tóm tắt luận văn: abstract of graduation thesis an investigation of common errors

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS During the process of doing this graduation paper, I have received many necessary assistances, precious ideas and timely encouragements from my teachers, family and friends This paper could not have been completed without the help, encouragement and support from a number of people who all deserve my sincere gratitude and appreciation First of all, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor - Ms Truong Hoang Lan, M A, who has always been willing to give me valuable advice and suggestions in order that I can complete successfully this study I also would like to take this opportunity to show my sincere thanks to all my lecturers at the Faculty of Foreign Languages of Pham Van Dong University, who have handed me basic knowledge to complete this study I am so thankful to students of two classes 11A2 and 11A3 at Mo Duc No II High School for their whole - heart participation in the study I am equally indebted to my classmates for their suggestions and encouragements in the progress of my study Last but not least, my particular thanks are given to my parents for their encouragement and support which played an important role in my graduation paper TABLE CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………… …………………….…1 TABLE OF CONTENT…………………………………………… ……… ……2 CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION……………………………………………… .4 1.1 Rationale of the study… ………………………………………………… 1.2 Aim of study………………………………………………………………… 1.3 Scope of the study………………………………………………………….…5 1.4 Research questions……………………………………………………… …5 1.5 Methodology………………………………………………………………… 1.6 Organization of the study……………………………………………………5 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………………….7 2.1 Review of Previous Studies……………………………………………… 2.1.1 Writing in the English class: The key to Improve the Vietnamese eleventh grader as a Foreign Language Learner’s Productive Writing Skill…………… ….7 2.2 Theoretical Background………………………………………………… 2.2.1 Theories of Writing Skill…………………………………………………7 2.2.1.1 Writing Skill Definition………………………………… 2.2.1.2 Writing Skill in Teaching Foreign Language…………………………7 2.2.1.2.1 The Importance of Writing Skill in Teaching Foreign Language……………………………………………………………………… …7 2.2.1.2.2 The difficulties of Writing Skill in Teaching Foreign language………………………………………………………………………… 2.3 Overview on Cause and Effect Essay…………………………………… 2.3.1 What is an essay? 2.3.2 Types of essays Used in Academic Writing……………………………….8 2.3.3 The Definition of Cause and Effect Essay……………………………….8 2.3.3.1 Structure of Cause and Effect Essay…………………………… … 2.3.4 Process of a Cause and Effect Essay…………………………………… 2.4 Rules for a Good Cause and Effect Essay………………………………… CHAPTER III: METHODS AND PROCERDURES…………………….… 11 3.1 Research Methodology………………………………………………….… 11 3.2 Research Procedures…………………………………………………….….11 3.3 Data Collections…………………………………………………………… 11 3.4 Data Analysis……………………………………………………………… 11 3.5 Reliability and Validity………………………………………………….….11 CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS……………………… … 12 4.1 Some Errors in Writing Cause and Effect Essay………………………….12 4.1.1 Repeating Transitional Words in an Essay…………………………… 12 4.1.2 Omitting Transition Words in an Essay……………………………… 12 4.1.3 Incorrect Topic Sentences in Body Paragraph………………… .12 4.2 Some Suggestions to Improve Writing Cause and Effect Essay… 12 4.2.1 Using Various Transitional Words…………………………………….…12 4.2.2 Writing Correct Topic Sentences……………………………………… 13 CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATION…………………… 14 5.1 Conclusion……………………………………………………………….…14 5.2 Implications…………………………………………………………………14 REFERRENCES……………………………………………………………….15 CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale of the study Nowadays, almost countries in the world speak English and English can be considered one of the most essential languages for international communication In Vietnam, there are a lot of foreign investors, they establish their own companies in Vietnam They all speak English and of course, they will employ the people who have ability of using English Therefore, English is an important criterion to find a good job in Vietnam It becomes the second language to many people When we learn English, we can widen knowledge about culture, customs, lifestyle in each countries However, it is not easy to learn a foreign language well In order to use English fluently, I think the learners have to pay attention to four skills: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking Of four skills, writing is considered the most difficult skill in all Different from the rest, writing requires not only the learners to have knowledge of grammar (grammatical structures) but also plentiful source of vocabulary to write a paragraph as well as an essay completely Many learners think that when they can speak well, they will automatically write well However, when they begin writing first sentence, everything is not easy as they expected There are many differences between spoken and written languages So, writing requires much patience and constant practice In all walks of life, people use writing as a basic working skill It is a process, a skill of hard- work and people must perform almost daily As a student, you will have a lot of writing tasks such as: assignments, essay, graduation training report, graduation paper,… Therefore, we should think clearly about what to write, how to write in order to have a good writing To my knowledge, there are many factors which help learners write an essay successfully During