Some common errors of english majored freshmen at industrial university of ho chi minh city in writing paragraphs graduation thesis faculty of foreign languages

MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES - - GRADUATION THESIS SOME COMMON ERRORS OF ENGLISH-MAJORED FRESHMEN AT INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY IN WRITING PARAGRAPHS STUDENT : NGUYỄN TUYẾT NGÂN ID NUMBER : 17029081 CLASS : DHAV13C COURSE : 2017-2021 SUPERVISOR : PHAN THI BICH NGOC, M.A HCMC, 06/2021 MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES - - Student’s name : NGUYỄN TUYẾT NGÂN Student’s ID : 17029081 Class : DHAV13C Course : 2017 -2021 Supervisor : PHAN THỊ BÍCH NGỌC, M.A Student’s declaration: I declare that this graduation report is entirely my own work and does not involve in plagiarism or collusion It also has not been accepted as part of a submission to another purpose else where I accept heavy penalty for any cheating or plagiarism Date submitted : June 20th, 2021 Signed : …………………… Word length : 14973 SOME COMMON ERRORS OF ENGLISH-MAJORED FRESHMEN AT INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY IN WRITING PARAGRAPHS ABSTRACT Writing is considered one of the four indispensable skills in learning English or any other language in the world Writing is an important skill but it is also a complicated one compared to other skills because it requires learners have not only a thorough understanding of background knowledge (Grammar and Vocabulary) but also skills to write Thus, writing is regarded as a difficult skill for students in learning English The research was entitled “Some common errors of English-majored freshmen at Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City in writing paragraphs” to figure out common errors and the causes of the errors in writing paragraphs for improving students’ writing skills The participants for the research were English-majored freshmen from the Faculty of Foreign Language at IUH The survey was administered by means of using a questionnaire to collect data from 211 students The research was divided into five chapters consisting of Introduction, Literature Review, Research Design, Findings and Discussion, and Conclusion To be more specific, in chapter I, the content included the aim of the study, research objectives, research questions and scope of the study Chapter II contained the two main items of definitions of key terms including (1) definitions of writing, (2) definitions of academic writing, (3) definitions of paragraph, (4) definitions of errors and (5) types of error in paragraph writing and another one was theoretical framework involved (1) relevance of errors and (2) errors in writing paragraphs Chapter III covered (1) research setting, (2) participants, (3) research methodology and research methods, (4) Procedures and (5) Data analysis Chapter IV presented the results of students’ responses to the questionnaire and the discussion of the findings Lastly, chapter V stated the conclusion of the research, suggested some recommendations and assessed limitations of the research The objectives of the research were to figure out popular errors and the causes of the errors that students often have trouble in writing paragraphs Additionally, the researcher also offered some solutions through the findings to help students improve their writing skills for better in the future ACKNOWLEDGEMENT During the period of internship, I received a plenty of enthusiastic help and support that guide and encourage me to overcome all difficulties and finish this hard but meaningful time Firstly, I would like to express thanks to the School Board of Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City and the Faculty of Foreign Languages creating favorable conditions for me to complete my thesis Secondly, I sincerely thank to Ms Phan Thi Bich Ngoc, my supervisor who gave me useful guidance and advice that help me to finish my graduation thesis successfully She also gave me professional guidance and insightful comments that considerably help me gain a lot of experiences in the period of writing my thesis From these advices, I can improve my English skills and strategies greatly Thirdly, I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to teachers who taught Writing I subject gave me chances to collect data from their classes Furthermore, I would like to thank my group member, Pham Thi Thao Nguyen who often shared my difficulties and gave me timely advice during the process of writing graduation thesis Last but not least, I am grateful to all of lovely students of Writing I classes who contributed to help me complete the questionnaire In short, I really thank to all people helping me to finish this graduation thesis Keywords: Common errors, IUH, English-majored freshmen, paragraphs, writing TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Research Objectives 1.3 Research Questions 1.4 Scope of the study CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Definitions of key terms 2.1.1 Definitions of writing 2.1.2 Definitions