MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING LAC HONG UNIVERSITY PHẠM NGUYỄN HẢI YẾN GRAMMATICAL ERRORS MADE BY THE FOURTH GRADERS AT A PRIMARY SCHOOL IN BIEN HOA CITY MASTER GRADUATION PROJECT IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE DONG NAI, 2024 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING LAC HONG UNIVERSITY PHẠM NGUYỄN HẢI YẾN GRAMMATICAL ERRORS MADE BY THE FOURTH GRADERS AT A PRIMARY SCHOOL IN BIEN HOA CITY MASTER GRADUATION PROJECT IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE MAJOR: ENGLISH LANGUAGE MAJOR CODE: 8220201 INSTRUCTORS 1. NGUYEN THI CHAU ANH DONG NAI, 2024 2 i TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS. iv DECLARATION BY AUTHOR .v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. vi LIST OF FIGURES.
vii LIST OF TABLES .1 CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW. Overview of errors. Definition of errors. Errors versus mistakes.
Nature of errors. Classification of errors. Making errors in writing. Causes of errors.
Grammatical error analysis. Steps in conducting a grammatical error analysis. Characteristics of young learners. Samples and sampling procedures.
Materials and research instruments. Data collection procedures. Data analysis procedures. Validity, reliability and ethical considerations .32 CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION .1 Types of grammatical errors made by graders 4 at Nguyen Khac Hieu Primary School.
Errors in tenses. Errors in nouns. Errors in prepositions. Errors in word order.
Errors in possessive pronouns. Students’ improvement of the grammatical errors.1 Types of grammatical errors do students in grade 4 at Nguyen Khac Hieu Primary school often make in writing. Errors in verb tenses. Students’ improvement of the most common grammatical errors .53 REFERENCES APPENDICES iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the following people for their assistance during the two-year time for the MA course.
Firstly, I would like to express my profound and sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Assoc. Phạm Hữu Đức for the entire patience, encouragement, and immense knowledge throughout the process of accomplishing my study. My deep thanks go to Dr. Nguyễn Thị Châu Anh and all the lecturers at Lac Hong University for the precious lessons and assistance during my study.
Additionally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the teachers and students at Nguyen Khac Hieu Primary School for their support and cooperation which helped me with the source of data to do this thesis. Finally, my sincere thanks are to my family and friends who have shared and encouraged me during the process of finishing my MA research project. Dong Nai, January, 2024 Author Phạm Nguyễn Hải Yến iv ABSTRACT The importance of proficient and effective writing skills in learning a second language or a foreign language, especially English, is unquestionable. These skills are essential for educational, business, and personal success.
However, writing is a complex task that requires significant cognitive and linguistic effort. In this context, it is understandable that learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) must put in considerable effort to develop their proficient writing skills, particularly in grammar. Despite early exposure to the English language, many Vietnamese primary students, including those at Nguyen Khac Hieu Primary School, struggle with English grammar and syntax. Common grammatical errors in their writing, whether done at home or school, are often attributed to a lack of understanding of grammatical rules and concepts.
Therefore, this research project aims to examine the grammatical errors in the writings of students at Nguyen Khac Hieu Primary School. It focuses primarily on the main grammatical errors made by fourth graders, using data from their English class writings. The project involves 60 primary students with average to low levels of grammar proficiency from two classes. The methodology of the study combines both quantitative and qualitative approaches.
The quantitative approach is based on statistical data, which is organized in a table showing the specific types of grammatical errors these students make. The qualitative aspect includes an analysis and interpretation of these errors. Future studies could expand the scope beyond Nguyen Khac Hieu Primary School to include a broader range of educational institutions across different regions. This would allow for a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by EFL learners in various socio-cultural contexts.
Future studies could expand the scope beyond Nguyen Khac Hieu Primary School to include a broader range of educational institutions across different regions. This would allow for a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by EFL learners in various socio-cultural contexts. Key words: Cognitive and linguistic effort, English as a foreign language (EFL), grammatical errors analysis, grammar proficiency, primary school, quantitative and qualitative methodology, writing skill v DECLARATION BY AUTHOR I certify that this thesis “GRAMMATICAL ERRORS MADE BY THE FOURTH GRADERS AT A PRIMARY SCHOOL IN BIEN HOA CITY” is the result of my own research and I am the sole author of this project. To my best knowledge and belief, it is carried out without using materials previously published or written by other people.
It is accepted for the requirements of the M.A degree after a carefully checking progress. Dong Nai, January, 2024 Author Phạm Nguyễn Hải Yến vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ABBREVIATIONS MEANING LUU Lac Hong University EFL English as a Foreign Language ESL English as a second Language SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Sciences M Mean SD Standard Deviation MD Mean Difference SEM Standard Error of the Mean N Number Sig (or p-value) the significance level calculated vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1: The conceptual framework of the study by the researcher .22 viii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Types of errors classified by Lee (2009). Types of grammatical errors categorized by Dulay (1982).
Chaney’s analysis of leaners’ errors (1999) .4: Characteristics of young and adult language learners. Steps of conducting grammatical error analysis by Corder (1973).1: Typical errors related to the past simple tense in affirmative form .2: Typical grammatical errors related to the past simple tense in negative form. Typical errors related to the present simple tense. Typical errors related to the present continuous tense.
