Elesp students errors in using english tenses.

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ABSTRACT

Rini, Yusta Dwi Novita. 2009. ELESP Students’ Errors in Using English Tenses. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Sanata Dharma University.

The students of the English Language Education Study Program are being prepared to be qualified teachers. As teacher candidates, they should be able to communicate well in English. Grammar provides rules to produce correct utterances. Therefore, as teacher candidates, it is important for them to be proficient in using grammar, especially the tenses. Measuring their ability in using tenses is important because in learning English, tense cannot be avoided. The study discussed two problems. They were (1) What are the errors that the students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta make in using tenses? (2) What is the mastery of tenses of the students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta?

There were ten tenses used in this study. They were simple present tense, present progressive tense, simple past tense, past progressive tense, present perfect tense, present perfect progressive tense, past perfect tense, past perfect progressive tense, simple future tense, and future progressive tense. To answer the first problem formulation, the errors made by the students were classified into three categories. They were context-related errors, form-related errors and other errors. Those three categories were then divided into sub categories based on the errors that the writer found in each tense. Context-related errors consisted of the students’ answers that deviated from the context or function in a given tense. Form-related errors consisted of the students’ answers that deviated from the form or pattern in a given tense. Other errors consisted of the students’ answers that did not belong to two previous categories because they deviated from the intended context and form. To answer the second problem formulation, the mean score of the test was calculated.The results of the research showed that the students’ mean score was 53 out of 100. The score was below the minimum standard of mastery which is 56% from the maximum score. Based on the scoring category, it was categorized into Insufficient (D).

The study was a survey research. To answer those questions, a test was used as the instrument to gather the data. The test was administered to three classes of the third semester students in the academic year of 2008/2009. They were chosen because they had learned the tenses at the first semester, in Structure 1.

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ABSTRAK

Rini, Yusta Dwi Novita. 2009. ELESP Students’ Errors in Using English Tenses_{. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Universitas} Sanata Dharma.

Mahasiswa Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris disiapkan untuk menjadi guru yang berkualitas. Sebagai calon guru mereka disiapkan untuk mampu berkomunikasi dalam bahasa Inggris dengan baik. Tata bahasa menyediakan aturan-aturan agar menghasilkan ucapan yang benar. Oleh karena itu, sebagai calon guru, penting bagi mereka untuk pandai dalam menggunakan tata bahasa, khususnya tenses. Mengukur kemampuan mereka dalam menggunakan tenses adalah penting karena dalam belajar bahasa Inggris, tense tidak bisa dihindari. Penelitian ini membahas dua permasalahan. Permasalahan tersebut adalah (1) Apa saja kesalahan yang dibuat oleh mahasiswa Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Universitas Sanata Dharma? (2) Bagaimana kemampuan mahasiswa Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Universitas Sanata Dharma?

Ada sepuluh tenses yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini, yaitu simple present tense, present progressive tense, simple past tense, past progressive tense, present perfect tense, present perfect progressive tense, past perfect tense, past perfect progressive tense, simple future tense, and future progressive tense. Untuk menjawab rumusan masalah pertama, kesalahan yang dibuat mahasiswa dikelompokkan menjadi tiga kategori. Kategori tersebut adalah kesalahan yang berkaitan dengan konteks, kesalahan yang berkaitan dengan bentuk, dan kesalahan lain-lain. Ketiga kategori tersebut kemudian dibagi menjadi sub kategori berdasarkan kesalahan yang penulis temukan pada setiap tenses. Kesalahan yang berkaitan dengan konteks terdiri dari jawaban mahasiswa yang menyimpang dari konteks atau fungsi dari tenses yang dimaksud. Kesalahan yang berkaitan dengan bentuk terdiri dari jawaban mahasiswa yang menyimpang dari bentuk atau pola dari tenses yang dimaksud. Kesalahan lain-lain terdiri dari jawaban mahasiswa yang tidak termasuk ke dalam dua kategori sebelumnya karena kesalahan tersebut menyimpang dari konteks atau bentuk yang dimaksud. Untuk menjawab rumusan masalah kedua, rerata nilai dari hasil tes dihitung. Hasil dari penelitian menunjukkan bahwa rerata nilai mahasiswa adalah 53 dari 100. Nilai tersebut berada di bawah standar minimum penguasaan, yaitu 56% dari nilai maksimum. Berdasarkan kategori penilaian, nilai tersebut dikategorikan sebagai tidak cukup (D).

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ELESP STUDENTS’ ERRORS IN USING ENGLISH TENSES

A THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

By

Yusta Dwi Novita Rini Student Number: 031214101

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA

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A Thesis on

ELESP STUDENTS’ ERRORS IN USING ENGLISH TENSES

By

Yusta Dwi Novita Rini Student Number: 03 1214 101

Approved by

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A

A TThheessiiss oonn

E

ELLEESSPP SSTTUUDDEENNTTSS’’ EERRRROORRSS IINN UUSSIINNGG EENNGGLLIISSHH TTEENNSSEESS

B Byy Y

YUUSSTTAA DDWWII NNOOVVIITTAA RRIINNII S

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STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY

I honestly declare that this thesis, which I have written, does not contain the work or parts of the work of other people, except those cited in the quotations and references, as a scientific paper should.

Yogyakarta, 25 July 2009

The Writer

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LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN

PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS

Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma:

Nama : Yusta Dwi Novita Rini

Nomor Mahasiswa : 03 1214 101

Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:

“ELESP STUDENTS’ ERRORS IN USING ENGLISH TENSES”

beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, me-ngalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di Internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.

