make the correct form of simple past tense in writing narrative. They make errors because they do not master the grammar well, especially in simple past tense.
They also make errors because their way of thinking is still affected by their first language. For example:
- Tono goes to Bandung yesterday, it should be Tono went to Bandung
yesterday. -
The gardener cutted the grass yesterday, it should be the gardener cut the grass yesterday.
Most students commonly make error in their learning, but it is logically acceptable. The teacher should be aware of this problem and prevent students
from making some errors by analyzing the learners’ error itself. According to Corder in his book, “The major contribution of the error analysis to language
teaching was seen as an inventory of the areas of difficulty which the learner would encounter and the value of this inventory would be to direct the teachers
attention to these areas so that he might devote special care and emphasis in his teaching to the overcoming, or even avoiding, of these predicted difficulties.”
10
Therefore, an error analysis has an important role to solve the students’ problems in writing narrative, to know the causes of the errors and to know how
the students can learn from their mistakes in writing narrative. Thus, the students will not do the same error or make some errors repeatedly. Those are the reason
why the writer is interested in analyzing students’ narrative writing. In this case, the writer wants to find out the grammatical errors that were made by the first
grade of senior high school in their narrative writing. By knowing the students’ errors which are obtained from the test of their narrative writing focused on
simple past tense, the writer will know what kind of errors and its causes commonly made by the students.
Based on the reasons above, the writer is interested in analyzing the error
in writing focused on simple past tense, under the title: “An Error Analysis on
10
S. P. Corder, Error Analysis and Interlangauge, London: Oxford University Press, 1981, p. 5.
the Use of Simple Past Tense in Students’ Narrative Writing A Case Study at First Grade Students of SMA Dua Mei Ciputat”.
B. Research Focus and Research Formulation
To clarify this study, the writer has formulated the problems. This research is intended to answer these following question, namely:
1. What types of errors are made by the first grade students of SMA Dua Mei
Ciputat in using Simple Past Tense in writing narrative?
C. Objectives of the Study
The objective of the study is to analyze type of errors made by the first grade students of SMA Dua Mei Ciputat in using Simple Past Tense in writing
narrative.
D. Theoretical Significances Practical
The objective of the study is to find the students’ error in using simple past tense applied in narrative writing and to highly encourage the students to commit
less error in it. Hopefully, this research can give both students and teachers an
improvement in teaching and learning narrative writing and its components.
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
A. Error Analysis
Learning a target language is a process which involves errors. Errors for the learner are something common in learning, but for the teacher errors are
something that should be corrected. Learning a target language and making errors are inseparable. In the process of learning a target language, errors are inevitable.
However, it is not something horrible for committing error in learning a language, any language, is something normal. Even, the errors can be important to both
students and teachers. Errors cannot always be easily identified and analyzed; it is important to
know more about error analysis, and the explanation will be discussed in the following area:
1. Definition of Error Analysis
The definition of Error Analysis came from Carl James in his book, “Error analysis is the process of determining the incidence, nature, causes, and
consequences of unsuccessful language.”
1
Another opinion comes from Susan M. Gas and Larry Selinker, “error analysis is a type of linguistic that focuses on the
errors learners make in producing the target language and the target language form itself”.
2
Meanwhile, Douglas Brown defines error analysis as a study of learners’ error which is based on the fact that learners do make errors, and that
these errors can be observed, analyzed, and classified to reveal the system operating within the learners.
3
When the students write in English, most of them are potential in making errors. It is something unavoidable since it is a natural process of language
learning. Error is related to the students’ knowledge about the target language.
1
Carl James, Error in Language Learning and Use, New York: Longman, 1998, p. 1.
2
Susan M. Gass and Larry Selinker, Second Language aqusition, Ney York: Routledge, 2008, p. 102.
3
H. Douglas Brown, Principles of Language Learning and Teaching,4
th
Ed., New Jersey: Prentice Hall Regents, 1994, p. 218.
6
Douglas Brown said, “…an error is noticeable deviation from adult grammar of a native speaker reflecting the interlanguage competence of the learner”.
4
Someone who is learning a foreign language can indicate his or her level of proficiency in
learning foreign language by knowing his or her own errors. It means that Error Analysis was born because there were problems in
learning a new language. The researchers will find errors because the learners have learned unsuccessful language. It shows that error analysis is a study dealing
with language learners’ errors through the process of determining, analyzing and classifying the errors as the devices to know the system operating within the
learners.
2. Distinction between Error and Mistake
Error and mistake are two different things. Carl James mentioned that intention played a decisive role in the error and mistake definition. According to
him, error is unintentionally deviant and is not self-corrigible by its author. A mistake is either intentionally or unintentionally deviant and it is self-corrigible by
its author.
5
He adds that error cannot be self corrected by the learner until further relevant input that has been provided and converted into intake by the learners. In
other words, the learner needs to be provided the further relevant learning before they can correct themselves. Meanwhile, mistakes can be corrected by the learners
by simply pointing out to them.
6
On the other hand, Pit Corder has another definition of error and mistake as stated in Carl James’ book. He upholds the competence versus performance
distinction. According to him, mistakes are of no significance to the process of language learning since they ‘do not reflect a defect in our knowledge’ but are
traceable to performance failure, such as memory lapses, spelling pronunciations, tiredness, strong emotion, etc. The learner is normally aware of them immediately
and can correct them with more or less complete assurance. On the contrary,
4
Ibid., p. 217.
5
James, op. cit., p. 78.
6
Ibid., p. 83.
errors are everything that mistakes are not: they are significance; they do reflect knowledge; they are not self-correctable; and only learners of an L2 make them.
7
Based on the definition above, it can be said that error is systematic deviance which is made by the learner intentionally; it reflect his knowledge since
it is not caused by performance failure, and it cannot be self-corrected by the learner. Meanwhile, mistake is not systematic deviance which is made by the
learner either intentionally or unintentionally; it is caused by performance failure, such as fatigue, memory lapses, etc., and it can be self-corrected by the learner.
3. Procedures in Error Analysis
There are many kinds of procedures in error analysis. One of them was proposed by Gass and Selinker in their book “Second Language Acquisition” that
consists of six steps: a. Collect data. Although this is typically done with written data, oral
data can also serve as a base. b. Identify errors. What is the error e.g., incorrect sequence of tenses,
wrong verb form, singular verb form with plural subject? c. Classify errors. Is it an error of agreement? Is it an error of irregular
verbs? d. Quantify errors. How many errors of agreement occur? How many
irregular verb form errors occur? e. Analyze source. The researcher analyzes the source of errors based on
the findings. Why the students made errors? f.
Remediate. Based on the kind and frequency of an error type, pedagogical intervention is carried out.
8
Another concept given by Carl James, there are five steps in analyzing learners’ error; they are:
a. Error Detection.
Detecting errors means that we are aware of their presence. We can spot them.
7
Ibid., pp. 78—79.
8
Gass and Selinker, op. cit. 2008, p. 103.