studying writing skill, especially writing essay, I am very interested in Cause and Effect essay, I realized how important they are and their effects when being used to write a paragraph or an essay But due to the limitation of time, the study on how to write a Cause and Effect essay effectively is not introduced clearly in writing subject Students not have chance to understand much about them With the hope that I can study more about Cause and Effect essay deeply Thus, I decided to choose a study on how to write a Cause and Effect essay, some common errors made by high school students in writing Cause and Effect English essay and suggestions for solutions as my graduation paper 1.2 Aims of the study The study “Some common errors made by high school students in writing Cause and Effect English essay and suggestions for solutions” is carried out in order to survey the skills of writing of high school students, especially the students at Mo Duc No II High School The study provides learners with the theoretical background of writing, such as the theory of academic writing, essay and especially, the theory of Cause and Effect essay It also points out the common mistakes facing the learners in the process of writing Cause and Effect essay and gives some advices, specific exercises to help English learners improve writing Cause and Effect effectively 1.3 Scope of the study Cause and Effect essay is used in every types of discourse, such as speaking, reading, listening and especially in writing However, due to the limitation of time, of knowledge and materials, I can only focus on theory of Cause and Effect essay, types of errors which students often make and methods to help students write the essay effectively 1.4 Research questions: How students understand about Cause and Effect English essay? What are the common errors which students often make? What are the solutions to help students write Cause and Effect English essay effectively? 1.5 Methodology To fulfill the above aims, qualitative and quantitative methods were chosen for the study All comments, remarks, assumptions and conclusion of the study were based on the data and analysis Data collections for analysis in this study were gained through the following the survey questionnaires resources 1.6 Organization of the Study This paper presented in five chapters They are: Chapter I( Introduction) The author provides information about the rationale of the study, states the aims of the study, specifies the scope of the study, research questions, research methodology as well as organization of the study Chapter II (Literature Review) Provides the previous study, the theoretical foundation of teaching writing Chapter III (Methods and Procedures) Mentions methods and procedures including the research methods and procedures, data collection, data analysis, reliability and validity Chapter IV (Findings and Discussions) Elaborates the procedures of the study in order to give clear answers to the study questions that have been proposed before The findings and discussions presented based on the data that analyzed and they are related to the theoretical background in chapter two Chapter V (Conclusion and Implications) Presents the conclusion of this study, the implications for teaching and learning, the limitations of the study and some suggestions for further study CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Review of Previous Studies 2.1.1 Writing in the English class: “The Key to improve the Vietnamese eleventh grader as a Foreign Language Learners’ Productive Writing Skill.” The researcher believes that considering the limitations of evaluation and reformation of problems in the form of teacher-student and the advantages of application of student-student approach, this approach can be a step forward in the attainment of education objectives of productive writing skill 2.2 Theoretical Background 2.2.1 Theories of Writing Skill 2.2.1.1 Writing Skill Definition According to Rivers (1981: 294), writing is conveying information or expression of original ideas in a consecutive way in the new language Brown, (2001: 336) also claimed that writing is a thinking process Furthermore, he states that writing can be planned and given with an unlimited number of revisions before its release In addition, Elbow (1973) in Brown (2001: 336) also says that writing is a two-step process The first process is figuring out the meaning and the second process is putting the meaning into language Writing represents what we think It is because the writing process reflects things, which stay in the mind 2.2.1.2 Writing Skill in Teaching Foreign Language 2.2.1.2.1 The Importance of Writing Skill In Teaching Foreign Language The ELLs find listening and reading are the easiest skills whereas they find speaking and writing are more difficult ones as they are productive skills 2.2.1.2.2 The Difficulties of Writing Skill in Teaching Foreign Language Among skills, they find writing skill the most difficult one and face many problems while composing simple short paragraphs 2.3 Overview on Essay and Cause and Effect Essay 2.3.1 What is an Essay According to Oshima, Alice and Hogue Ann (2004: 16) - the authors of English grammar: An essay is a piece of writing consisting of several paragraphs long instead of just one or two paragraphs 2.3.1.1 The Structural Parts of an Essay An essay has three main parts: Introduction, Body and Conclusion 2.3.2 Types of Essays Used in Academic Writing It would be wise to start studying different types of essays from the most time-consuming Five main categories of academic essays exist Those are: Descriptive Narrative Compare-&-contrast