Demikian pernyataan ini yang saya buat dengan sebenarnya. Dibuat di Yogyakarta

Pada tanggal : 22 Agustus 2009

Yang menyatakan

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ABSTRACT

Rini, Yusta Dwi Novita. 2009. ELESP Students’ Errors in Using English Tenses. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Sanata Dharma University.

The students of the English Language Education Study Program are being prepared to be qualified teachers. As teacher candidates, they should be able to communicate well in English. Grammar provides rules to produce correct utterances. Therefore, as teacher candidates, it is important for them to be proficient in using grammar, especially the tenses. Measuring their ability in using tenses is important because in learning English, tense cannot be avoided. The study discussed two problems. They were (1) What are the errors that the students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta make in using tenses? (2) What is the mastery of tenses of the students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta?

There were ten tenses used in this study. They were simple present tense, present progressive tense, simple past tense, past progressive tense, present perfect tense, present perfect progressive tense, past perfect tense, past perfect progressive tense, simple future tense, and future progressive tense. To answer the first problem formulation, the errors made by the students were classified into three categories. They were context-related errors, form-related errors and other errors. Those three categories were then divided into sub categories based on the errors that the writer found in each tense. Context-related errors consisted of the students’ answers that deviated from the context or function in a given tense. Form-related errors consisted of the students’ answers that deviated from the form or pattern in a given tense. Other errors consisted of the students’ answers that did not belong to two previous categories because they deviated from the intended context and form. To answer the second problem formulation, the mean score of the test was calculated.The results of the research showed that the students’ mean score was 53 out of 100. The score was below the minimum standard of mastery which is 56% from the maximum score. Based on the scoring category, it was categorized into Insufficient (D).

The study was a survey research. To answer those questions, a test was used as the instrument to gather the data. The test was administered to three classes of the third semester students in the academic year of 2008/2009. They were chosen because they had learned the tenses at the first semester, in Structure 1.

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ABSTRAK

Rini, Yusta Dwi Novita. 2009. ELESP Students’ Errors in Using English Tenses_{. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Universitas} Sanata Dharma.

Mahasiswa Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris disiapkan untuk menjadi guru yang berkualitas. Sebagai calon guru mereka disiapkan untuk mampu berkomunikasi dalam bahasa Inggris dengan baik. Tata bahasa menyediakan aturan-aturan agar menghasilkan ucapan yang benar. Oleh karena itu, sebagai calon guru, penting bagi mereka untuk pandai dalam menggunakan tata bahasa, khususnya tenses. Mengukur kemampuan mereka dalam menggunakan tenses adalah penting karena dalam belajar bahasa Inggris, tense tidak bisa dihindari. Penelitian ini membahas dua permasalahan. Permasalahan tersebut adalah (1) Apa saja kesalahan yang dibuat oleh mahasiswa Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Universitas Sanata Dharma? (2) Bagaimana kemampuan mahasiswa Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Universitas Sanata Dharma?

Ada sepuluh tenses yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini, yaitu simple present tense, present progressive tense, simple past tense, past progressive tense, present perfect tense, present perfect progressive tense, past perfect tense, past perfect progressive tense, simple future tense, and future progressive tense. Untuk menjawab rumusan masalah pertama, kesalahan yang dibuat mahasiswa dikelompokkan menjadi tiga kategori. Kategori tersebut adalah kesalahan yang berkaitan dengan konteks, kesalahan yang berkaitan dengan bentuk, dan kesalahan lain-lain. Ketiga kategori tersebut kemudian dibagi menjadi sub kategori berdasarkan kesalahan yang penulis temukan pada setiap tenses. Kesalahan yang berkaitan dengan konteks terdiri dari jawaban mahasiswa yang menyimpang dari konteks atau fungsi dari tenses yang dimaksud. Kesalahan yang berkaitan dengan bentuk terdiri dari jawaban mahasiswa yang menyimpang dari bentuk atau pola dari tenses yang dimaksud. Kesalahan lain-lain terdiri dari jawaban mahasiswa yang tidak termasuk ke dalam dua kategori sebelumnya karena kesalahan tersebut menyimpang dari konteks atau bentuk yang dimaksud. Untuk menjawab rumusan masalah kedua, rerata nilai dari hasil tes dihitung. Hasil dari penelitian menunjukkan bahwa rerata nilai mahasiswa adalah 53 dari 100. Nilai tersebut berada di bawah standar minimum penguasaan, yaitu 56% dari nilai maksimum. Berdasarkan kategori penilaian, nilai tersebut dikategorikan sebagai tidak cukup (D).

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

There is no biggest love except from Jesus Christ. I would like to express my greatest gratitude to Jesus Christ for everything that He has given me. With His love, wonderful blessing, loyalty, finally I could finish this thesis. I thank Mother Mary for accompanying me every single time.

My deepest gratitude goes to my sponsor, Made Frida Yulia, S.Pd., M.Pd., for her willingness to spend her time to read and check my thesis thoroughly. Her advice and suggestions are useful for me in writing this thesis. I also thank her for her patience and willingness to guide me during the consultation.

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Drs. J.B. Gunawan, M.A., and Yohana Veniranda, S.Pd., M.Hum., for the permission to administer the test in their classes. I would like to thank the third semester students who joined Structure classes in the academic year of 2008/2009 for their willingness to be the respondents of this research.

I also thank all lecturers of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University for guiding me and providing me with knowledge and experience during my study. I also thank Mbak Dhanniek and Mbak Tari for all their help during my study.

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prayers. My sincere gratitude goes to my beloved sisters, Dhita and Sari, Lulu and my big family for always encouraging me to finish my study.