of academic writing 2.1.3 Definitions of paragraphs 2.1.4 Definitions of errors 2.1.5 Types of error in paragraph writing 2.2 Theoretical Framework 11 2.2.1 Relevance of Errors 11 2.2.2 Errors in writing paragraphs 12 CHAPTER III: RESEARCH DESIGN 14 3.1 Research setting 15 3.2 Participants 15 3.3 Research methodology and research methods 16 3.3.1 Research methodology 16 3.3.2 Research methods 16 3.4 Procedures 17 3.5 Data analysis 18 CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 19 4.1 Student’s responses to the Questionnaire 20 4.1.1 Student’s attitude towards their writing skills 20 4.1.2 The common errors that students face difficulty in writing paragraphs 22 4.1.3 The causes of the common errors 29 4.2 Discussion 33 CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION 35 5.1 Conclusion 36 5.2 Recommendations 37 5.3 Limitations 38 REFERENCES 40 APPENDICES 42 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 4.1 Students’ self-evaluation towards their writing skills 20 Figure 4.2 Students’ attitudes towards writing skills 21 Figure 4.3 The difficulties in the process of writing paragraphs 22 Figure 4.4 The students’ frequency of making errors in writing paragraphs 23 Figure 4.5 The students’ frequency of making grammatical mistakes in writing paragraphs 24 Figure 4.6 The students’ frequency of making vocabulary mistakes in writing paragraphs 25 Figure 4.7 The students’ frequency of making mistakes related to ideas in writing paragraphs 26 Figure 4.8 The students’ frequency of making mistakes related to paragraph structures in writing paragraphs 27 Figure 4.9 The topics which often faced difficulties in writing paragraphs by freshmen 28 Figure 4.10 The students’ frequency of practicing writing paragraphs after school 29 Figure 4.11 The reasons causing errors when writing paragraphs 30 Figure 4.12 The ways to recognize students' mistakes when writing a paragraph 31 Figure 4.13 The students’ solutions to improve their writing skills 32 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS IUH: Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City FFL: Faculty of Foreign Languages Submitted by Nguyen Tuyet Ngan Student ID number: 17029081 CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION Page | Supervisor: Phan Thi Bich Ngoc, M.A Submitted by Nguyen Tuyet Ngan Student ID number: 17029081 INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES SUPERVISOR’S EVALUATION FORM Student’s name: NGUYỄN TUYẾT NGÂN Student ID No.: 17029081 Supervisor’s name: PHAN THỊ BÍCH NGỌC CRITERIA Content (3) Oral Presentation (10) Performance (3) Time management (10 minutes) (2) Response to questions (2) Format (3) Format and Coherence and Organization (4) Language Use Grammar mistakes (3) Rationale and research objectives (5) Introduction Research questions (5) Definitions of key terms/concepts (5) Literature Written Review Review of previous studies (5) Graduation Research Methodology & Methods Research Thesis (10) Design (70) Collecting and analyzing data (5) Relevance between research findings Findings & and goals (Findings) (5) Discussion Evaluating and discussing the findings (Discussion) (5) Conclusion & recommendation (10) Conclusion Referencing (5) Supervisor’s Appraisal on teamwork (05) Peer evaluation on teamwork (05) Supervisor’s Appraisal (10) Group Decision & Planning Roles & Distribution Establish Goals Meeting Minutes Contribution to the team project Taking responsibility Working with others Communication skills (2) SCORE CLO CLO (10) CLO (10) CLO (20) CLO (25) CLO (10) CLO (5) CLO (10) Page | 40 Supervisor: Phan Thi Bich Ngoc, M.A Submitted by Nguyen Tuyet Ngan Student ID number: 17029081 Punctuality (2) Continuous improvement (6) CLO (10) Other comments: TOTAL SCORES …… /100 Date: …………………………….…………… Supervisor’s Signature ………………………………… Page | 41 Supervisor: Phan Thi Bich Ngoc, M.A Submitted by Nguyen Tuyet Ngan Student ID number: 17029081 INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES EXAMINER’S EVALUATION FORM Student’s name: NGUYỄN TUYẾT NGÂN Student ID No.: 17029081 Supervisor’s name: PHAN THỊ BÍCH NGỌC CRITERIA Content (6) Oral Presentation (10) Performance (6) Time management (10 minutes) (4) Response to questions (4) Format (3) Format and Coherence and Organization (4) Language Use Grammar mistakes (3) Rationale and research objectives (5) Introduction Research questions (5) Definitions of key terms/concepts (5) Literature Written Review Review of previous studies (10) Graduation Collecting and analyzing data (5) Research Thesis Design Research Methodology and Methods (70) (10) Relevance between research findings Findings & and objectives (Findings) (5) Discussion Evaluating and discussing the findings (Discussion) (10) Conclusion & recommendation (10) Conclusion SCORE CLO CLO (20) CLO (10) CLO (25) CLO (30) CLO (10) CLO (5) Referencing (5) Other comments: TOTAL SCORES ………./100 Page | 42 Supervisor: Phan Thi Bich Ngoc, M.A Submitted by Nguyen Tuyet Ngan Student ID number: 17029081 Date: ………………………… Examiner’s Signature ……………………………… Updated in December 2020 