Persuasive/argumentative Expository 2.3.3 The Definition of Cause and Effect Essay The cause and effect essay explains why or how some event happened, and what resulted from the event 2.3.3.1 Structure of Cause and Effect Essay The following is a common structure of a cause and effect essay a, Introduction: Hook: introduces the causes/effects Background information helps the readers understand the causes and effects It can give historical information Thesis statement showing a relation between causes and effects b, Body Body paragraph (cause1/effect1) Topic sentence Supporting details Body paragraph (cause 2/effect2) Topic sentence Supporting details Body paragraph (cause 3/effect 3) Topic sentence Supporting details c, Conclusion Restatement/Summary Final comment 2.3.4 Processes of a Cause and Effect Essay Whenever we want to write any types of essay, we must necessary following processes : - Stimulating ideas - Brainstorming and Outlining - Developing ideas 2.4 Rules for a good Cause and Effect essay In the introduction, provide the necessary background to introduce your reader to your topic, and then write a thesis statement that clearly indicates whether your essay will discuss causes or effects In the body paragraph, analyze the causes or effects, giving a paragraph to each major cause or effect Use proper word indicators to show causes or to show effects Use appropriate transitions Explore each cause or effect thoroughly; not just write a list Do not shift away from the causes or effects For instance, not discuss ways to avoid sunburn in a paper whose purpose is to discuss the causes of sunburn Regularly remind your reader of your main idea or state the importance of the topic When you analyze causes, you should attempt to understand the relationship of events that brought about an outcome, but in this case one that was probably unexpected and not likely to be repeated in exactly the same way When you are discussing multiple causes for an effect, you need to be aware of the types of causes you are analyzing Do not have too much information to cover or introduce into your argument Avoid falling into a never-ending cycle of ideas; be concise, get to the point Some topics may have many causes and effects with which to deal Therefore, give some thought to how many and which ones you want to use; some may be more useful than others 10 CHAPTER III: METHODS AND PROCERDURES 3.1 Research Methodology In order to meet the above - mentioned aims of the study in the previous chapter, qualitative, quantitative and survey questionnaires are three approaches that the design of this study is based on 3.2 Research Procedures The study is conducted in some following steps: - Collecting data: conduct questionnaires to know the students' responses - Analyzing data (based on the research questions): point out students' attitudes about some writing skill aspects and the impact of suggestions to help students write Cause/ Effect essay better - Synthesizing the findings and drawing conclusions - Putting forwards some implications for teaching and learning and some suggestions for further research 3.3 Data Collections The data collection took place around the end of May 2020 Data was collected by distributing 80 questionnaires to the eleventh graders at Mo Duc No II High School The students were written informed about the objectives of this study and then given the questionnaires to fill in during their lessons' break 3.4 Data Analysis The aim of the questionnaires was to collect data relating to students' attitudes towards writing skill, the reasons that caused students' diverse in learning writing skill, students' attitudes towards Cause/ Effect essay, using suggestions to write essay better in teaching and learning writing skill Basing on categories established, data was then analyzed by using descriptive statistics (percentage) and qualitative statistics (informal discussions, interview) Charts were mainly employed to analyze and compare figures 3.5 Reliability and Validity Validity and reliability are often based on a perspective congruent with the philosophical assumption underlying the paradigm of the case being investigated (Merriam, 2009: 211) 11 CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 4.1 Some Errors in Writing Cause/ Effect Essay Encountered by Students in High school 4.1.1 Repeating Transitional Words in an Essay Almost Vietnamese learners have the same habit when they write essay: they always use a transitional word many times Although that transition word makes coherence for writing, overuse of them is considered poor style in Academic writing, which causes the confusing and boring for readers The following is an example of the overuse transition words 4.1.2 Omitting Transition Words in an Essay Except for repeating transitional words, learners may omit transitional words in an essay; sometimes, learners only write sentences what they have in mind like brainstorming They may not notice that sentences or paragraphs need unity and coherence Thus, they omit necessary transition words in their essay This mistake also makes readers confused and the essay not effective 4.1.3 Incorrect Topic Sentences in Body Paragraphs Some students, after giving the thesis statement in introduction part, when they write the body paragraphs, they omit topic sentences for each paragraph This problem is caused by the habit of having only one topic sentence in the introduction part when they write paragraphs We can see this problem from the following essay: 4.2 Some Suggestions to Improve Writing Cause and Effect Essay 4.2.1 Using various transitional words Depending on the kinds of paragraph as well as the