My special thanks go to my best friends Eko, Ratih, Bamz, Dika, Tere, Ayu, Sevi, Siska, Ngoreyan Lor family for the beautiful, unforgettable moments, encouragement, and support. My special thanks also go to Grace, Linda Marbun, Ana, Mbak Nica, Mbak Indri, Irsa, 2003 PBI students, LINK (Datu, Utik, Anas, Nina, Wiwid, Linda), Mas Deddy, Tomo, Brojowikalpo 1 family (Mas Bebe, Mas Goez, and others) for their sharing, friendship, and support. I also express my big thanks to Sr. Margareth, Dono, Widya, Tika, Edu, Upi, Putri, Tuti for their willingness to help me in writing my thesis. I express my gratitude to my friends during consultation time: Gabo, Ratri, Mbak Ayuk, Anas, Danti, Toni, Nita, I thank them for their sharing.

I would also like to express my deepest gratitude to Stephanus Tri Ariwibowo, S.Pd. and Pandan family who always give me support, happiness, togetherness and prayers. My special thanks also go to Dr. Susento, M.S., Dra. Sri Prapti J., P4 staff, Dialogue staff, who have given me precious experiences, knowledge, support and prayers.

Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to everyone I could not mention here one by one, who has helped and supported me during the process of writing the thesis. May God bless them all.

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1) Context-Related Errors ... 81 a) Wrong Choice of Tenses... 81 2) Form-Related Errors ... 82 a) Wrong Order of Adverb still ... 82 b) Omission of be ... 83 c) The Use of be with Ordinary Verb ... 83 3) Other Errors in Future Progressive Tense ... 83 a) Subject and Verb Disagreement ... 83 b) Wrong Verb Form in Auxiliary has ... 84 c) Misuse of be going to ... 84 d) The Use of Passive in Active Sentence ... 85 e) Wrong Verb Form in Auxiliary will ... 85 2. The Students’ Mastery on Tenses ... 85

CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

A. Conclusions ... 87 B. Suggestions ... 89

1. Suggestions for the Students of the English Language

Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University .. 89 2. Suggestions for the Lecturers of the English Language

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LIST OF TABLES

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Page 2.1 The Summary of Formulation of the Simple Present Tense ... 14 2.2 The Summary of Formulation of Present Progressive Tense... 17 2.3 Non-Progressive Tense Verbs ... 18 2.4 The Summary of Formulation of Simple Past Tense ... 20 2.5 The Summary of Formulation of Past Progressive Tense ... 22 2.6 The Summary of Formulation of Present Perfect Tense ... 23 2.7 The Summary of Formulation

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LIST OF APPENDICES

Page

Appendix A: Surat Permohonan Ijin Penelitian ... 95 Appendix B: The Test ... 96 Appendix C: Key to the Test ... 100 Appendix D: The Sample of the Students’ Sheets ... 102 Appendix E: The Students’ Test Scores... 110 Appendix F: The Content and Distribution of the Test

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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

This chapter consists of six parts which present the introduction of the

study. It includes background of the study, problem formulation, problem

limitation, objectives of the study, benefits of the study, and definition of terms.

A. Background of the Study

English is widely used around the world. It is used for communicating and

interacting among nations because English is an international language.

Furthermore, in globalization era, people are demanded to be able to use English

in many aspects. Therefore, they need to learn English.

In learning English, the students learn the four basic skills namely listening,

speaking, reading, and writing. In addition to learning the four basic skills, the

students also learn the elements of language namely vocabulary, grammar, and

pronunciation. These elements of language give a contribution to the four basic

skills. The examples are vocabulary as in speaking, writing, reading and listening;

pronunciation as in speaking; and grammar as in writing and speaking. Having

good vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation helps people to communicate well.

Those four basic skills and three elements of language are important in building

the mastery of English.

Grammar is one of the important elements in building the mastery of a

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When the students want to convey information, grammar is one of the important things to be considered in order that the information can be understood well. It is supported by Nunan (1991: 153), he states that grammar is present to make us understand and possible to communicate beyond a rudimentary level. Using grammar, people are able to communicate appropriately, correctly, and meaningfully. Ur (1988), as cited in (Nunan, 1991: 154), also argues that the elements of a language, be they lexical, phonological or grammatical, are essential toward the ability to communicate in the language. It means that grammar is one of the elements that should be paid attention to in communication. Purpura (2004, ix) also argues that grammar is the rule of language, the heart of language use, which is used in speaking, listening, reading or writing.

There are a lot of aspects in grammar. One of them is tense. In learning grammar, English tense is important because in English, tense or time cannot be avoided. According to Nesfield as cited in Mas‟ud (2005: 18), “tense is a form of a verb that shows time of happening of an event or an action and it shows the level of perfection of an action at the time it happened.” According to Jackson (1982: 74), time is divided into past, present and future. In English, each tense indicates the time; therefore it is clear whether he spoke in the past, he speaks in the present or he will speak in the future.

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moreover for a language teacher, in this case an English teacher. S/he is expected to communicate well in English. To communicate well and correctly, it needs rules. Grammar provides rules to produce communicative and effective utterances. Therefore, as teacher candidates, it is important for them to be proficient in using grammar, especially the tenses. It is needed, for example in teaching learning processes, when the teacher explains the lesson in the past, present, or future time. Based on the writer‟s experience, the students of the English Language Education Study Program still have difficulties in mastering English tenses. Considering that English tenses are essential, measuring the students‟ ability on tenses is important. The study is conducted to find out the students‟ mastery of the tenses of ELESP students. This study is conducted to the third semester students of the English Language Education Study Program students in the academic year of 2008/2009. The third semester students are considered to have enough knowledge about tenses during the learning processes for one semester at the first semester in the English Language Education Study Program. In addition to finding out the students‟ mastery, the writer also tries to find out the students‟ errors on tenses. Since their errors are recognized in the early stage of the study program, the lecturer will be able to do remedial actions.

