ERROR ANALYSIS AND CORRECTION IN TEACHING AND LEARNING COMPREHENSION

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

In learning a language, errors are something normal, because errors show progress. Usually, the students make errors when they learn grammar, speaking and comprehension. In this section, the writer will analyse students’ errors in reading comprehension. Errors in reading comprehension will produce misunderstanding in reading comprehension.

The students often make errors when they learn reading comprehension. Some errors are, they often make error interpretation in deciding main idea. They seem confused to determine main idea after they have read the text. Finally, they make error in deciding main idea. Even, they are afraid of determining the main idea, because they do not want their decision to be wrong. 

In addition, the students often make error in answering the questions. They often make errors when they answer the question about cause-effect of the events in the text. The important thing, the students often make errors in multiple choice and essay questions.

Other phenomena, just like the students are confused with verb changing that present in narrative text. They are confused to find meaning of verbs. They are only able to find meaning in verb one, such as verb that is used in descriptive and procedure text. The last, students are sometimes lazy to read the narrative text, and comprehend the content of text. Generally, narrative text has long story, unlike descriptive and procedure text that have short story. 

Concerning to the phenomena, the writer decides to find out the causes of errors in their reading comprehension. Error analysis is done by teachers to know students’ progress in a language learning. When teachers have found the students’ errors, they can give correction directly, so students can know their mistakes and can improve it as teachers’ correction. The teachers also can plan the appropriate strategies to overcome students’ error in reading comprehension.

Error is something normal that is made by students in learning second language or foreign language. Usually, students make error when they try to learn in producing language such as speaking, oral reading and so on. Another shortcoming in error analysis is an overemphasis on production data (Brown, 2007). Production data is easy enough to be analysed. But not only production data that can be analysed, comprehension can be analysed like production. But, for doing error analysis, we need struggle to do that. Brown stated that the comprehension of language is as important as production (2007). 

Error analysis is needed to be done, but the causes of the errors are also important to be analysed. Finding the causes of the errors will make easy to overcome students’ errors. Because causes are the source of students’ errors. While teaching reading, first the teacher should try to find out the causes of mistakes committed by the students and then try to correct them by eradicating the cause of mistake (Patel et, al., 2008). Overcoming the students’ errors is the teachers’ task. The teachers not only find the causes of the errors, but they must be able to remove the causes.

Usually, the teachers teach reading by giving material and task to the students. But it is not enough for students when they learn a foreign language, they need more attention from the teachers. The teachers can give more attention by doing error analysis and overcome it. So, the teachers will know what are the causes of students’ errors. 

The teachers must be able to analyse students’ error in reading comprehension. Teachers can analyses students’ error by giving them questions after they read the texts. Students’ answers are the tool to know how well they comprehend the text. If they answer the questions incorrectly, its mean they make comprehension error, or in other words, they have done misunderstanding in reading comprehension of the text. 

1.2 Statement of the Problem

There are some kinds of the problem that this study revealed. First, students cannot decide main idea from each paragraph. Second, they are confused with the changing of verb. They also can not conclude the story, and they cannot convey the message from the story of narrative text. Then, they cannot convey the gist of the story, finally they are only silent. In addition, they will understand the story if there is the title or picture, but they cannot tell the story fully. The last problem, usually narrative text has long story, and it is one of the students’ difficulty to understand the story from the text, or even they are lazy to try comprehending the text. Students do not understand verb changing that happen in narrative text. The effect of this problem, the students are difficult to understand the content of the text. Also, it can affect students’ ability in determining main idea, conveying the gist and making conclusion.

1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study 

The main aim of this study is to find out the error analysis and error correction in teaching and learning comprehension in secondary schools in Adamawa State. Specifically, the objectives ought to:

Explain the kinds of reading comprehension error. 

What are the causes of reading comprehension error. 

What are the  teacher’s strategies to overcome reading comprehension error of narrative text

1.4 Research Questions 

What are kinds of reading comprehension error. 

What are the causes of reading comprehension error? 

What are teacher’s strategies to overcome reading comprehension error of narrative text? 

1.5 Significance of the Study

The usefulness for teacher: The writer expects this research will give more knowledge about reading comprehension error and the strategies to overcome it. The usefulness for learners: the writer hopes this research can give more motivation to learn better in reading comprehension.

The usefulness for English Department: the writer also hopes this research will be useful for the students to develop knowledge from this research.

1.6 Scope of the Study

There are many senior secondary schools in Adamawa State. The scope of the study is limited to three (3) senior secondary schools in Yola North Local Government Area of Adamawa state which were randomly selected. The scope of the study is on the error analysis and error correction in teaching and learning comprehension in secondary schools in Adamawa State. The schools of study had to be selected for a proper and a good research work. 

1.7 Definition of Terms

Error: An error is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. In statistics, "error" refers to the difference between the value which has been computed and the correct value. An error could result in failure or in a deviation from the intended performance or behavior.

Error Analysis: In linguistics, according to J. Richard et al., an error is the use of a word, speech act or grammatical items in such a way it seems imperfect and significant of an incomplete learning.

Comprehension: comprehension is the ability to process text, understand its meaning, and to integrate with what the reader already knows.

Instructional Aids: This can be used interchangeably as instructional materials. They are aids used by the teacher in classroom to supplement the transmission of knowledge with a view to emphasizing clarification of instructions.

Performance: This relates to the execution carried out or putting into effect the task, job or operation.

Academic Performance: This refers to the level of grade or scores that a student obtains in class test or internal and external examination after due process of evaluation.

Reading: Is the process of receiving and interpreting information encoded in language form via the medium of print.

Writing: Writing is the process by which an author uses his mental ability to put words to paper as well as the result of that process.

Teacher: A professional trained to impart knowledge to pupils/students.

Secondary Schools: This refers to the formal academic programmes meant for children who have completed their primary school course and are between the age of eleven to seventeen years and above.