Background of the Study

3. What were causes made by the students of MTs Al-Islamiyah in using degress of comparison?

D. Objectives of the Study and Significance of the Study

1. Objectives of the Study

The objectives of the study were: 1. To know what error types were made by the students of MTs Al-Islamiyah in using degrees of comparison. 2. To know the percentages of grammatical errors made by the students of MTs Al-Islamiyah in using degress of comparison. 3. To know causes of errors made by students of MTs Al-Islamiyah in using degrees of comparison.

2. Significance of the Study

This research will give useful information for students at Junior High School, Senior High School and University, they will know some common errors made by the students in using degrees of comparison, and they will learn more about it. For English teachers, by knowing some common errors that are faced by the students in using degrees of comparison, they will find out a better strategy to teach it in order that the students can solve their errors. This research also can be used as a reference for other researchers who are interested in doing a further linguistic research which relates to degrees of comparison. 5

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

A. Error Analysis

Learning a foreign language cannot be separated from conducting the errors. Error is a natural process that often happens when the students learn a new language because language learning is actually a process of trials and errors. In English learning process; first, the students commit some errors, and then they can learn from their own errors . In language learning process, the learners receive input from the teacher. However, not all inputs that are given can be received because there are some factors that influence the learner’s condition in receiving input such as motivation and anxiety. If the students have low motivation, they will not receive all inputs that the teacher gives. Beside that, the students’ condition is anxiety. They cannot involve themselves in language learning process well. 1 Therefore, low motivation and anxiety will cause the errors occur. According to theory of language learning, psycholinguistic and cognitive process involve in language learning process. Errors in language learning are not only caused by learner’s condition, but also the type of input itself. According to Corder too that ―It might be supposed that they have some knowledge of what the input has been, since this is largely within the control of the teacher. ‖ 2 In this case, input is syllabus that the teacher should control and make easy to undertand for students’ thinking. However, if learner’s condition is not good or input that is given is not interesting, errors will occur.

1. The Definition of Error

According Corder, He argued that ―Errors are when the students get examination it becomes clear that these obvious differences imply nothing about the processes that take place in the learning the first and second 1 S. Pit Corder, Error Analysis and Interlanguage, New York:Oxford University Press,1981, pp. 6 —10. 2 Ibid, p. 8. language. ‖ 3 It actually helps the teacher to know how far towards the goal the learner has progressed and what remains for him to learn of a second language. By knowing some errors which are made by students, the teacher will know whether his teaching is success or not. In addition, Erdogen also said that ―Errors are the use of linguistic item in a way that a fluent or native speaker of the language regards it as showing faulty or incomplete learning. ‖ 4 It occurs because the learner doesn’t know what is correct, and thus it cannot be self-corrected. Error can show what the learner has learnt whether they understand material that teacher gives or not. Meanwhile, Dulay also stated that ―errors are the flawed side of learner speech or writing. They are those parts of conversation or composition that deviate from some selected norm of mature language performance. ‖ 5 In this case, they learn English as foreign language, and it is natural phenomenon if they commit error. Based on behaviorist thinking, language is a new set of habit formation, so they still bring L1 In learning new language. Besides that, there is a negative transfer that causes error. Learners bring or apply language rule in L1 to L2 meanwhile they have different language rule. It becomes problem in their language learning process because L1 still influences them in using some rules in L2. Actually, Errors can be useful for the teacher and syllabus designer. According to Corder that ― the next step would be to determine whether the students-generated sequence, it is called built- in syllabus.‖ 6 Errors tell the teacher how far towards the goal the learner has progressed and what remains for him to learn. Errors also are significant data as they show what items are important to be included or which items needs to be recycled in the syllabus. From the explanations above, errors cannot be avoided in language learning because it is natural when students learn a new language because learning is process where they make errors first to improve their ability. Although errors are bad, errors can bring some benefits for some aspects. For 3 Ibid, p. 6. 4 Vacide Erdogan, Contribution of Error Analysis to Foreign Language Teaching, Journal of the faculty of Education 1st New York:2005, pp. 261 —270. 5 Heidi Dulay, et all., Language two, New York:Oxford University Press,1982, p. 138. 6 Corder, op.cit, p. 9.