Prepared by: Le Thi Thuy, M.A Head of the Division: Tran Kieu My An, Ph.D 5th March, 2021 Reviewed by: Phan Thi Tuyet Nga, Ph.D Page | 43 Supervisor: Phan Thi Bich Ngoc, M.A Submitted by Nguyen Tuyet Ngan Student ID number: 17029081 Rubrics for Written Graduation Thesis (70%) Item/ Weight Unsatisfactory There are consistent mistakes in the required format Developing There are several mistakes in the required format Satisfactory There are minor mistakes in the required format Exemplary 10 There are hardly any mistakes in the required format Coherence and Organization (4) The development of paper is vague; no apparent logical order of presentation The paper is presented with connected concept and ideas, clear transitions The paper is presented in logical sequence and well organized The paper is clearly stated, welldeveloped and well organized Grammar mistakes (3) There are consistent spelling and grammar mistakes in the paper The research topic area is unclearly described Little evidence shows the significance and objectives of the research topic There are several spelling and grammar mistakes in the paper There are minor spelling and grammar mistakes in the paper Research questions are not successfully defined Research questions are defined There are hardly any spelling and grammar mistakes in the paper The research topic is introduced in a coherent and interesting manner The significance and objectives of the paper is well justified Research questions are scientifically meaningful and challenging Format (3) 10 Rationale and objectives of research (5) Introductio n 10 Research questions (5) The research topic is presented, and the significance and objectives of the paper is justified The research topic is adequately defined The significance and objectives of the paper is well justified Research questions are coherently and clearly defined Page | 44 Supervisor: Phan Thi Bich Ngoc, M.A Submitted by Nguyen Tuyet Ngan 15(10) 30(25) Student ID number: 17029081 The literature is defined in an unclear manner Definition of key concepts is insufficient The literature is linked with the research topic Key concepts are recognized The literature is linked with research topic The key concepts related to the research topic are defined The previous Review of previous studies studies are inadequately (5) (10) relevant with the research topic and inappropriately summarized The previous studies are relevant with the research topic and summarized The previous studies are quite relevant with the research topic and appropriately summarized Definitions of key terms/concept s (5) Research Methodology and Methods (10) The author displays such a low level of research methodology that it can be regarded as unacceptable The author correctly presents the research methods and shows good organization and application of research methodology The author justifies his/her choice of analysis methods and demonstrates effective application of relevant research methodology The literature is intricately linked with the research topic and appropriately explained The key concepts related to the research topic are also clearly defined The previous studies are adequately relevant with the research topic and appropriately summarized The author justifies his/ her choice of research methods systematically and demonstrates a deep understanding in the application of relevant research methodology Page | 45 Supervisor: Phan Thi Bich Ngoc, M.A Submitted by Nguyen Tuyet Ngan Student ID number: 17029081 Collecting and analyzing data (5) The author describes the data collecting and analyzing stages, but the description does not form a coherent and logical whole The analysis methods are mainly chosen to answer the research questions, but the author has an insufficient command of the methods The author correctly presents the data collecting and analyzing stages and outlines the analysis The analysis demonstrates a good command and reliable use of the method The author presents the data collecting and analyzing stages clearly The author makes good use of the data in the analysis The author chooses the methods sensibly to summarize the information provided by the data Relevance between research findings and objectives (Findings) (5) The author demonstrates a poor level of understanding in the analysis of the research findings The research findings are inadequate in meeting objectives of study The author demonstrates satisfactory understanding in the analysis of the research findings The research findings may be adequate but not as described The author demonstrates adequate levels of understanding in the analysis of the research findings The research findings are adequate relevant to the objectives of the study The thesis fails in making contribution to the knowledge base of the The research findings make a minor contribution to the knowledge base The research findings make a good contribution to the knowledge base of the Evaluating and discussing the findings (Discussion) (5) (10) The author presents the data collecting and analyzing stages correctly