Typical errors related to the present simple and present continuous tense. Typical errors related to future expression with “Be going to”. Errors related to plurality and indefinite article. Typical errors related to prepositions.
Typical grammatical errors related to word order. Typical grammatical errors related to pronouns. Paired sample t-test to measure the improvement of the grammatical errors. Frequency of typical grammatical errors made by the participants at Nguyen Khac Hieu Primary School.
Typical grammatical errors related to verb tenses .50 1 INTRODUCTION Background of the study The English language significantly influences numerous facets of human existence around the globe. Recognized as a global language, it holds a pivotal position in various societal domains such as education, economics, science, and politics, among others. Consequently, English features prominently in the curricula of schools and other educational institutions. Vietnam, along with other Asian nations, commenced the integration of English instruction into its primary education system in the early 1990s.
Given the paramount importance of English grammar in both teaching and learning, researching the impact of Vietnamese interference on the English writing skills of Vietnamese students is deemed valuable. Nonetheless, it's impractical to address every potential writing error related to these two languages within a constrained timeframe. Therefore, this thesis narrows its focus to primarily examine the most prevalent grammatical mistakes encountered in the English and Vietnamese written works of Vietnamese learners. Statement of the problem In teaching and learning English, acquiring and imparting writing skills in English is often the most challenging aspect, persisting across various educational stages.
It necessitates a robust understanding, enabling learners to simultaneously construct words, sentences, and paragraphs with proper grammatical structure. Attaining proficiency in a foreign language like English involves comprehending and applying its grammatical rules diligently. Errors are a natural and expected part of the language learning process, particularly in English. Consequently, English educators should dedicate time and effort to identifying and understanding the common grammatical mistakes students frequently encounter in their writing.
This proactive approach aids in enhancing their grammatical proficiency. 2 In light of these considerations, the researcher has chosen to undertake a study titled “Grammatical errors made by the fourth graders at a primary school in Bien Hoa City.” The research aims to meticulously examine, categorize, and quantify the types and occurrence of grammatical inaccuracies that students typically exhibit at both the sentence and paragraph levels in their written work. Research aims and objectives The aim of the study is to analyze the types of grammatical errors that were made by the fourth graders at Nguyen Khac Hieu Primary school in their writing and simultaneously, to find out the frequency and percentage of common grammatical writing errors. Consequently, pedagogical implications to minimize or eliminate grammatical writing errors will be provided.
To achieve the aims, the study is expected to reach the following objectives: - Analyzing the types of grammatical errors committed by the participants in their writing; - Investigating the frequency and percentage of grammatical writing errors that are most made by the fourth graders at Nguyen Khac Hieu Primary school. Research questions The objectives of the study can be elaborated into the research questions as follows: 1. What types of grammatical errors do students in grade 4 at Nguyen Khac Hieu Primary school often make in writing? 2. To what extent do students improve their grammatical errors? Scope of the study This project delves into the grammatical inaccuracies present in the writings of students at Nguyen Khac Hieu Primary School, with a specific focus on 60 fourth- grade students.
The investigation takes place during the initial term of the 2023-2024 academic year and involves a thorough examination of the frequent grammatical mistakes these students make in their written assignments. 3 Given the time constraints and the finite scope inherent to a project, the research is confined to scrutinizing the grammatical errors in the writings of primary school students. Data collection is achieved from 60 fourth graders in classes 4/1 and 4/4, through the pre-test and the post-test, which include grammatical exercises and a writing task. In this task, students are prompted to compose a brief paragraph, spanning from 5 to 8 sentences, on a designated topic.
All the participants were the same level. The scope of this project is limited to identifying and analyzing the grammatical errors made by the fourth graders at Nguyen Khac Hieu Primary School in their writing. It particularly focuses on quantifying the regularity of these errors. The study pays special attention to specific types of mistakes, including those related to verb tenses, plurality, articles, prepositions, word order, and possessive pronouns.
The subsequent step involves a detailed analysis of the frequency and percentage of these error categories, derived from the data gathered during the research. This Significance of the study This study was conducted at Nguyen Khac Hieu Primary School, offers significant theoretical and practical implications. Theoretically, the research serves as tangible support for the notion that analyzing errors is instrumental in enhancing English writing proficiency. This is achieved through the identification, classification, and detailed examination of the most frequent errors committed by English learners in their written work.
As a result, this thesis may act as a valuable resource for other educators or researchers with a keen interest in the analysis of grammatical errors in writing. From a practical standpoint, the researcher envisions this study as a foundational tool for advancing the teaching skills of educators, particularly in the domain of grammar instruction. It aims to stimulate students’ interest in learning English, transforming it from a mundane subject into an engaging and interactive experience. Furthermore, the study offers insights that could guide the selection of 4 effective teaching strategies or techniques at Nguyen Khac Hieu Primary School.
By incorporating the findings into their teaching practices, teachers can foster a more dynamic and effective learning environment, encouraging students to master English grammar with enthusiasm and commitment. Definitions of key terms 1.