Common errors in writing argumentative essays made by the second year students of bachelor of pedagogy in english hanoi pedagogical university n0 2 and suggested solution to overcome them

2 FOREIGN LANGUAGES FACULTY NGUYEN THI THU HA COMMON ERRORS IN WRITING ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAYS MADE BY THE SECOND YEAR STUDENTS OF BACHELOR OF PEDAGOGY IN ENGLISH AT HANOI PEDAGOGICAL U

HA NOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY N 0 2

FOREIGN LANGUAGES FACULTY

NGUYEN THI THU HA

COMMON ERRORS IN WRITING ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAYS MADE BY THE SECOND YEAR STUDENTS OF

BACHELOR OF PEDAGOGY IN ENGLISH

AT HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY N 0 2 AND SUGGESTED SOLUTION TO OVERCOME THEM

(submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements of the degree of

Bachelor of Pedagogy in English)

SUPERVISOR: NGUYEN VAN DEN, M.A

Ha Noi, May 2016

Ha noi, May 2016

by me under strict guidance from my supervisors

Date submitted: May 2016

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the people who made it possible for me complete this thesis for graduation First and foremost, I want to send the deepest appreciation to my supervisor: Mr Nguyen Van Den and Mr William Salazar at Hanoi Pedagogical University N0 2 for their insightful advice and suggestions and kind encouragement Without his help and guidance, I would not have been able to complete my research work

Without his help, I would not have been able to complete this thesis

I want to express my sincere gratitude to the committee members for their advice and invaluable feedback with their assistance I would able to complete

Actually, students of English often make errors in writing essay Therefore,

a research with eighty-eight second-year students of Bachelor of Pedagogy in English at Hanoi Pedagogical University N0.2 (HPU2) was carried out The data was collected by using questionnaires which were designed to map out errors in writing argumentative essay The research work entails studying the writing skill and conducting a survey for difficulty analysis

Based on the results of the pre-survey, the writing habit of HPU2 student, the types of common errors and causes have been found, and solutions to the problems have been suggested

Based on the results of the post-survey, the solutions and interventions by the teacher in correcting writing errors were demonstrated that they were effective in eliminating the most common writing errors in writing

argumentative essays

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LIST OF CHARTS

Chart 1: Common errors essay writing made by the students 27

Chart 2: The common grammar errors in the students’ essay writing 28

Chart 3: Student’s difficulties with their vocabulary 35

Chart 4: Result of the survey on common errors in students’ essay writing 45

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i

LIST OR ABBREVIATIONS iv

LIST OF CHARTS v

PART ONE INTRODUCTION I RATIONALE 1

II RESEARCH PRESUPPOSITION 2

III RESEARCH OBJECTIVE 3

IV RESEARCH SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF STUDY 3

V RESEARCH TASKS 3

VI RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 4

VII SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH 4

VIII DESIGN OF THE RESEARCH 4

PART TWO DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER ONE: THEORICAL BACKGROUND I.1 LITERATURE REVIEW IN BRIEF 6

I.2 OVERVIEW OF WRITING ESSAY 8

I.2.1 WRITING ESSAYS RULES IN GENERAL 8

I.2.1.1 Definition of the essay 8

I.2.1.2 The structure of an essay 9

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I.2.1.2.1 Introduction 11

I.2.1.2.1.1 General statement 11

I.2.1.2.1.2 Thesis statement 11

I.2.1.2.2 Body paragraph 11

I.2.1.2.3 Concluding paragraph 12

I.2.1.3 Writing essay stages 12

I.2.1.3.1 Choose a topic 12

I.2.1.3.1.1.Topic has been assigned 12

I.2.1.3.1.2 Topic has not been assigned 13

I.2.1.3.2 Define the purpose 13

I.2.1.3.3 Brainstorm subject of interest 13

I.2.1.3.4 Organize the ideas 13

I.2.1.3.4.1 Outline 13

I.2.1.3.4.2 Compose the thesis statement 14

I.2.1.3.5 Writing the body paragraph 15

I.2.1.3.6 Write the introduction and the conclusion 15

I.2.1.3.6.1 Introduction 16

I.2.1.3.6.2 Conclusion 16

I.2.1.3.7 Check your writing 17

I.2.2 ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY 18

I.2.2.1 Definition 18

I.2.2.2 Organization of an argumentative essay 18

I.2.2.3 Characteristic of a good argumentative essay 19

CHAPTER TWO METHODOLOGY II.1 Survey questionnaires (Appendix A and B) 21

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II.1.1 Rationale behind the use of survey questionnaire 22