purpose of writer, a variety of transition words should be used appropriately In fact, each paragraph has its own transition signals Therefore, the writers should learn to use them effectively in writing Do not always use the same transitional words many times 4.2.2 Writing Correct Topic Sentences in Body Paragraphs The topic of a paragraph must state the main ideas of it It not only names the topic of paragraph, but it also limits the topic to one or two areas that can be 12 discussed completely in the space of a single paragraph Therefore, topic sentence states both the topic and the controlling ideas 13 CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATION 5.1 Conclusion This study is to explore the literature review on the challenges faced by both the students and teachers in learning and teaching writing skills It can be concluded that school students are facing many challenges to learn writing skills and it is not easy for English teachers to teach them writing skills The existing literature has identified demands on writing skills in English, purpose of students’ writing by using various writing strategies, challenges faced by both the students and teachers in learning and teaching writing skills and past studies on the challenges faced by students and teachers to learn and teach writing skills among English as a Second Language school students By understanding both the students’ and teachers’ challenges in learning and teaching writing skills, the teachers could choose the best possible approach to teach writing skills by giving feedback and guidance Besides, the school management should take necessary actions on the challenges faced by the teachers in order to facilitate the teachers to have effective teaching process Finally, teachers may stress the importance of learning writing skills to the students in order to motivate them to learn writing skills 5.2 Implication • Allow students to generate their own ideas through pre-writing strategies and by writing about topics that are related to the students' world experience for writing to be meaningful • Create opportunities for students to make decisions on the purpose and the form of the essay rather than have them what the teacher tells them all the time • Provide feedback on drafts that stimulates and encourages students to rethink and revise ideas instead of merely focusing on form and accuracy as this could inhibit students and discourage them from trying to develop and formulate their ideas using their own words and sentences • Conference with students to help them gain insights and understanding of their writing process and to provide them with support • Promote collaborative rather than competitive learning in the class by encouraging students to share the ideas that they have written in Teaching Writing 14 REFERENCES I In English: Alice S & Patricia.M (2006) Effective academic writing Oxford University Press Antonacci, P.&O’Clallagha, C 2012 Promoting Literacy Development: 50 Research-BasedStrategies for K-8 Learners SAGE Publications, Inc Al-Shourafa, A 2012 The Effect of Motivation on Jordanian 10th Grade Students’ Writing Skill in English.Jordan: European Scientific Journa Asep S (2014) The Challenges in Teaching Writing Skill at Junior High School: Problems and Solutions Anyiendah, M S (2017) Challenges Faced by Teachers When Teaching English Public Primary Schools in Kenya Azzioui, A (2009) Teaching Writing through the Process Approach (Master degree).Mentouri University of Constantine 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Writing Academic English (A third edition) Addison Wesley Publishing Company 16 Okwara, M.O (2012) “A study of factors related to achievement in written composition among secondary school students in Busia district” Unpublished master’s thesis Kenyatta University 17 Quirk, R and Greenbaum (1973) A university Grammar of English David Campbell Publishers Ltd 18 Raimes, A (1983) Techniques in Teaching Writing New York, NY: Oxford University Press 19 Rao Z (2007).Training in brainstorming and developing writing skills ETL Journal 20 Richards, J C (1990) From meaning into words: Writing in a second or foreign language The language teaching Matrix Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 21 Richards, J.C and Renandya, W.A (Eds.).(2010) Methodology in language teaching Cambridge: CUP 22 Stephen.B (2006) A handbook for International Students.(A Second Edition) Routledge Publishing Company 23 Zerin, S 2007 Teaching Writing to Young Learners BRAC University II In Vietnamese: 1.Tran Le Duyen & Duong Thi Thuc (2009) Academic paragraphs and essay in English Scientific and Society Publishing III Websites: http://www.ehow.com/how_2099899_write-cause-effect-essay.html http://www.eslbee.com/cause.htm http://www.essaytown.com/writing/write-effect-essay http://hotessays.blogspot.com/2010/03/cause-and-effect-essay.html http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/28788.aspx http://www.buzzle.com/articles/cause-and-effect-essay.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_writing 16 ... of evaluation and reformation of problems in the form of teacher-student and the advantages of application of student-student approach, this approach can be a step forward in the attainment of. .. Essay and Cause and Effect Essay 2.3.1 What is an Essay According to Oshima, Alice and Hogue Ann (2004: 16) - the authors of English grammar: An essay is a piece of writing consisting of several... types of discourse, such as speaking, reading, listening and especially in writing However, due to the limitation of time, of knowledge and materials, I can only focus on theory of Cause and Effect