses in using English, especially in writing skill. One of the most challenging tasks facing both the EFL learners and teachers is to find out common mistakes and their causes in order to avoid possible mistakes or errors in writing. To find effective solutions to the above problem, the author has decided to do the research on “Common Errors and Their Causes in Paragraph Writing Tasks by EFL Students at Ha Hoa Tien University”. It is hoped that the results of this study will be really useful for both teachers and students in teaching and learning writing skill in particular and in improving their writing ability.
Objectives of the study The objectives of the study are: LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 2 to investigate the types of written errors often made by second-year EFL students of English major at Ha Hoa Tien University in writing paragraphs. to find out possible causes of common errors made by second-year EFL students in paragraph writing tasks at Ha Hoa Tien University. To recommend effective ways of avoiding errors in students’ writing tasks. This study is carried out with the hope that teachers and students can define the students’ common errors and adjust their way of teaching and learning this skill basing on the errors’ causes to obtain better results.
Research questions In order to achieve the above objectives, two research questions are raised: 1/ What are the types of written errors made by second - year EFL students of Ha Hoa Tien University in writing tasks? 2/ What are possible causes of these errors? 4. Scope of the study Due to the limited time and the restricted scope of study of a minor thesis, the study only focuses on identifying a number of common grammatical written errors committed by second year EFL students at HHT university. The errors are classified according to Chaney’s model (1999) and the causes of errors are distinguished based on the two researchers’ theoretical analysis, Norrish, J. Therefore, the criteria of classifying errors and causes of errors are partly subjective or mental analysis.
Significance of the study The study attempts to investigate the types of common errors in writing tasks and possible causes to avoid errors and improve writing skill of students at Ha Hoa Tien University in particular and in Vietnam in general. LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 3 In terms of foreign language learning, the study tells the students how much progress they made toward the target language, especially in the field of writing, hence they need improve. A deeply understanding why errors arise can assist in adjusting learning methods. In term of teaching and designing syllabus, the study may help teachers in particular and educators in general to understand the nature of errors, which is useful for them in sequencing and arranging target language items in their syllabus or material designing.
Structures of the thesis The study consists of 3 parts, organized as follows: Part I - Introduction- gives information about the topic of this paper, the reason for choosing the topic, the aim, scope, and methods and significance of the study. An outline of the thesis is also mentioned in this chapter. Part II Chapter I - Literature Review – discusses the relevant theories related to paragraph writing, errors and causes of errors Chapter II- Research Methodology – will mention the 2 main research instruments employed in the study, data collection procedure and data analysis. Chapter III - Findings and Discussions – the data colleted will be analyzed in order to find out the common errors made by second year English major students and causes of these errors Part III - Conclusion – provides some practical suggestions to help teachers have effective methods in teaching writing.
Some brief information about the limitations of the study and suggestions for further study will be also added here. LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 4 PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 1. Writing and paragraph writing Many linguists give the definition of writing. However, it is difficult to choose which is the most exact and trustworthy.
According to Flower (1984, p.16), “writing is simply the act of expressing what you think or saying what you mean” while Byrne (2000, p.1) considers writing as the “use of graphic symbols: that is, letters or combinations of letters”. He concludes that writing is the act of “forming these symbols; making marks on a flat surface of some kind”. Nevertheless, on higher level, “writing is a more complex process than the “production of graphic symbols”. It involves the arrangement of symbols “according to certain convention, to form words and words have to be arranged to form sentences”.
Furthermore, writing is regarded as a productive and taught language skill which is “difficult to acquire” ( Tribble, 1996, p.3) and “writing normally requires some form of instruction. It is not a skill that is readily picked up by exposure” (Tribble, 1996, p. Thus, it is necessary for learners to study and practice to improve this skill as Ur (2003) stated that “most people acquire the spoken language intuitively, whereas the written form is in most cases deliberately taught and learned”. For its complicated process, EFL learners meet many difficulties in writing skill.
From the realities in learning English in Viet Nam, there are some difficulties in writing as: learners’ low proficiency in the language, students’ low motivation to learn English, learners’ lack of background knowledge. According to Hornby (1989 p.