COMMON ENGLISH GRAMMATICAL WRITING ERRORS AMONG NAMIBIAN GRADE 7 LEARNERS by Hannah-Monica Emvula BETD (UNAM), ACE (NWU), Hons Ed (Stellenbosch) Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Education in the School of Social Sciences and Language Education Faculty of Education Supervisor Dr S.A. Ntsala Co-supervisor Dr M. Muller UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE 2020 i Declaration I, Hanna Monica Emvula (student number 2017345832) declare that the thesis, Common English grammatical writing errors among Namibian Grade 7 learners submitted for the qualification of Masters in Education at the University of the Free State is my own independent work. All the references that I have used have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. I further declare that this work has not previously been submitted by me at another university or faculty for the purpose of obtaining a qualification. …………………………………………. H. M. EMVULA (Ms) SIGNED DATE: ………… ii Ethics Statement iii Language Editing RE: CONFIRMATION CERTIFICATE FOR PROOF READING AND EDITING This letter serves as proof that a Thesis titled COMMON ENGLISH GRAMMATICAL WRITING ERRORS AMONG NAMIBIAN GRADE 7 LEARNERS By Hannah-Monica Emvula In the School of Social Sciences and Language Education Faculty of Education (UFS) was proof read (past tense) and edited according to international set standards of written English. Mistakes were identified and corrected; comments were noted for further clarity of meaning. Yours in Education Earle Sinvula Mudabeti Lecturer of English (Unam) Head of Department: Language Centre (Communication and Study Skills in English) Consultant in ELPP National Project, Consultant in Minute Taking and Public Presentation Consultant in Proof Reading and Editing of Master’s Thesis and Doctoral Dissertations (B. ED in English) Namibia, Unam, M.A (Applied Linguistics) Virginia, U.S.A. Old Dominion University Email: [email protected] Contacts: +264 81 281 2001 i Abstract The writing component for English Second Language (ESL) learners is a challenge in most Namibian schools. Learning the complexity of the English grammar through writing remains a challenge for many learners in schools especially with regards to the case of the English Second Language learners. This study examined common grammatical writing errors in a corpus of 300 essays written by Namibian Grade 7 learners. The 300 learners’ essay scripts were collected from three different schools in the Walvis Bay circuit, Erongo Region, Namibia. The participants for this study came from a non-English speaking background. The study used a mixed-method approach and a sequential explanatory model. Quantitative data was collected and analysed using The Error Analysis Theory (EA) to identify the common grammatical writing errors that are made by learners in their essay scripts (Corder, 1967). Quantitative findings indicated that Grade 7 learners made numerous grammatical errors in seven different error categories: tenses, articles, prepositions, singular/plurals, subject-verb agreement and word choice. The qualitative sample comprised of five Grade 7 ESL teachers from three targeted schools. The qualitative data was collected through face to face semi-interviews with ESL teachers to explore the teachers’ views on grammar teaching, the causes of errors and ways to minimise the learners’ grammatical writing errors. The possible causes of errors were attributed to first language (mother-tongue) interference, intralingual errors, lack of knowledge about the grammatical rules and overgeneralisation. The ESL teachers used different approaches, namely, inductive, deductive and teaching grammar in context to present grammar instructions. Error correction, corrective feedback and more practice writing on grammar exercises were used to minimise errors and enhance the learners’ writing skills. The study sheds light on how the Namibian learners internalise English grammar rules. Furthermore, the study has theoretical, pedagogical and practical implications for curriculum designers, study material compilers and providers as well as for the teachers of English. Keywords: Error Analysis, English Second Language, grammatical errors, interlingual, intralingual, mother-tongue interference. ii Dedication I dedicate this work to my family members, mother, father, my daughter (Daylight) and my sister Selma Emvula for all their support, love and for creating conditions which made the study possible. iii Acknowledgements First and foremost, I wish to express my deep sense of appreciation to the Almighty, without whose leading, I would never have journeyed on. Secondly, sincere gratitude goes to my principal, friends and colleagues who in their roles as teachers and administrators provided encouragement and guidance to make this research come to fruition. I am also thankful to my supervisors, Dr Ntsala and Dr Muller, who provided encouragement and guidance when they read my research proposal, which made this project come to fruition. Finally, I am thankful to my family who were supportive during the time of this study. iv Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................ ii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ v List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ viii List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ ix List of Acronyms ............................................................................................................................. x CHAPTER 1 OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY ................................................................................ 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY ..................................................................................... 1 1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM .................................................................................... 4 1.4 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY ....................................................................... 5 1.5 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ........................................................................................ 6 1.6 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY ................................................................ 7 1.6.1 Sampling .................................................................................................................. 8 1.6.2 Data collection methods .......................................................................................... 9 1.6.3 Data analysis .......................................................................................................... 10 1.7 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY ................................................................................... 11 1.8 DELINEATING THE STUDY .......................................................................................... 11 1.11 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................. 12 CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ......................................................................... 13 2.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 13 2.2 WHAT IS GRAMMAR .................................................................................................. 13 2.2.2 The importance of grammar teaching in Second Language Teaching .......................... 15 2.2.3 Different approaches to ESL grammar teaching and improving writing skills ............. 16 2.4 THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ............................................................................. 25 2.4.1 Error Analysis Approach (EA) .............................................................................. 25 2.4.3 Errors versus Mistakes .......................................................................................... 28 2.4.4 Error Analysis and language pedagogy ................................................................. 30 2.5 STUDIES ON ERROR ANALYSIS .................................................................................. 31 2.6 THE GUIDELINES ON THE EMPIRICAL PROCESS ................................................... 34 2.6.1 Collection of a sample of learner’s language ........................................................ 34 2.6.2 Identification of the errors ..................................................................................... 35 2.6.3 Description of Errors ............................................................................................. 36 2.6.4 Explaining the errors ............................................................................................. 36 2.6.5 Evaluate the errors / correcting the errors ............................................................. 37 2.7 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................. 37 CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN ................................................... 39 3.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................