Tài liệu An investigation into errors in writing english paragraphs made by 6th grade students at a junior secondary school in nam dinh city

HANOI UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES AN INVESTIGATION INTO ERRORS IN WRITING ENGLISH PARAGRAPHS MADE BY 6TH GRADE STUDENTS AT A JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL IN NAM DINH CITY (Nghiên cứu các lỗi khi viết đoạn văn Tiếng Anh của học sinh lớp 6 tại một trường Trung học cơ sở ở thành phố Nam Định) SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MASTER’S DEGREE IN ENGLISH STUDIES Student: Vũ Thị Thúy Hồng Supervisor: Dr. TrầnThị Duyên Hanoi – 2019 HANOI UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES AN INVESTIGATION INTO ERRORS IN WRITING ENGLISH PARAGRAPHS MADE BY 6TH GRADE STUDENTS AT A JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL IN NAM DINH CITY (Nghiên cứu các lỗi khi viết đoạn văn Tiếng Anh của học sinh lớp 6 tại một trường Trung học cơ sở ở thành phố Nam Định) Major: English Studies Code: 8220201 SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MASTER’S DEGREE IN ENGLISH STUDIES Student: Vũ Thị Thúy Hồng Supervisor: Dr. Trần Thị Duyên Hanoi –2019 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I certify that this thesis entitled “An investigation into errors in writing English paragraphs made by 6th-grade students at a junior secondary school in Nam Dinh city” is my own work. Except where reference is made in the text of the thesis, this thesis does not contain any material published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a thesis by which I have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma. No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgment in the main text of the thesis. This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma in any other tertiary institution. Hanoi, 2019 Vu Thi Thuy Hong i ACKNOWLEDGMENT The thesis could not have been completed without the considerable help and support from a number of people. First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Tran Thi Duyen, my supervisor, who has patiently and constantly supported me through the stages of the study, and whose stimulating ideas, expertise, and suggestions have inspired me greatly through my growth as an academic researcher. My profound thanks go to all of my teachers from the Post-Graduate Department at Hanoi University, who have been given expert guidance and favorable conditions for the completion of the work. I am deeply thankful to five English teachers and 180 students at a lower secondary school. Thanks to their help, the thesis would not have succeeded. Last but not least, I am greatly indebted to my beloved family and friends for the sacrifice they have devoted to the fulfillment of this academic work. Hanoi, 2019 Vu Thi Thuy Hong ii ABSTRACT The present study investigates errors made by the 6th-grade students at a junior secondary school in Nam Dinh City and examines the teachers’ opinions on the students’ errors and their treatment of the errors. The study employs qualitative design and uses document analysis and interview as the data collection instruments. In particular, document analysis was carried out on 180 pieces of paragraph writing written by 6th-grade students and semi-structured interviews were conducted with five teachers who teach writing skills for the 6th-grade students. Findings pointed out 8 types of writing errors commonly made by the students including plurality, article, spelling, punctuation, verb, and preposition at the word level and subject-verb agreement and fragment at the sentential level. The findings also reveal that the teachers can realize students’ errors related to verb, spelling, preposition, subject-verb agreement, linking words, sentence structure, word order, and word choice. However, some of other common writing errors such as plurality, articles, punctuation, and fragment do not seem to be well perceived by the teachers and their common ways to treat the students’ errors are via direct feedback, indirect feedback, focused feedback and unfocused feedback. Based on the results of the study, implications and recommendations are proposed to improve the teaching and learning of English paragraph writing at the local school as well as at other junior secondary schools with similar educational contexts. ii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CF Correcting feedback EA Error analysis EFL English as a Foreign Language ELT English Language Teaching: the teaching of English to speakers of other languages ESL English as a Second Language iv LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURE Figure 2.1: Runkati’s categories of errors……………………………………………………… Figure 2.2: Corder’s steps in error analysis research………………………………………….. Table 2.3: Description of common writing errors……………………………………………. Table 3.2: Justification for Interview Items…………………………………………………… Table 4.1: The most common writing errors committed students at 6th grade………………… v TABLE CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP ............................................................................................... i ACKNOWLEDGMENT .............................................................................................................. ii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................ iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................................... iiv LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURE............................................................................................... v TABLE CONTENTS................................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION........................................................................................... 1 1.1. Background of the study .................................................................................................... 1 1.2. Statement of the problem ................................................................................................... 2 1.3. Objectives of the study and research questions ................................................................. 