CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of Study
As a foreign language, learning English is necessary for the field of education, especially in the level of university as stated by Nishanti (2018). University students need to learn English in order to be able in having an effective communication in oral and written communication, searching for information and obtaining knowledge from English sources (Khader & Mohammad, 2010).
Moreover, according to Baker (2001) in English, there are four basic language abilities to learn, which are speaking, listening, reading and writing. Furthermore, Pratiwi (2012) stated that Indonesia university students have more attention in learning writing skill in English since it involves not just a representation of speech, but also the development of thought in a structured way and it often seems to be the hardest skill.
In writing English, students give more effort to make a good writing since they need to think about the content of writing and how the reader can understand it.
As stated by Harmer (2007) that writing requires more ‘thinking time’ than they
get when they attempt spontaneous conversation. Moreover, according to Lado (1964) in Pratiwi (2012), in academic writing, students are often expected to give definition of key words in order to demonstrate the terms used. This means in making academic writing, students need to think how the meaning of term used in their writing can be clearly understood, because when important words are not
Thus, for university students, writing is the important skill to learn well since university students will do their own writing at the end of their study. Thus, being able in making a good writing is compulsory. Therefore, in making a good writing, students may have some difficulties. Bryne (1988) divided the problem that make writing difficult into three categories; linguistics (grammar, vocabulary, language use, and choice of sentence); physiology (indirect interaction and feedback from reader, and written material or content of composition); and cognitive difficulties (formal instruction of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and paragraphing). Moreover, he added that linguistics aspects (grammar, vocabulary, language use, and the choice of sentence) in writing are the most monitoring part, especially in language use. Since for students’ of non-native country, linguistics aspect especially language use, in English it always becomes a problem and the most difficult part in writing, so it makes students have some mistakes or errors in delivering their ideas.
Although, it is a common thing that learners make mistake or commit errors while learning foreign language but if they keep making mistakes or committing errors, they can produce more error or incorrect language samples. As stated by Corder (1967) error is a problem that has to fix since if it happens continuously, it will make learners misunderstand about language learned. Moreover, Hewson (1972) states that imperfect control of language may cause or suggest imperfect knowledge. Meanwhile, Richard (2002) stated that in speaking or writing foreign language, an error is the linguistic items that can make learner know how to be fluent in learning language from fault made.
It can be said that when students make error in learning language, it can affect their understanding about the language learned and errors need to be fixed.
Moreover, student can learn from the errors made to avoid making the same error with the right rules by conducting error analysis. It is considered as a good way to describe and explain errors made by EFL learners by finding the sources of error and also the frequent of error occurred as stated by Alhaysony (2012). Error analysis also could help foreign language teacher to find the sources of the errors, if the errors sources are clearly understood, teacher could change their teaching method or technique so students can avoid the error.
The error analysis in this study is about error analysis in English grammar, especially in the use of English articles. The writer is interested in conducting error analysis in English article since English articles are part of grammar that are generally unstressed and unheard in oral communication but it becomes the focus on writing as stated by Pienemann (1998). He added that the abstractness of English articles concept becomes one of main problems of students’ errors.
Moreover, Master (2002) stated English articles are frequently unstressed or invisible and they are the most frequently used function words in English, which serves many functions e.g., definiteness, accountability and number. Then, added by Amingayo (2014), there are still some university students may not understand in using English articles in proper way.
For this study, the writer conducted error analysis of English article by using the subject analysis from one of private universities in Indonesia. In that university, the fifth-semester students of English Literature start to write scientific writing in
surrounding in the context of social, economic, and technology issue. Moreover, they are obliged to make a scientific paper of each issue before doing their presentation and their writing will give additional score for them. The writer was interested to know how those students used English articles in their presentation papers and what kind or English articles errors they made.
1.2 Research Questions
The writer formulates the problem as what are the types of English article errors frequently madein students’ academic writings?
1.3 Research Objectives
The objective of this research is to describe the types of English article errors frequently madein students’ academic writings.
1.4 Uses of Study 1.4.1 Theoretical Uses
Theoretically, this research is aimed to enrich knowledge in syntax field especially the use of English articles. It can be a good and worthy information for the further researcher who discusses the same topic and and hopefully can help the reader in understanding errors in using articles in writing.
1.4.2 Practical Uses
Practically, this research can give more information to grammar or writing lecturer in knowing students’ problem especially in using English article so it can
help lecturer to implement a good teaching technique to avoid students producing English articles error in writing and to understand the text from its language aspect.
1.5 Scope of Study
This research analyzes students’ presentation papers in academic conversation class of a private university in Bandar Lampung whose students start to write scientific writings. It focuses on the articles errors produced and it is viewed through Corder’s Error Analysis theory (1974).
