CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Learning a second or foreign language cannot be separated from creating

errors. Even the native speaker themselves are not free from creating errors. In second

language learning, as Coders observe, the learner’s errors indicative of both the state

of the learner’s knowledge and the way in which a second language is learned

(Richard, 1973: 1). The error is natural, however, errors made by the learners and the

native speaker is different. The difference is described by Corder (1973 : 1) States

that the native speakers recognize their errors. On the other hand, learners do not

always recognize their errors, thus when their attention drawn to it, they often cannot

correct it, and they often commit another in trying to do.

There are several factors that cause students to commit errors, errors

connecting with the errors made by the language learners. In the study of English

errors Richard (1974 : 174), points out that error are not only caused by the

interference from the mother tongue, but also what he calls overgeneralization ignore

of the rules restriction, incomplete application of rules, and false concepts

hypothesized. These types of errors are developmental errors.

By knowing and understanding the students’ errors, it is expected that teachers

are able to improve their teaching skill and the instructional process. According to

Dullay (1986), errors can be useful feedback for the teachers. In the case, teachers

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will measure themselves how far he gets succeed in giving the instructional material

to their students.

In pre-survey on August 2009 the researcher found some errors in doing writing

activities in writing composition. Most of students were not attention the procedure in

writing composition or unstructured writing. The researcher or observer asked the

main teacher or teacher supervisor of English language about students worked what

they have done, the researcher found some categories that should be fixed and being

perfect and no errors in doing writing composition again.

The writing errors categories have found by the research such as; the uses of

article, verb tense, preposition, punctuation, capital letter, spelling, word form;

redundant word, and word order were making the researcher interested to know the

causes of errors that they made.

Based on the above points, the writer wants to present an analysis of grammatical

errors in writing composition made by the second year students of Madrasah Aliyah

Asmaul Husna Central Lombok West Nusa Tenggara as the subject of this study,

furthermore Wise (1975: 5) points out that: Wrong of the common of everyday

words is regularly missed by Indonesian who knows English. They make mistake

either in speaking and writing. They are unhappy fact does not improve with the time.

The more time they repeat their habitual errors, the more difficult it becomes for them

to eliminate those errors and to replace them with normal English patterns (Wise,

1975:5).

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 Writing is one of four skills in language learning process; it gives many

people give attention. Because writing skill can be improving measuring of literacy a

country, also writing not yet become cultural, especial in Indonesia. Writing skill is

seen as language skill which most difficult and complex because it’s required widely

perception and involving thinking process and need good understanding on grammar

and structures which extensive.

Writing is a task that no two people do the same way. However, there are

some logical steps that every writer seems to follow in the creation of a paper. The

process described here outlines those basic steps. Keep in mind that these steps are

not exclusive of each other, and at times, they can be rather liquid. In addition, writers

will notice that most of these steps are reciprocal; that is, work done in one area may

necessitate returning to a step that you have already "completed."

In writing process that need grammatical and spelling understanding well to

make the composition well and can be understood. Students of Madrasah Aliyah

Asmaul Husna most of them are did not understand well about grammatical for

making composition well.

Since 2004 Competency- Based Curriculum (CBC) was applied as instead of

1994 curriculum which the 1994 curriculum was based on content. CBC was

arranged based on competence and was composed by government. Institution Unit

Curriculum (IUC) or KTSP was employed in 2006. Depdiknas (2004) governed the

application of CBC in the replacement of the 1994 curriculum which it was grounded

on content and IUC was regulated in 2006. IUC, on principle, was built based on

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competence; however it was composed by the education unit (school), not the central

government. It is aimed on accommodating the local prominences, special

characteristics, and local needs.

Madrasah Aliyah (MA) Asmaul Husna Tanak Beak has used IUC as the main

reference in the teaching of English, especially the writing instruction (Curriculum of

MA Asmaul Husna Tanak Beak, 2008). The perception of English teachers in MA

Asmaul Husna Tanak Beak about the importance of writing does not seem to

understand completely the curriculum. They think that writing has to be taught and

has become more important because it is now included in the national examination. It

cannot be denied that tests and examinations are still a strong influential factor for the

teachers to teach the writing skills and for the students to study. So that, the English

teachers are busy discussing what they will be teaching and how they have to teach

the writing skills. They are highly concerned that their students will not be able to do

the writing test in the examination. Whereas, both testing and teaching are so closely

interrelated that is virtually impossible to work in either field without constantly

concerned with the other (Heaton, 1984:01).

For that reason, the writer will conduct research on the second year students of

Madrasah Aliyah Asmaul Husna central Lombok West Nusa Tenggara to prove how

often the students commit errors in writing composition.

The Limitation of Problem of the Study

The problems in this research are limited, this study is intended to analyze,

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find out the types of errors, and the factors for grammatical errors in students

Compositions. The uses of article, verb tense, preposition, punctuation, capital letter,

spelling, word form; redundant word, word order, and missing words are the focus on

the analysis.

Problem Statement

Based on the problem limitation above, the writer formulates research questions

as follows.

What forms are the difficulties in writing composition for the second years of

Madrasah Aliyah Asmaul Husna central Lombok West Nusa Tenggara in

academic year 2009/2010?

What causal factors are difficulties in writing composition for the second years of

Madrasah Aliyah Asmaul Husna central Lombok West Nusa Tenggara in

academic year 2009/2010?

What efforts should be done to improve the quality of the students’ in analyzing

of grammatical error in writing composition in teaching-learning process at

Madrasah Aliyah Asmaul Husna central Lombok West Nusa Tenggara in

academic year 2009/2010?

Objectives of the Study

The research aims at describing to improve the student understanding in

writing composition and hopped that be better in analyzing of grammatical errors in

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writing composition by the second year students of Madrasah Aliyah Asmaul Husna

central Lombok West Nusa Tenggara in academic year 2009/2010.

The writer states the aims of study as follows:

To find out the forms of difficulties in writing composition for the second years

of Madrasah Aliyah Asmaul Husna central Lombok West Nusa Tenggara in

academic year 2009/2010.

To find out the causal factors are difficulties in writing composition f or the

second years of Madrasah Aliyah Asmaul Husna central Lombok West Nusa

Tenggara in academic year 2009/2010.

To find out the way to improve the quality of the students’ in analyzing of

grammatical error in writing composition in teaching-learning process at

Madrasah Aliyah Asmaul Husna central Lombok West Nusa Tenggara in

academic year 2009/2010.

Significance of the Study

This research is not only for theoretical application, but for also practical

application as well. Theoretical application is that the result of this research is

intended to be one consideration for English Teacher applying any strategy or

increasing any technique of teaching English. Practical significance as follows:

The research can be used by the English teacher of second year students of

Madrasah Aliyah Asmaul Husna, Central Lombok, as a mean to improve the

quality of the students’ in analyzing grammatical errors.

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The research can be used by other teachers, either at Madrasah Aliyah Asmaul

Husna, Central Lombok or at other schools, as a model in improving the

quality of the students’ analyzing grammatical errors in the English teaching-

learning process.

The research can develop the researcher’s mind through the problem-solving

process.

To encourage the student’s motivation in learning English and writing

composition.

Giving the students chance to learn English by doing to write the composition.