3 1.4. Significance of the study .................................................................................................... 4 1.5. Scope of the study .............................................................................................................. 4 1.6. Organization of the study ................................................................................................... 4 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................... 6 2.1. Theory of writing and paragraph writing .......................................................................... 6 2.1.1. Definition of writing .................................................................................................... 6 2.1.2. Genres of writing ......................................................................................................... 6 2.1.3. Paragraph writing ........................................................................................................ 7 2.1.4. Elements of an effective paragraph ............................................................................. 7 2.2. Teaching paragraph writing ............................................................................................. 10 2.3. Error analysis ................................................................................................................... 11 2.3.1. Defining errors .......................................................................................................... 11 2.3.2. Errors in Second Language Learning ........................................................................ 12 2.3.3. Definition of Error Analysis ...................................................................................... 13 2.3.4. Classification of Errors .............................................................................................. 14 2.3.5. The procedure of error analysis ................................................................................. 15 2.3.6. Sources of errors ........................................................................................................ 16 2.3.7. Common writing errors ............................................................................................. 19 2.4. Error Treatment ................................................................................................................ 20 2.4.1. Definition of Error Treatment ................................................................................... 20 2.4.2. Strategies of corrective feedback .............................................................................. 21 vi 2.5. Previous studies................................................................................................................ 23 2.5.1. Studies in international contexts................................................................................ 23 2.5.2. Studies in Vietnamese contexts ................................................................................. 25 2.6. Gaps in previous studies of the study............................................................................... 26 2.7. Chapter summary ............................................................................................................. 27 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY ................................................................................... 28 3.1. Research design................................................................................................................ 28 3.2. Participants ....................................................................................................................... 29 3.3. Research context .............................................................................................................. 29 3.4. Research instruments ....................................................................................................... 30 3.4.1. Document analysis .................................................................................................... 30 3.4.2. Semi-structured interview ......................................................................................... 30 3.5. Data collection procedure ................................................................................................ 32 3.6. Data analysis procedure ................................................................................................... 33 3.6.1. Analysis of students’ writings ................................................................................... 33 3.6.2. Semi-structured interview ......................................................................................... 35 3.7. Ethical considerations ...................................................................................................... 35 3.8. Chapter summary ............................................................................................................. 36 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ......................................................................... 37 4.1. Data analysis .................................................................................................................... 37 4.1.1. Results from the analysis of the students’ writings ................................................... 37 4.1.1.1. Plurality ................................................................................................................ 37 4.1.1.2. Article ................................................................................................................... 39 4.1.1.3. Spelling ................................................................................................................. 40 4.1.1.4. Punctuation ........................................................................................................... 41 4.1.1.5. Verb ...................................................................................................................... 42 4.1.1.6. Preposition ............................................................................................................ 43 4.1.1.7. Subject-Verb Agreement ..................................................................................... 