Abstract

ESL teachers are confronted on large number of cognitive errors in their learners’ language enhancing process. Teachers usually feel helpless in understanding and remedying this problem due to absent studies outputs in the realm of error analysis among ESL learners. Within this context, the researchers were stimulated to study the particular problem as an English lectures and educational researcher working on English language teaching domain. A descriptive case study was conducted into the error analysis phenomenon as a natural starting-point, the final analysis should include linguistic performance. The aim was to throw light on the theory of error analysis, reach a detailed description of the problem to be aware that matters such as the learner, language and production may influence the obtained sample. Results prove that there is a link between the designing of teaching materials and error analysis. Factors such as staging, grading and sequencing relatively depend on error analysis. Moreover, there is a large amount of evidence that errors have a positive value from a diagnostic point of view; therefore, errors are sometimes of greater importance than the correct forms used accidentally.

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ABSTRACT:

Words in English are not always spelled as they are pronounced. English spelling follows some basic rules, but there are always acceptations to these rules. Students need to learn spelling rules and their exceptions as well. However, English Students face difficulties with spelling especially those whose first language is not English. Libyan undergraduates of Mizdah Arts and Science College commit spelling errors when they write English words. The main reason behind conducting this research is to identify the types and reasons behind making spelling errors by second year students of Mizdah Arts and Science College at Gharian University. In all, 20 students made up of females and males were used for the study. The data for the study was obtained by using a test and a questionnaire were administered to twenty undergraduates. There are six error categories used in the spelling test; homonyms, substitution, omission, spelling rules, transposition, and phoneme-grapheme irregularity. Spelling errors of various categories were identified, computed, and grouped. The study revealed that the highest percentage of errors was committed on substitution category (69.2%). The study indicates that the main cause of spelling errors is the first language interference, the linguistic difference between Arabic and English languages, in addition to the lack of the students’ awareness of the English spelling errors. The findings suggest that teachers are required to pay more attention to the major types of spelling errors and should encourage students to practice English more often until they master the rules of spelling.

Keywords: Students spelling errors, teaching method, ESL writing, academic writing