B. Problem Formulation

The questions of the research are formulated as follows.

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2. What is the mastery of tenses of the students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta?

C. Problem Limitation

The study aims to find out the ELESP students‟ errors and mastery in using tenses. The subjects of the study are the third semester students of the English Language Education Study Program in the academic year of 2008/2009. The reason why the writer chooses the third semester students is because they have enough knowledge about tenses during the learning processes at the first semester in the English Language Education Study Program.

In the study, the writer limits the discussion on the mastery of the ten tenses. It is based on the consideration of the syllabus used in the English Language Education Study Program. The ten tenses that are taught in the first semester are simple present tense, present progressive tense, simple past tense, past progressive tense, present perfect tense, present perfect progressive tense, past perfect tense, past perfect progressive tense, simple future tense, and future progressive tense. The study focuses on the use of each tense in relevance to its functions.

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each tense. However, forms or patterns of each tense are included in the error analysis.

D. Objectives of the Study

This research aims to answer the research questions formulated in the problem formulation. The objectives are as follows.

1. To find out the errors that the students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta make in using the tenses.

2. To find out the mastery of tenses of the students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta.

E. Benefits of the Study

The study is useful for the students of the English Language Education Study Program. They are expected to be able to improve their learning of English tenses. As teacher candidates, they are expected to master the grammar, in which tense is included. They are also expected to be aware of their errors so that they are able to remedy their errors. By realizing their weaknesses, they should not make mistakes anymore.

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used as feedback for the Structure class lecturers in the teaching learning processes, and thus hopefully be able to improve the teaching of English tenses.

The study also, hopefully, gives benefits to future researchers and readers. It is expected that the study gives sufficient information about the research on mastery of tenses, thus they can explore more. It is hoped that the study will help the future researchers and readers in understanding the tenses, especially the ten tenses. For future researcher, it is expected that they can develop the research by improving and modifying the test. They may find the significance of tenses in building the mastery of a language related to four basic skills; listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

F. Definition of Terms

To avoid misunderstanding, there are some terms that need to be explained. The terms that will be defined are mastery, tenses, and errors.

1. ELESP Students

ELESP stands for the English Language Education Study Program. The subject of this research is the third semester students of the English Language Education Study Program in the academic year of 2008/2009. The study is conducted at Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta.

2. Errors

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There are three categories of errors in the study. They are „context-related errors‟, „form-related errors‟ and „other errors‟. Those three categories are then divided into sub categories based on the errors that the writer found in each tense. Context-related errors consist of the students‟ answers that deviate from the context or function in a given tense. Form-related errors consist of the students‟ answers that deviate from the form or pattern in a given tense. Other errors consist of the students‟ answers that do not belong to two previous categories because they deviate from the intended context and form.

3. Tense

According to Jackson (1982: 74), “the grammatical category of tense is related to real-world time.” He divides time into past, present and future. According to Asher (1994: 4558), there are two important facets of tenses. First, from a formal point of view, tense is a grammatical category expressed overtly on the verb. Second, from a semantic point of view, tense serves to locate situations in time. The study focuses on ten tenses. They are simple present tense, present progressive tense, simple past tense, past progressive tense, present perfect tense, present perfect progressive tense, past perfect tense, past perfect progressive tense, simple future tense, and future progressive tense.

4. Mastery

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the structural devices or the basic arrangements of the utterances as a matter of

automatic habit.” A person is said to have mastered a language if within the

limitation of vocabulary that he has, he understands the sound system and

produces the understandable sound system, and moreover, he is able to produce

sentences. In the study, the writer wants to find out the students’ mastery of

tenses. It is related to the second requirement of mastery; that is, the mastery of

structural devices in which the students are expected to be able to recognize the

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CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter consists of two sections. First, the writer presents the

theoretical description. It includes the theory of errors, the mastery of a language,

and English tenses, which consists of ten tenses used in the study. They are simple

present tense, present progressive tense, simple past tense, past progressive tense,

present perfect tense, present perfect progressive tense, past perfect tense, past

perfect progressive tense, simple future tense, and future progressive tense.

Second, the writer presents the theoretical framework.

A. Theoretical Description

In the theoretical description, the writer discusses a brief review on errors,

the mastery of a language, and English tenses. There are ten tenses used in the

study. They are simple present tense, present progressive tense, simple past tense,

past progressive tense, present perfect tense, present perfect progressive tense,

past perfect tense, past perfect progressive tense, simple future tense, and future

progressive tense.

1. A Brief Review on Language Errors

a. Definition of Errors

According to Dulay, Burt, and Krashen (1982: 138), errors are “the flawed

side of learner speech or writing.” A learner makes error if he deviates from the

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avoided. A learner cannot learn a language without making errors. The errors are used as feedback in teaching-learning processes.

Dulay, Burt, and Krashen (1982: 138) serve two major purposes of studying learners‟ errors. First, it provides data about the nature of a language learning.

Second, it gives contribution to the teacher to know the difficulties of their students in learning a target language. It can be used as feedback in teaching learning. In the study, besides knowing the students‟ mastery, the writer also wants to know the errors that the students make in using tenses. Knowing the students‟ errors, a teacher can do a remedial action to corrret their errors. In the

study, the writer focuses on the errors the students make in using ten tenses. b. Mistakes and Errors

Sometimes people are difficult to differentiate between mistakes and errors. Those two terms are slightly different. It is important to differentiate both of the terms in order to make them clear. Chomsky (1965) as stated in Dulay et al. (1982: 139) distinguishes between errors caused by fatigue and inattention and errors resulting from lack of knowledge of the rules of the language. Errors caused by fatigue and inattention is called “performance factors”, while errors resulting from lack of knowledge of the rules of the language is called “competence”.

