INVESTIGATING PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ GRAMMATICAL ERRORS IN WRITING: DULAY’S SURFACE STRATEGY TAXONOMY

Journal of English Educational Study (JEES) Volume 6 Issue 1 May 2023 Page 51-59 E-ISSN:2655-0776 INVESTIGATING PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ GRAMMATICAL ERRORS IN WRITING: DULAY’S SURFACE STRATEGY TAXONOMY Wensi Alka, Dzulfikri, Khaula Amelia Khusna Universitas Islam Malang ,, Submitted: 2023-02-28 Accepted: 2023-03-12 Abstract:This study was carried out to identify different types of grammatical errors made by primary school students since some previous studies only conducted the same research with high school students as the participants. This study used a descriptive qualitative research design. The participants were 40 fourth-grade students from SD Muslim Cendekia Batu. Students' writing products were used as the instrument. The data were analyzed, identified and classified based on Dulay's (1982) surface strategy taxonomy. The data show that the students made 79 grammatical errors, with errors of omission accounting for 25 items (31.6%), 21 (26.5%) errors in addition, 26 errors (32.7%) in misformation, and 7 (9.2%) errors in misordering. The findings reveal that students lack grammar mastery; therefore, they frequently create their own rules in writing a text. To summarize, the student's understanding of the use of English structure remained low. The researcher's recommendations for future researchers are to focus more on the sources of the students' errors and to identify and determine the appropriate strategies to overcome students’ grammatical errors. Keywords: Grammatical Error; Surface Strategy Taxonomy; Writing Text INTRODUCTION This research seeks to investigate students’ grammatical errors in writing a text. This research is conducted to analyze grammatical errors made by young learners since some previous studies have carried out the research by recruiting high school students as the participants, such as Andansari et al. (2018), Manik & Suwastini (2020), and also Agustina(2016). Grammar is a set of rules that we use to structure sentences. According to Gerot and Wignell (1994), grammar is the theory of language that explains how language works by forming meaning from a collection of words. Bleske-Rechek et al., (2019) proposed another definition of grammar, which is the technique for placing an order of a sentence and developing good language. Due to English grammar being complex, many students struggle to understand and apply it. When it comes to language learning, many students struggle with grammar. As learners develop their language learning, they will face more difficulties with grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and other aspects of the language (Misbah et al., 2017).Grammar has become one factors that contributes to students' difficulty in learning a language. In learning English, a grammatical error occurs, such as using the be verb "was/were" in a nominal sentence in the past tense, such as "she was played last night.". However, it cannot be applied to some verbal sentences, such as "he played football." There is an exception when it 51 Alka, Dzulfikri, Khusna . Investigating…. Journal of English Educational Study (JEES) Volume 6 Issue 1 May 2023 Page 51-59 E-ISSN:2655-0776 comes to forming sentences in English. This phenomenon commonly causes difficulties and errors for English language learners, especially young learners. They frequently assume that indicates past events; for instance, the verb "was/were" must be used. Prior knowledge and subsumers are applied to subsequent language learning in the target language (negative intralingual transfer). An error is a common occurrence in student writing. Writing errors are unavoidable for English Foreign Learner (EFL) students because writing is a tough challenge for EFL students. Because a student has to generate ideas, arrange the structure of a text, compose words, phrases, and paragraphs, and use adequate mechanics such as punctuation and connections all at the same time. In their study, Dulay et al. (1982) defined "errors" as a part of a conversation or composition that differs from the advanced language outcome of a selected norm. People cannot acquire language without making mistakes regularly. According to Dulay et al. (1982) theory, There are four error sentences: omission, addition, misordering, and misformation. This type of error can be categorized according to intralingual and interlingual errors. Then, Al-Khresheh (2016) describes errors clearly and unambiguously as mistakes in applying particular structures or rules that students make on a continuously and cannot correct on their own. In other words, a student has made errors if he is unable to correct his deviant speech. It is known as overgeneralization. Generalizing is to indicate or derive a law, rule, or conclusion, commonly from the observation of specific instances (Matiini, 2016). When a second language learner performs in the target language, he or she is overgeneralizing a specific rule or item in the second language. Discussing errors made by students is inextricably linked to the discussion of error analysis. Theoretically, error analysis is a process in which researchers and teachers collect samples, determine errors, describe those errors, organize them based on their features and error causes, and assess their importance (Rahimi & Tafazoli, 2014). Then, Brown(1980) provides another error analysis concept. He describes errors as recording, analyzing, and categorizing deviations from the rules of a second language and then revealing the learner's systems. In addition, this implies that error analysis is required in order to gain a better understanding of students' English competence profiles. Regarding analyzing the students’ errors in the use of grammar, Andansari et al. (2019) analyzed the students’ errors in writing recount texts for millennial students. Manik and Suwastini (2020) conducted the previous study, which examined the significant grammatical error and the primary sources of grammatical errors in eighth-grade students' recount text writing during 2019/2020. Agustina (2016) conducted another study at Islamic junior high school and identified the types of morphological, syntactic, and discourse errors in writing recount text to determine the frequency of each type of error, and the most common type of error and its sources. 52 Alka, Dzulfikri, Khusna . Investigating…. Journal of English Educational Study (JEES) Volume 6 Issue 1 May 2023 Page 51-59 E-ISSN:2655-0776 Previous studies covered the types of grammatical errors high school students solely make when writing recount texts. Those previous studies found that high school students made the most errors in the omission error which are 41.10% (Andansari et al., 2019), 37.33% (Manik & Suwastini, 2020), and 32.22% (Agustina, 2016); thus, this research will concentrate on grammatical errors made by young learners based on Dulay's theory. This study tried to find out what types of errors are mostly made by elementary school students. In addition, the resear (...truncated)