Error analysis in written productions of EFL elementary students at a bilingual private school in Cali

Abstract

Studies on error analysis are very important in the field of linguistics, and most importantly in the TEFL context. Second language learners’ errors are significant proof of the development of their language. Indeed, an error can be defined as a deviation from the norms of the target language, in other words, errors are a device learners use in order to learn (Selinker, 1992 in Rustipa, 2011). This study aims to investigate the frequency and the type of errors made by elementary students in their writing process. The participants are 7-12-year-old students at a private bilingual school in Cali, Colombia. The written productions were collected and the errors were identified, analyzed, and classified. Error analysis is a useful technique to identify and better understand the learner’s errors in the foreign/second language. It is considered beneficial to both the learner and the teacher as it gives relevant information and valuable feedback. By identifying and understanding the learner’s errors, teachers can know the learner’s zone of actual development, and this indicates which aspects or areas need to be addressed, reinforced, or reoriented. The results of this study showed that spelling, wrong verb tense, capitalization, punctuation, subject-verb agreement, among others, are the most frequent errors elementary students make.