II.1.2 Population of the survey 22

II.1.3 Construction of the survey 23

II.1.3.1 Pre-survey questionnaire 23

II.1.3.2 Post-survey questionnaire 23

II.1.4 Administration of the try-out 24

II.1.4.1 Preparation of the try-out 24

II.1.4.2 Try-out 24

II.1.5 Methods of data analysis 25

CHAPTER THREE THE RESULTS III.1 THE RESULT OF THE SURVEY 26

III.1.1 Result of the pre- survey 26

III.1.1.1 The common errors in essay writing made by the 2nd students of Bachelor of Pedagogy in English at HPU2 27

III.1.1.1.1 Errors in format 27

III.1.1.1.2 Errors in grammar 28

III.1.1.1.2.1 Subject/verb disagreement 29

III.1.1.1.2.2 Vague pronoun reference 30

III.1.1.1.2.3 Wrong preposition 30

III.1.1.1.2.4 Fragment 31

III.1.1.1.2.5 Confused words 31

III.1.1.1.2.6 Wrong verb form 32

III.1.1.1.2.7 Nonstandard vocabulary 32

III.1.1.1.2.8 Parallel structure 32

III.1.1.1.2.9 Punctuation 33

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III.1.1.1.2.10 Capitalization 33

III.1.1.1.3 Error in content 34

III.1.2 The reasons of making errors in writing argumentative essay 34

III.1.2.1 Limitation of vocabulary 34

III.1.2.2 Writing habits 36

III.1.2.2.1 Planning essay 36

III.1.2.2.2.Writing frequency 36

III.1.2.2.3 The influence of using Vietnamese in writing 37

III.1.3.SUGGESTED SOLUTION 38

III.1.3.1 Teacher’s correction and responding to students’ writings 38

III.1.3.1.1.Teacher’s correction 38

III.1.3.1.2.Teacher’s responding to students’ writing 40

III.1.3.2 Self correction and peer – correction 41

III.1.4 Results of the post -survey 45

PART THREE CONCLUSION REFERENCE 49

APPENDIX A: PRE-SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE 52

APPENDIX B: POST-SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE 57

KEYS OF APPENDIX A 60

KEYS OF APPENDIX B: 62

PART ONE INTRODUCTION

I RATIONALE

It cannot be denied the importance of English in everyday use Approximately 300 million people speak English as the first language and another 350 million use it as a second language It is the official or semi-official language in more than 60 countries and of many international organizations International organizations hold their meetings in English It is the official language of air transportation and commercial shipping; the leading language of science, technology, computers, and commerce; and a major medium of education, publishing, and international negotiation

In Vietnam, studying English has become an essential skill for high school, colleges, and universities students; and it is also necessary for every academic major The need for student to express themselves in writing is crucial to their academic and career success The need to master the English writing process is a challenge for all students of English

Good writing skills are vital for academic success University students are required to complete many English assignments Students who have the competency in writing in English will be able to express themselves effectively Moreover, they will have more advantages when applying for jobs that required good writing skill, especially in the private sector that are involved at the international level especially in areas of: trade, manufacturing, commerce, and finance Good writing skills are needed for the domestic non-private sector such

as tourism, sales, business and education However, in process of writing, some students make errors that they are not aware of; these errors affect the quality of their writings Therefore, it is necessary that teachers should show common errors to help students enhance their ability to write Because the more one gains

in knowledge about such errors, the more one improve his/her writing skills gradually

With the purpose of helping learners of English in avoiding the errors in writing essays, this thesis is conducted which focuses on common errors in writing argumentative essay among the second-year students of Bachelor of Pedagogy in English at HPU2 in the academic year of 2015-2016

II RESEARCH PRESUPPOSITION

Essay writing is one of the most important skills of second-year students of Bachelor of Pedagogy in English at HPU2 because they have to have good writing skills their 5th term semester, and for other subjects such as English-American literature, and English classes such as: speaking, reading, listening and most importantly, writing Students also need good writing skills when they take IELTS certification exam The following questions form the basis of this study:

1 What are the most common errors in writing argumentative essays that second year students of Bachelor of Pedagogy in English at HPU2 make in the academic year of 2015-2016?

2 What are the causes of making errors in writing argumentative essay that the second year students of Bachelor of Pedagogy in English at HPU2 often commit in the academic year of 2015-2016?

3 What are the most effective strategies and techniques that teachers of writing can incorporate to help second year students of Bachelor of Pedagogy in English at HPU2 to correct the most common errors in writing argumentative essays, in the academic year of 2015-2016?