Corder (1967) as stated in Dulay et al. (1982: 139) says that “performance errors have been called „mistakes‟, while the term „errors‟ was reserved for the

systematic deviations due to the learner‟s still developing knowledge of the L2

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The writer does not differentiate both mistakes and errors because it is difficult to judge whether the students‟ answers are caused by performance factors or competence factors. In the study, the writer uses the term errors which refer to the students‟ answers which are deviate from the rules of tenses. The errors are

classified into some categories based on the errors that the writer found in each tense.

2. Mastery of a Language a. Definition

In this study, definition of mastery refers to Fries (1948: 3). Fries says that a person has learned a foreign language when he has thus first, within a limited vocabulary mastered the sound system, that is, when he can understand the stream of speech and can achieve an understandable production of it and has, second, made the structural devices or the basic arrangements of the utterances as a matter of automatic habit. A person is said to have mastered a language if within the limitation of vocabulary that he has, he understands the sound system and produces the understandable sound system, and moreover, he is able to produce sentences as his automatic habit. In relation to the study, one of the elements that should be mastered is grammar or structural devices. It is the basic arrangement of utterances.

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b. Criteria of Mastery

As it is written in Peraturan Akademik Universitas Sanata Dharma Yogyakarta (2002: 14), the minimum standard of mastery is 56 percent. The following is the list of score category which is used to classify the students‟

scores.

Score Category

80-100 very good (A)

70-79 good (B)

56-69 sufficient (C) 50-55 insufficient (D) ≤ 49 poor (E)

Based on the list above, if the students‟ scores are below the minimum standard of

mastery, it means that they still have difficulties and they have not mastered the ten tenses.

3. Tenses

There are ten tenses used in the study. They are simple present tense, present progressive tense, simple past tense, past progressive tense, present perfect tense, present perfect progressive tense, past perfect tense, past perfect progressive tense, simple future tense, and future progressive tense. Those tenses will be explained further in accordance to the form and function of the tenses.

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74), the grammatical category of tense is related to real-world time. Time is divided into past, present and future. According to Asher (1994: 4558), there are two important aspects of tenses. First, from a formal point of view, tense is a grammatical category expressed overtly on the verb. Second, from a semantic point of view, tense serves to locate situations in time. This study not only focuses on the form but also on the use of the tenses. According to Curme (1931: 354), there are four absolute tenses. They are present, past, perfect, and future, which express time from the moment in which speaker is speaking without reference to some other acts. Celce-Murcia (1999: 110) divides tense into four aspects. They are simple which is called zero aspect, perfect, progressive, and their combination, perfect progressive. Based on some definitions above, the tenses used in the study are based on the syllabus used by English Language Education Study Program. They are past, present, future which have the combination of four aspects. The study focuses on ten tenses which are presented as follows.

a. Simple Present Tense

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Statement (affirmative)

I

You work We

They

He

She works It

If the subject is the third person singular (e.g. he, she, it, John, the animal), the verb is added by a final –s (or –es)

Negative

I

We do not You (don‟t) They work

He does not She (doesn‟t) It work

Do not add final –s (or –es) to the main verb (e.g. work) in negative sentence

Questions

I

Do we work? you

they

he

Does she work? it

Do not add a final –s (or – es) to the main verb in a question.

Short answer

I

Yes, you do we

they

he

Yes, she does It

I

No, you don‟t we

they

he

No, she doesn‟t It

Figure 2.1: The Summary of Formulations of the Simple Present Tense

In the formulation of simple present tense, the –s /-es adding is used for the third person singular, such as he, she, and it. There are some rules in the spelling of verbs used for the third person singular. Azar (1992: 8) explains the rules as follows:

a) Final –s, is added to most verbs For example:

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b) Final –es is added in the verbs ending with –ch, -sh, -s, -x, or –z For example:

watch – watches

wash – washes

pass – passes fix – fixes

buzz - buzzes

c) Final –es is also added to do and go For example:

go – goes do – does

d) Many verbs end in –e. Final –s is simply added For example:

Hope-hopes Write-writes

e) If the word ends in a consonant –y. Change the –y to –i and add –es. For example:

study - studies fly - flies try – tries

f) If the word ends in a consonant –y and it is preceded by a vowel, simply add –s.

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say - says pay - pays buy – buys

According to Azar (1989: 11), simple present tense has several functions. First, it expresses general statements of facts. It means that simple present tense expresses something that was true in the past, is true in the present, and will be true in the future. It also refers to events, actions or situations which are true in present period of time and may continue indefinitely (Alexander, 1988: 163). Second, it is used to express habitual or every day activity. Third, certain common verbs are not used in progressive tense, with these verbs may indicate a situation that exists right now, at the moment of speaking. The examples are:

[1] It snows in Alaska. (Azar, 1989: 2) = It expresses a fact or general truth. [2] I watch television every day. (Azar, 1989: 2) = It expresses a habitual action. [3] I don‟t recognize that man. (Azar, 1989: 11) = simple present that may

indicate a situation that exists right now, at the moment of speaking.

b. Present Progressive Tense

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The forms of the present progressive tense according to Azar (1985: 4) are presented in Figure 2.2.

STATEMENT I am working

He

She is working It

You

We are working They

NEGATIVE I am not working He

She is not (isn‟t) It working

You

We are not (aren‟t) They working QUESTION Am I working?

he

Is she working? It

you

Are we working? they

SHORT ANSWER

Yes, I am No, I‟m not

he Yes, she is it he No, she isn‟t It

you Yes, we are It he

No, she aren‟t it

Figure 2.2: The Summary of Formulations of the Present Progressive Tense

In present progressive form, a sentence needs be as auxiliary verb. Present forms of Be are: am, is, are. They are followed by verb –ing.