and clearly The author makes great use of the data in the analysis The author chooses the relevant methods to best summarize the information provided by the data The author demonstrates advanced levels of understanding in the analysis of the research findings The research findings are relevant to the objectives of the study The research findings make a significant contribution to the knowledge base of the Page | 46 Supervisor: Phan Thi Bich Ngoc, M.A Submitted by Nguyen Tuyet Ngan discipline and field of study 10 Conclusions &recommenda tion (10) Referencing (5) No logical conclusions are reached Answers to research questions studied and discussion about them is almost entirely missing or it is unconnected from the perspective of the research The final summary in no way communicates the purpose and findings of the study The author demonstrates inadequate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of his/her own research References are of poor quality The format and layout are inconsistent and not in line with APA style Student ID number: 17029081 of the discipline and field of study discipline and field of study discipline and field of study The conclusions are partially logical The link between the conclusions and research questions is left somewhat unclear The final summary only partially communicates the purpose and findings of the study The author demonstrates quite adequate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of his/her own research The conclusions are presented logically and answers to research questions are explained in a good manner The final summary communicates thepurpose and findings ofthe study The author demonstrates adequate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of his/her own research The conclusions are presented logically and answers to research questions are explained in a coherent manner The final summary is relevant and communicates the objectives and findings of the study The author demonstrates good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of his/her own research The referencing is in a proper manner, but the layout of the bibliography is consistent with APA style There are, however, a few inconsistencies The referencing is in a proper manner and the layout of the bibliography is largely in line with APA style The referencing is in a proper and extensive manner The format and layout of the bibliography are correct and in line Page | 47 Supervisor: Phan Thi Bich Ngoc, M.A Submitted by Nguyen Tuyet Ngan Student ID number: 17029081 with APA style Page | 48 Supervisor: Phan Thi Bich Ngoc, M.A Submitted by Nguyen Tuyet Ngan Item/ Weight Student ID number: 17029081 Rubrics for Oral Presentation (10%) Unsatisfactory Developing Satisfactory Organizational structure present but unclear with underdeveloped introduction, body and conclusion Transitions are awkward Organizational structure present clearly with introduction, body and conclusion A few transitions Appropriate organizational pattern used and easy to follow with developed introduction, understandable body part and satisfying conclusion Main points are smoothly connected with transitions Performance (3) Very little gestures or eye contact Monotone voice or insufficient volume Reading of notes only Speech is often unintelligible Adequate use of gestures, eye contact, language, and voice Limited oral fillers and nonverbal distractions Uses a wide range of pronunciation features Time management (10minutes) (2) No regard for time constraints six or seven minutes above or below the allotted time Little gestures or eye contact Monotone voice or insufficient volume Little poise Heavy reliance on notes Abundant oral fillers and nonverbal distractions Mispronunciatio ns are frequent and cause some difficulty for the listener Presentation given within four or five minutes above or below the allotted time Content (3) Presentation given within two or three minutes above or below the allotted time Exemplary 10 Organizational pattern is compelling and moves audience through speech with ease Introduction draws in the audience and conclusion is satisfying Main points are clearly made and smoothly connected with transitions Effective use of gestures, eye contact, vivid language, and voice to add interest to speech Poised with use of notes for reference only No oral fillers and nonverbal distractions Clear pronunciation Presentation given within time constraints (from 9-11 minutes) Page | 49 Supervisor: Phan Thi Bich Ngoc, M.A Submitted by Nguyen Tuyet Ngan Response to questions (2) Unable to respond many questions Student ID number: 17029081 Most questions are responded competently Nearly all questions are responded knowledgably and respectively All questions are responded knowledgably and respectively Page | 50 Supervisor: Phan Thi Bich Ngoc, M.A Submitted by Nguyen Tuyet Ngan Student ID number: 17029081 Rubrics for Supervisor’s Appraisal (10%) Unsatisfactory Developing Satisfactory Item/ Exemplary Weight 10 Communic Students show a weak Students show an Students show Students show a ation