44 4.1.1.8. Fragment ............................................................................................................... 45 4.1.2. Results from the interviews with teachers ................................................................. 46 4.1.2.1. The average time to teach writing ........................................................................ 47 4.1.2.2. Methods in teaching writing ................................................................................. 48 vi 4.1.2.3. Teachers' opinions on students' writing errors ..................................................... 49 4.1.2.4. Teachers opinions on possible sources of students'errors .................................... 50 4.1.2.5. Treatment of the students' writing errors .............................................................. 51 4.2. Discussion of the research results .................................................................................... 49 4.3. Chapter summary ............................................................................................................. 58 CHAPTER 5: IMPLICATIONS AND CONCLUSION ............................................................ 59 5.1. Summary of the study ...................................................................................................... 59 5.2. Implications for teachers and syllabus designers ............................................................. 59 5.2.1. Implications for teachers ............................................................................................. 59 5.2.2. Implications for syllabus designers ............................................................................. 61 5.3. Limitations of the study ................................................................................................... 61 5.4. Suggestions for further studies ......................................................................................... 62 5.5. Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 63 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 64 APPENDIX 1: INTERVIEW PROTOCOL FOR TEACHERS ................................................. 68 APPENDIX 2: A SAMPLE OF TEACHERS' INTERVIEWS .................................................. 70 APPENDIX 2: A SAMPLE OF TEACHERS' INTERVIEWS .................................................. 72 vi ix x 11 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION In the first chapter, the background, objectives, and significance of the study are described. As well, the statement of the problem is explained and two major research questions are presented. 1.1. Background of the study In Viet Nam, English is learnt as a foreign language. Foreign language is defined in the Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics (Richards & Schmidt, 2002) as a language that is not a native language in a country. A foreign language is usually studied either for communication with foreigners who speak the language or for reading printed materials in the language. Learning a different language is sometimes difficult since the target language has different elements compared to the native language. These differences sometimes cause the students to make errors while using it. Among the four English skills, writing seems to be the most complex, but it is a crucial skill for students to learn. Students who have the ability and competency in writing English will be able to express themselves effectively. Moreover, they will have more privilege when applying for jobs compared to other students especially in private sectors and companies doing international business. However, writing is a complex process which demands cognitive analysis and linguistic synthesis. It is even harder to learn to write in a foreign language, and it takes considerable time and effort. Errors in learners’ language performance including writing process have long become the subject of interest among teachers, linguists, and syllabus planners. Brown (1980) argues that making errors in learning a foreign language is unavoidable. Errors are natural for second or foreign learners of English language. The linguists particularly are finding reasonable explanations for the occurrence of errors and their implication towards the learning and teaching of a language. In line with those studies, 1 this study aims to explore common errors in the 6th-grade students’ paragraph writings and their teachers’ perspectives on the students’ errors and the way the teachers treat the errors at a junior secondary school in Nam Dinh City. 1.2. Statement of the problem Writing in English has been perceived as the most difficult skill among the four skills of English (Hengwichitkul, 2009; Watcharapunyawong& Usaha, 2013; Rattanadilok Na Phuket & Othman, 2015). Even a native speaker fails to write a good piece of writing (Kukurs, 2012). It is, consequently, a very hard task for EFL learners, and it is unavoidable for EFL learners to commit writing errors since they have a limited chance to write in English. A number of research studies, as a result, have been conducted both to find out the causes of writing problems and to help EFL learners overcome difficulties in their writing. For instance, some studies investigate the errors in learners’various types of writing, including sentences, paragraphs, essays, and abstracts, and categorize those errors, so they can be fully addressed (Huang, 2006; Hengwichitkul, 2006; Jenwitheesuk, 2009; Bumroongthai, 2011; Lui, 2013; Runkati, 2013; Zheng& Park, 2013; Rattanadilok Na Phuket & Othman, 2015). Other studies attempt to examine sources of errors since knowing the sources that lead to learners’ making of the errors is an effective way to help reduce errors (Penny, 2001; Bennui, 2008; Heydari&Bagheri, 2012; Watcharapunyawong& Usaha, 2013; Hinnon, 2014). It has been pointed out that errors made by learners are beneficial to teachers, learners, as well as researchers (Corder, 1967; James, 1998). For teachers, errors are evidence of learners’ progress in language learning. Teachers can refer to it in order to help improve learners’ writing skills. For learners, errors can be served as resources for their language learning. Lastly, errors provide evidence to researchers on how learners learn and acquire the language. 