Diagnosing Essay Writing Errors: Causes and Student-Perceived Efficacy to Error Analysis Techniques in Enhancing Their Essay Writing Skills
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37375/aj.v17i2.3515Keywords:
error analysis techniques, essay writing skills, cerror sauses, students’ perceptionsAbstract
As essay writing skills are considered important in the academic setting, enhancing them by using appropriate techniques is crucial. This study aims to explore the types of errors made by undergraduates when writing academic essays and to identify the causes of these errors using error analysis techniques. The study also aims to investigate the effectiveness of using these techniques on improving students’ essay writing skills through their perceptions towards these techniques. To collect data, a mixed- methods approach was employed, combining a pre-test and post-test [Comment: Good use of comparative data. Consider discussing if the time span between tests might affect performance. Written essay tasks and assignments, and a questionnaire of two parts; the first is to identify the causes of errors, and the second is to investigate the effectiveness of error analysis techniques. The results obtained from this study indicated that organization, style, mechanics, and grammar were the most common error types committed by students. The results also presented that the students perceive a wide range of factors contributing to their writing errors, with vocabulary limitations being the most prominent. The consistently high ratings across all statements suggest that those students have a nuanced understanding of the various elements that influence their writing accuracy. Additionally, it was investigated that students perceived error analysis techniques as highly effective in improving their writing skills. The consistently high ratings across most aspects of writing suggest that these techniques were perceived as broadly beneficial to students' writing development.
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