The examples of present progressive tense are:

[4] I am not wearing a coat as it isn‟t cold. (Thomson and Martinet, 1986: 154)

[5] John is trying to improve his work habits. (Azar, 1989: 11)

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probably continue into the future. Second, it is often to express the activity of a general nature: something generally in progress this week, this month, this year. Sentence [5] may show a general nature activity. It may mean that trying to improve his work habit is a general activity he is engaged in at present, but it does not mean that it happens at the moment of speaking. Third, the adverbs such as always, forever and constantly are used with the present progressive to express annoyance or anger. Sentence [6] is the example of an action that expresses annoyance or anger.

There are some common verbs which are not used in the progressive tense (Azar, 1989: 13). Although they may be used for describing an action at the moment of speaking, simple present is used. Some common verbs which are not used in progressive tense are described in Figure 2.3.

Mental State

know imagine realize doubt

understand remember recognize forget believe want feel need suppose prefer think* mean

Emotional State

love fear dislike like envy care appreciate mind hate Possession possess own

have* belong

Sense Perceptions

taste* feel* smell* see* hear

Other Existing States

seem be* look* exist

appear* consist of cost contain owe include weigh*

The verbs with an asterisk are also commonly used as progressive verbs, with a difference in meaning.

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c. Simple Past Tense

Simple past tense is used for actions completed in the past at a definite time. It began and ended at a particular time in the past (Azar, 1989: 24). It is also used to express a past situation or habit that no longer exists at present. Form used to is used to express it. The examples of simple past tense are:

[7] I met him yesterday. [8] Pasteur died in 1895.

In sentences [7] and [8], the adverbs of time yesterday and in 1895 are clear. Those sentences show actions which began and ended at a particular time in the past.

[9] When did you meet him?

Sentence [9] asks the time when you met him. The meeting happened in the past. [10] The train was ten minutes late.

[11] I bought this car in Montreal.

Sentences [10] and [11] show actions happened in the past although there is no specific time mentioned in the verb bought and was.

[12] Where have you been? ~ I've been to the opera. ~ Did you enjoy it? Sometimes simple past tense is used as a result of a question and answer in the present perfect. Sentence [12] is the example of it.

[13] I used to live with my parents. Now, I live in my own apartment.

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The forms of the simple past are described in Figure 2.4.

STATEMENT I You He

She worked yesterday It We They QUESTION I you he

Did she work yesterday it we they NEGATIVE I You He

She did not (didn’t) work yesterday It We They SHORT ANSWER

I I you you he he

Yes, she did No, she didn’t It It

we we they they

Figure 2.4: The Summary of Formulations of the Simple Past Tense

Past time also can be expressed using time clause:

[14] When I was in Chicago, I visited the art museum. (Azar, 1984: 29) time clause main clause

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when

after + subject and verb = a time clause before

while

d. Past Progressive Tense

According to Azar (1989: 24), past progressive tense has some functions. The past progressive expresses an activity that was in progress, was occurring, was happening at a particular time in the past. It is also used to express two actions that occured at the same time, but one action began earlier and was in progress when the other action occurred. Sometimes, it is used in both parts of a sentence when two actions are in progress simultaneously.

For examples:

[15] I sat down at the dinner table at 6:00 p.m. yesterday. My friend came to my house at 6:10 p.m. I was eating dinner when my friend came.

Sentence [15] shows an action that eating was in progress at 6:10 p.m when my friend came.

[16] While I was studying in one room of our apartment, my roommate was having a party in the other room. (Azar, 1989: 24)

Sentence [16] shows two actions which both parts of clauses were in progress. It happened simultaneously.

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STATEMENT

I

He was working when the phone rang. She

It

You

We were working They when the phone rang.

NEGATIVE

I

He was not(wasn’t) working when the She phone rang

It

You

We were not working They when the phone

rang

QUESTION

I

Was he working when the phone rang? she

It

You

Were We working They when the phone rang?

SHORT ANSWER

I Yes, he was.

she it I

No, he wasn’t. she

it

you

Yes, we were. they

you

No, we weren’t. they

Figure 2.5: The Summary of Formulations of the Past Progressive Tense

Past progressive form needs past form of be. They are was, were. They are followed by verb –ing.

e. Present Perfect Tense

The present perfect expresses the idea that something happened or never happened before now, at an unspecified time in the past. The exact time it happened is not important (Azar, 1989: 29).

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STATEMENT

(a) I have finished my work. (b) Jim has eaten lunch.

The basic form of the present perfect:

Have/Has+Past Participle

NEGATIVE

(a) I have not (haven’t) finished my work.

(b) Jim has not (hasn’t) eaten lunch.

Have + not = haven‟t Has + not = hasn‟t

QUESTION

(Question word) + helping verb + Subject + Main Verb

have you finished your work? How long has Jim eaten lunch? have you lived here? A: Have you seen that movie?

B: Yes, I have. OR No, I haven’t. A: Has Jim eaten lunch?

B: Yes, he has. OR No, he hasn’t.

The helping verb (have or has) is used in the short answer to a yes/no question.

Figure 2.6: The Summary of Formulations of the Present Perfect Tense

The examples of Present Perfect sentences are as follows. [17] They have moved into a new apartment.

[18] Have you ever visited Mexico? [19] I have never seen snow.

Present Perfect Tense also expresses the repetition of an activity before now. The exact time is also not important.

[20] We have had four tests so far this semester. [21] I have flown on an airplane many times.

