Analysis of the Written English Essay of Grade Six Pupils of Rosario West Central School: Basis for Intervention

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

In English language acquisition, it seems that writing is often the last skill to emerge. Reading probably is more difficult because students need to sound out words and understand the author's message. On the other hand, writing might be easier because it is simply sharing one's idea that is already in their heads and putting them on paper. Some pupils were able to produce a good essay as seen from the content and mechanics, but still, others need a lot of corrections in terms of language and structure. Since producing a well-written output is not an easy task, many grammatical errors are made. Very often, learners are not aware of the errors they commit. This makes error analysis very important in the instruction. This process of error analysis will then be the basis for the teacher to develop intervention programs, innovations, and strategies to help pupils improve their writing abilities.

METHODS

The descriptive-quantitative method was employed by the researcher. Data analysis of written essays derived from Corder was used. The conduct of the research started with the development of an expository essay on a specific topic by the pupils. The study is limited to fifty (50) grade six pupils who were randomly selected. The essay was written during their writing lessons in English. The data were gathered and analyzed in terms of frequency, mean, and rank.

RESULTS

The analyzed and interpreted data revealed that the most common error committed by the pupils is on capitalization, with 109 occurrences. This was followed by the error in spelling, use of preposition, subject-verb agreement, the use of singular-plural form, verb tenses, punctuation, use of the article, word choice and pronoun. The results showed that these common errors hinder their ability to write effectively any written essay which is grammatically correct. This will also serve as the basis for introducing new strategies and intervention programs that will help them develop their writing skills and come up with more comprehensive and well-organized written essays.

DISCUSSIONS

This study which focuses on how pupils may develop their skills in writing does not stop by simply knowing the common errors they made. Error analysis is just one way of digging for the possible reasons for pupils’ inability to produce a well-written essay. Good communication does not only reveal how a person talks and delivers his/her speech. It can also be seen on how his/her words are put into writing. This will also make every teacher aware of what intervention programs and strategies to use to develop a holistic individual capable of delivering messages both orally and in writing.