skills communication skill in adequate a good very good (2) meetings with the communication skill communication communication supervisor and group in meetings with the skill in members supervisor and group meetings with with the members the supervisor supervisor and and group group members skill in meetings members Punctuality Students are always late Students are Students are Students are (2) in meetings with the sometimes late in usually always punctual supervisor meetings with the punctual in in meetings with supervisor meetings with the supervisor the supervisor Continuous Students show an Students show a Students show Students show a improveme unwilling attitude positive attitude a positive willing attitude nt towards assigned work, towards assigned attitude towards assigned (6) complete work late often work, complete towards work, complete and make no reference work late sometimes assigned work, work on time or from the supervisor and can make a complete work make alternative relevant reference on time or arrangement and from the supervisor make make a good alternative reference from arrangement the supervisor and make a good reference from the supervisor Page | 51 Supervisor: Phan Thi Bich Ngoc, M.A Submitted by Nguyen Tuyet Ngan Student ID number: 17029081 Rubrics for Teamwork (10%) Rubrics for Supervisor’s Appraisal (5%) Rubrics for Peer Evaluation (5%) Rubrics for Supervisor’s Appraisal (5%) Student’s name: NGUYỄN TUYẾT NGÂN Item/ Weight Unsatisfactory Student ID No.: 17029081 Developing Satisfactory There is no planning & decision-making process, decisions are made by individuals A procedure for planning& making decisions is established by the group, but it is not clear and/or it focuses on individuals The group does not establish roles for each Roles & member and/or Distribution the workload is unequally distributed The group establishes informal roles for each member The workload could be distributed more equally Group Planning & Decision Meeting Minutes Scheduled meetings minutes are rarely recorded, and the efforts are scattered Scheduled meetings minutes are often recorded, and the contribution of each team members are NOT identified A clear procedure for planning & making decisions in research work is informally established by all members of the group Exemplary 10 A clear procedure for planning & making decisions in research work is formally established by all members of the group The group establishes clear and formal roles for each member and distributes the workload equally The group establishes and documents clear and formal roles for each member and distributes the workload equally Scheduled meetings minutes are usually recorded and the contribution of each team members are identified Scheduled meetings minutes are always recorded and the contribution of each team members are identified Page | 52 Supervisor: Phan Thi Bich Ngoc, M.A Submitted by Nguyen Tuyet Ngan Student ID number: 17029081 Rubrics for Teamwork (10%) Rubrics for Peer Evaluation (5%) Name of member: PHẠM THỊ THẢO NGUYÊN Item/ Weight Unsatisfactory Developing Does not collect Contribution any relevant to the team information; no project useful suggestions (10 points) to address team's needs; Satisfactory Collects information when prodded; tries to offer some ideas, but not well developed, and not clearly expressed, to meet team's needs; Does not perform assigned tasks; often misses meetings and, Taking when present, does responsibility not have anything (10 points) constructive to say; relies on others to the work; Performs assigned tasks but needs many reminders; attends meetings regularly but generally does not say anything constructive; sometimes expects others to his/her work Rarely listens to, shares with, and Working with supports the efforts others of others; often (10 points) uses inappropriate language; often is not a good team member Usually listens to others but sometimes does not pay much attention when others talk, and assumes their ideas will not work; Collects basic, useful information related to the research, occasionally offers useful ideas to meet the team's needs; Exemplary 10 Collects and presents to the team a great deal of relevant information; offers well-developed and clearly expressed ideas directly related to the group's topic Performs all assigned tasks; attends meetings regularly and usually participates effectively; Performs all tasks very effectively; attends all meetings and participates enthusiastically; Generally, listens to others' points of view; always uses appropriate and respectful language; tries to make a definite effort to understand others' ideas; Almost always listens to others and their ideas; helps them develop their ideas while giving them full credit Evaluator's name: NGUYỄN TUYẾT NGÂN Date of evaluation: June 19th, 2021 Page | 53 Supervisor: Phan Thi Bich Ngoc, M.A Submitted by Nguyen Tuyet Ngan Updated in July 2019 Prepared by: Le Thi Thuy, M.A Student ID number: 17029081 Head of the Division: Tran Kieu My An, Ph.D Page | 54 Supervisor: Phan Thi Bich Ngoc, M.A