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may also introduce a time clause, a subject and verb may follow since. The present perfect is used in the main clause; the simple past is used in the since clause. For is used for duration of time. For is followed by the mention of a length of time: two minutes, three hours, four days, five weeks, and others. The use of present perfect in a sentence with for + a length of time means that the action began in the past and continues to the present. For examples:

[23] I have been heresince seven o‟clock. [24] We have been here for two weeks.

f. Present Perfect Progressive Tense

The tense is used to indicate the duration of an activity that began in the past and continues to the present. When it has this meaning, it is used with time words such as for, since, all morning, all day, all week.

The forms of the present perfect progressive tense are as follows. HAVE/HAS + BEEN + -ING

I have been living here since January. Bob has been studying for two hours.

Form of the present perfect progressive:

Have/has + been + -ing How long have you been living here?

How long has Bob been studying?

Question form:

Have/has + subject + been + -ing

Figure 2.7: The Summary of Formulations of the Present Perfect Progressive Tense

[25] I have been sittinghere since seven o‟clock. [26] I have been sitting here for two hours.

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When the tense is used without any specific mention of time, it expresses a general activity in progress recently, lately. For examples:

[28] I have been thinking about changing my major.

[29] All of the students have been studying hard. Final exams start next week. With certain verbs for example live, work, teach, there is little or no difference in meaning between the two tenses (present perfect and present perfect progressive) when since or for is used.

[30] He has worked at the same store for ten years. [31] He has been working at the same store for ten years.

Both sentence [30] and sentence [31] have no difference. They have essentially the same meaning.

g. Past Perfect Tense

This tense is used to express an activity that was completed before another activity or time in the past. The forms of the past perfect tense are as follows.

AFFIRMATIVE CONTRACTIONS NEGATIVE Form of the past perfect tense:

Had + past

participle I

You He

She had eaten. It

We They

I + had = I‟d You + had = you‟d He + had = he‟d She + had = she‟d It + had = It‟d We + had = we‟d They + had = they‟d

Had + not=hadn’t I hadn’t eaten.

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The examples of past perfect tense are sentences [32] and [33]. [32] My parents had already eaten by the time I got home. [33] Until yesterday, I had never heard about it.

These two sentences show activities that were completed before other activities in the past.

h. Past Perfect Progressive Tense

The past perfect progressive emphasizes the duration of an activity that was in progress before another activity or time in the past. The basic form of the past perfect progressive tense is as follows.

The tense may also express an activity in progress recent to another time or activity in the past. The examples of past perfect progressive tense are as follows. [34] He finally came at six o‟clock. I had been waiting for him since four-thirty. [35] Her eyes were red because she had been crying.

i. Simple Future Tense

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STATEMENT I You He

She will work It tomorrow. We They QUESTION I You He

Will She work It tomorrow? We They NEGATIVE I You He

She will not (won’t) It work tomorrow. We They SHORT ANSWER I You He

Yes She will. It We They I You He

No She won’t. It

We They

Figure 2.9: The Summary of Formulations of the Simple Future Tense

There are two forms, will and be going to. Will and be going to are used to express future time. The differences between will and be going to are:

1) To express a prediction, either will or be going to is used: [36] According to the weather report, it will be cloudy tomorrow. [37] According to the weather report, it is going to be cloudy tomorrow.

There is no difference in meaning between [36] and [37]. It shows prediction that is a statement about something s/he thinks will be true or will occur in the future, either will or be going to is possible.

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[38] I talked to Bob yesterday. He is tired of taking the bus to work. He is going tobuy a car. That‟s what he told me.

In sentence [38] the speaker intends to do an action in the future because in the past s/he has made a plan or decision to do it. Only be going to is used. The speaker knows Bob‟s intention to buy a car. Bob made the decision in the past and

he intends to act on this decision in the future. 3) To express willingness, only will is used: [39] A: The phone is ringing

B: I will get it.

The conversation shows willingness. “I am willing, I am happy to get the phone.”

He has made no prior plan. He is not making a prediction. He is willing to answer the phone.

a) The Present Progressive and the Simple Present Tense to Express Future Time 1) Present Progressive Tense

[40] Sam has already made his plans. He is leaving at noon tomorrow.

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Sometimes it is used when the speaker wants to make a very strong statement about a future activity

2) Simple Present

[41]The museum opens at ten tomorrow morning.

The simple present can be used to express future time in sentences that concern events that are on a definite schedule or timetable. Only a few words are used in this way such as open, close, begin, end, start, finish, arrive, leave, come, return.

j. Future Progressive Tense

The future progressive expresses an activity that will be in progress at a time in the future.

[42] I will begin to study at seven. You will come at eight. I will be studying when you come.

The form of future progressive tense is S + will/shall + be + the -ing form while the progressive form of be going to is be going to + be + -ing. Sometimes there is little or no difference between the future progressive and the simple future, especially when the future event will occur at an indefinite time in the future as in the following examples:

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B. Theoretical Framework

In globalization era people are demanded to be able to use English in many aspects. Therefore, they need to learn English. In learning English, the students learn the four basic skills namely listening, speaking, reading, and writing. In addition to learning the four basic skills, the students also learn vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. Those are the elements of language. One of the important things needs to be mastered is grammar because it provides rules. There are many aspects in grammar. One of them is tense. It is needed to master tenses when studying English because in learning English, time or tense cannot be avoided.

The study focuses on ten tenses. They are simple present tense, present progressive tense, simple past tense, past progressive tense, present perfect tense, present perfect progressive tense, past perfect tense, past perfect progressive tense, simple future tense, and future progressive tense. The writer conducts the study on the ten tenses because they are taught at the first semester in the English Language Education Study Program. The study also puts emphasis on the use of functions of each tense. Hence, the students not only know the forms of each tense but also the functions and meaning of each tense.

