Error Analysis Efl
Sep. 2007, Volume 4, No.9 (Serial No.34)
US-China Education Review, ISSN1548-6613, USA
Error analysis and the EFL classroom teaching
XIE Fang, JIANG Xue-mei
(College of Foreign Languages, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian Liaoning 116029, China)
Abstract: This paper makes a study of error analysis and its implementation in the EFL (English as Foreign Language) classroom teaching. It starts by giving a systematic review of the concepts and theories concerning EA (Error Analysis), the various reasons causing errors are comprehensively explored. The author proposes that teachers should employ different and flexible error treatment strategies in accordance with the teaching objectives, students’ linguistic competence, their affective factors and the effectiveness of the error correction. Key words: error analysis; contrastive analysis; interlanguage; EFL classroom teaching
1. Introduction
In foreign language learning, error correction has become one of the important teaching processes. But actually, few teachers know a lot about error analysis and some related theories. They often take so negative attitudes toward errors that they could not tolerate any errors and tend to correct them as soon as they could find any. As a result, although they think they have been working hard enough and spend much time and energy working on error correction, their effort is not effective and the students do not believe they have benefited a lot. On the contrary, the students often feel upset, for they have found that there is a great gap between themselves and their teachers in dealing with errors and understanding of error correction. So we find it necessary to have a theoretical foundation about error analysis. In the next section, the development of the theory—error analysis would be briefly reviewed.
2. Theoretical development of error analysis
2.1 Contrastive analysis In the 1950s, American linguist Robert Lado began to study errors systematically and developed
US-China Education Review, ISSN1548-6613, USA
Error analysis and the EFL classroom teaching
XIE Fang, JIANG Xue-mei
(College of Foreign Languages, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian Liaoning 116029, China)
Abstract: This paper makes a study of error analysis and its implementation in the EFL (English as Foreign Language) classroom teaching. It starts by giving a systematic review of the concepts and theories concerning EA (Error Analysis), the various reasons causing errors are comprehensively explored. The author proposes that teachers should employ different and flexible error treatment strategies in accordance with the teaching objectives, students’ linguistic competence, their affective factors and the effectiveness of the error correction. Key words: error analysis; contrastive analysis; interlanguage; EFL classroom teaching
1. Introduction
In foreign language learning, error correction has become one of the important teaching processes. But actually, few teachers know a lot about error analysis and some related theories. They often take so negative attitudes toward errors that they could not tolerate any errors and tend to correct them as soon as they could find any. As a result, although they think they have been working hard enough and spend much time and energy working on error correction, their effort is not effective and the students do not believe they have benefited a lot. On the contrary, the students often feel upset, for they have found that there is a great gap between themselves and their teachers in dealing with errors and understanding of error correction. So we find it necessary to have a theoretical foundation about error analysis. In the next section, the development of the theory—error analysis would be briefly reviewed.
2. Theoretical development of error analysis
2.1 Contrastive analysis In the 1950s, American linguist Robert Lado began to study errors systematically and developed
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