2 The analysis of errors in learners’ writing can be very helpful for their learning, Corder (1967), James (1998), Nonkokhetkong (2013), Hinnon (2014), and Rattanadilok Na Phuket and Othman (2015) assert that. Presada and Badea (2014), for example, analyzed the causes of errors made by students in their translation classes and asserted that this method could help them sort out the real problems and lessen the number of errors in their students’ work. Similarly, Zafar (2016) also states that error analysis is an effective tool to improve her business students’ writing ability after a two-month remedial writing course. In Vietnam, a number of studies have also been done on analyzing errors in writing such as Tran (2015), Nguyen (2011), and Pham & Pham (2015). However, most studies focus on students at high school or university. No research has been done by focusing on the errors of students studying at secondary schools (especially 6th-grade students in Nam Dinh City) while paragraph writing actually begins from the 6th grade. The lack of research on the common mistakes of 6th-grade students when writing an English paragraph and how teachers treat students’ errors sets a gap for researchers' current research. Therefore, aiming to contribute to bridge the gap, the present study is conducted to obtain an overview of errors made by the 6th-grade students and the teachers’ opinions on the students’ errors and their treatment of the errors. 1.3. Objectives of the study and research questions This study investigates the most common errors committed by the 6th-grade students while writing paragraphs in English and explore the teachers’ perspectives on their students’ writing errors and their treatment of the errors. The study aims to answer the following research questions: Q1. What are the most common writing errors made by the 6th Grade Students when writing English paragraphs? 3 Q2. What are the teachers’ opinions on the students’ writing errors and how do they treat the errors? 1.4. Significance of the study This study is significant in the sense that the results of the study on the common errors committed by the 6th- grade students and the teachers’ perspectives can help the teachers improve the effectiveness of their teaching at the local school. The results can also be used as references for teachers at other schools with similar educational contexts and researchers in the field in their search for ways to improve the quality of the teaching and learning of English at the school level in Vietnam. 1.5. Scope of the study The research was conducted at a junior secondary school in Nam Dinh City and focused on the most common errors made by 6th-grade students when writing paragraphs in English and their teacher's’ perspectives on the errors and their error treatment. In addition, the research centered on errors at word and sentence levels and not at paragraph level. 1.6. Organization of the study The thesis consisted of five chapters, namely Introduction, Literature Review, Research Methodology, Analysis and Findings; and Discussion, Implications, and Conclusion. Chapter I (Introduction) introduces the background to the study, the objectives, the research questions, the research questions, the significance, the scope and the organization of the study. Chapter II (Literature Review) deals with the concepts relevant to the research about general writing, paragraph writing and the process of writing and teaching writing. Moreover, the chapter discusses error analysis, sources of errors, error treatment as well as previous studies in the world and in Vietnam. 4 Chapter III (Methodology) presents information about research design, research context, participants, research instruments, data collection procedure, and data analysis procedure. Chapter IV (Analysis and Findings) analyzes the results obtained through the document analysis and semi-structured interviews. Chapter V (Discussion, Implications, and Conclusion) discusses the findings for two research questions and establishes the connection between the results of the current research and the previous literature. It also presents a summary of the study, reveals the limitations of the study and propose suggestions for future research and concludes the study. References and Appendixes are presented in the last pages of the study. 5 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter reviews theoretical issues related to the study such as general writing, paragraph writing, writing process, teaching writing, error analysis, sources of writing errors and error treatment. Previous studies on the research topic are also considered to identify the gap in the literature that this study contributes to the bridge. 2.1. Theory of writing and paragraph writing 2.1.1. Definition of writing There are a wide variety of definitions of writing by many scholars and researchers. According to Langan (2008), writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols which is known as a writing system. Byrne (1991) defines that writing is a sequence of sentences arranged in a particular order and link together in a certain way. He regards the priority of writing as a consequence of sentences order. Interestingly, Berthof (1981) defines writing is as an act of the mind which writers create meaning. It means that writing is the creating of meaning from one’s own intellectual and linguistic resources and activity, rather than the copying of someone’s text, or the use of prepared lists of words to create sentence or stories. . In this study, writing is defined as the way to express as well as represent the writer’s idea or knowledge in a textual medium by following the linguistic rules. 2.1.2. Genres of writing Traditionally, there are four popular kinds of writing namely expository writing, persuasive writing, narrative writing, descriptive writing. Each genre of writing is described in detail in the followings: First of all, expository writing, which is the most common types of writing skills, firmly concentrates on advising or explaining things. It often presents facts and figures about a particular topic or a subject and it is likewise to be in logical order and 6