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The writer categorizes the errors into three categories. They are context-related errors, form-context-related errors and other errors. Those three categories are then divided into sub categories based on the errors that the writer found in each tense. The categorizations are based on the errors that the writer found from the students‟ answers. Then, the writer relates them to the theory of tenses. Context-related errors consist of the students‟ answers that deviate from the context or

function in a given tense. Form-related errors consist of the students‟ answers that deviate from the form or pattern in a given tense. Other errors consist of the students‟ answers that do not belong to two previous categories because they deviate from the intended context and form.

To measure their mastery, the writer administers a test. The test is a production test because the study focused on the use of tenses. The test is administered to the students in written form. They are asked to fill in the blanks using the correct verbs form based on the context of each sentence. The students‟

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CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter discusses the methodology used in the study. It consists of six parts. The methodology includes research method, research participants, research

instrument, data gathering technique, data analysis technique, and research procedures.

A. Research Method

There were two problems to be solved as mentioned in chapter one. First, the research was aimed to find out the errors that the students of the English

Language Education Study Program made in using the tenses. Second, the research was conducted to find out the mastery of the tenses of the students of the

English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta.

The study was a survey research. According to Ary, Jacobs, and Razavieh (2002: 374), survey is “a research technique in which data are gathered by asking

questions of a group of individuals called respondents.” In the study, the writer

used a test to gather the data. The test was administered to the third semester students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma

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B. Research Participants

The subjects of the study were ELESP students. ELESP stands for the English Language Education Study Program. The writer chose the third semester students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta in the academic year of 2008/2009. The reason why the writer chose them as the participants was because they had learned tenses. They were considered to have enough knowledge on the tenses during the first year studying on tenses in the English Language Education Study Program. Since their weaknesses were found at the beginning, it would be easier for the lecturers to do a remedial action. The writer would also like to measure how much the knowledge that they had during the learning processes in the English Language Education Study Program.

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C. Research Instrument

In the study, the writer used a test to find out the errors made by the students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta in using the tenses. It also tried to find out the mastery of the tenses of the students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta. According to Ary et al. (1990: 227), “a test is a set of stimuli presented to an individual in order to elicit responses on the basis of which a numerical score can be assigned.” Based on the quotation above, from a test, an individual’s responses can be obtained, scored and become an indicator of what being measured.

The writer constructed a test related to the mastery of the tenses to collect the data. The test was a completion test. The students were asked to supply an appropriate form of the verbs in the parentheses. The aim of the test was to find out their errors that they made in using tenses and to find out their mastery of the tenses. The test was needed to provide information about the achievement of the students.

Two important requirements for the test were validity and reliability. To achieve a valid and reliable result of the research, the test had to fulfill certain criteria as a good research instrument. The validity and reliability of the test are very important to provide a valid and reliable instrument of the research.

1. Validity

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case, the writer provided a test to measure the mastery of the tenses of the third semester students. Therefore, the writer must provide an instrument to measure the mastery of the tenses of the first semester students. Hughes (1989: 22) proposes four types of validity. They are content validity, criterion-related validity, construct validity, and face validity. In this section, the writers discussed face validity, content validity, and construct validity.

a. Face Validity

Hughes (1989: 27) says, "A test is said to be have face validity if it looks as if it measures what it is supposed to measure." The test should look right to the testees, testers, and other observers. Mousavi (2002) as stated in Brown (2004: 26) says that face validity is related to the degree to which a test looks right, and it measures the knowledge or ability which is intended to measure. It is subjective judgment based on someone who will take and use it. In order that the test looks right to others, the writer consulted the test to the lecturers before administering it. The writer also asked other people to examine the test; therefore the face validity of the test could be fulfilled.

b. Content Validity

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The details of content and the distribution of the test are presented in the appendix F.

c. Construct Validity

“A test is said to have the construct validity if it can demonstrate that it measures just the ability, which is supposed to measure” (Hughes, 1989: 26). The writer wanted to know the mastery of the tenses among the students. It meant that the test must measure the students’ ability. In the test, the students were asked to supply an appropriate form of the verbs in parentheses. The students were demanded to know the context or the use of each tense. Therefore, the students recognized not only the pattern or form of the tenses but also the functions of each tense. Since the test measured the ability of the students in using tenses, the test could be said fulfill construct validity.

2. Reliability

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method, the other way is Kuder-Richardson Procedures. It is used to determine homogeneity. The best known index of homogeneity is the Kuder-Richardson formula 20 (Ary et al., 2002: 258). It is based on the proportion of correct and incorrect responses to each of the item on a test. The writer uses the Kuder- Richardson formula 20 because the item responses are scored right or wrong. The formula is:

rxx= 2

2

1 _x

pq x

s s

K K

rxx = realibility of the whole test K = number of items on the test

2 x

s = variance of scores on total test (squared standard deviation) p = proportion of correct responses on a single item

q = proportion of incorrect responses on the same item

Best (1983: 255), in his book entitled Research in Education, classifies the value of reliability coefficient. The classification is presented in Table 3.1.

Table 3.1: The Classification of Reliability Coefficient

Coefficient (r) Relationship

0.00 to 0.20 Negligible

0.20 to 0.40 Low

0.40 to 0.60 Moderate

0.60 to 0.80 Substantial

0.80 to 1.00 High to very high

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that the reliability coefficient was 0.81. Based on the classification, the results indicate that the test had high reliability.

D. Data Gathering Technique

The writer administered the test to collect the data. Before administering it, the writer administered a pilot test. It was administered to find the weaknesses of t