Based on the questions above, I am eager to find out the most common errors that students commit in the writing process at HPU2, and conduct the analysis so that I can highlight the major errors in writing argumentative essays

III RESEARCH OBJECTIVE

This research focuses on the writing essay skill of the second-year students

of Bachelor of Pedagogy in English at HPU2 The study is aimed at the

following goals:

1 To find the most common errors in writing argumentative essays that second year students of Bachelor of Pedagogy in English at HPU2 make in the research scope in the academic year of 2015-2016

2 To find out the causes of those errors in writing argumentative essays that the second year students of Bachelor of Pedagogy in English at HPU2 often commit in the academic year of 2015-2016

3 To find the effective strategies and techniques that the teachers of writing can incorporate to help second year students of Bachelor of Pedagogy in English at HPU2 to correct the most common errors in writing argumentative essays, in the academic year of 2015-2016

IV RESEARCH SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF STUDY

The research is limited to some common errors in writing argumentative essays that second year students of Bachelor of Pedagogy in English at HPU2 The population involves in the study is eighty-eight second-year students of the Course 40 Bachelor of Pedagogy in English Class in the Foreign Languages Faculty at HPU2

V RESEARCH TASKS

The study involves fulfilling the following procedures:

1 Provide an overview of the essay writing process such as the definition

of the written essay, the writing step-by-step process of essay writing; and the

format of a completed essay

2 To study the definition, the structure and characteristics of an effective

argumentative essay

3 To conduct a pre-survey to find out some of the main common writing errors committed in writing argumentative essays And the bases of the surveys, discuss with teacher possible interventions to correct the writing errors

4 Conduct a post-survey to find out if the solutions and interventions by teacher were effective in correcting and eliminating the most common writing errors in writing argumentative essays

VI RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

In order to set up a firm theoretical background for the study, relevant publications are critically reviewed To achieve the objectives of the study, the following procedures have been applied:

1 Collecting information from books and journals as listed in the reference section

2 Consulting with supervisor, experienced teachers and classmates

3 Synthesizing theoretical information on English grammar

4 Conducting a survey and analyzing the results

VII SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH

After the research, it is hoped that the results will be helpful to provide:

1 Valuable writing information for 2nd year HPU2 students of writing in order to reduce their errors in writing argumentative essays

2 Effective information to the teachers of English composition courses at HPU2 on most common errors that students make in writing argumentative essays

3 To provide solutions to the most common writing errors so that teachers can use the appropriate strategies, techniques and teaching methods This study is also beneficial to anyone who has the need to improve their writing argumentative essays

VIII DESIGN OF THE RESEARCH

The research study has three main parts, namely: Introduction, Development, and Conclusion

The “Development” section consists of three chapters Chapter one is entitled: “Theoretical Background” It consists two sections Section one reviews the literature review in brief Section two deals with ideas related to rules of essay writing in general and it include the definition of what is an essay, the structure and the stages of writing the essay Moreover, this section includes writing tips such as brainstorming techniques, learning how to budget time for timed writing exams; and techniques how to make strong arguments

Chapter two is titled Methodology It has two sections Section one describes the research methodology It is composed of the description of the subjects and the data collection instrument Detailed information about the research procedures is also provided

Chapter Three is titled Results It consists of the subsection of, “What are the most common errors encountered by 2nd year students of Bachelor of Pedagogy in English at HPU2 The reasons for these problems and other writing solutions is also provided

The “Conclusion” consists of the discussion section where the researcher offers an analysis of the survey and offers some suggestions and solutions to the problems for both the teacher and the student in improving the teaching and writing of argumentative essay

PART TWO DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER ONE: THEORICAL BACKGROUND

I.1 LITERATURE REVIEW IN BRIEF

Language is used for many purposes Next to speaking, writing skills is one

of the productive skills that should be mastered in to add to vocal communication Blanchard and Root (1997), state that “Not everyone is a naturally gifted writer Writing is a skill that can be practiced and mastered” (Blanchard & Root, p.1)

There are many definitions of writing as expressed by different writing experts According to Rivers (1981),“Writing is used to conveying information

or to the expression of original ideas in a consecutive way in the new language” (Rivers, 1981, p.294) Brown (2001) also claims that, “Writing is a thinking process” (Brown, 2001, p.336) Another definition of writing skill also was offered by Urquhart and Mclver Urquhart and Mclver (2005, p.5-6) define writing is a recursive process, which means students revise throughout the process, frequently moving back and forth among the stages All writing researchers and experts have their own definitions of writing; and writing skills have been the topic of much research as well as many textbooks as referenced

by Zemach and Rumisek (2005), Blanchard Karen and Root Christine (1997), Brandon Lee (2005), Ferris (1999, 2004) and Truscott (1996, 1999) Generally, these writing experts focus their attention on the ways of teaching effective writing, and provide models and methods of to teach and improve students’ writing essay skills Many of these writing authors provide key step-by-step strategies and provide the essential elements of a good essay

Zemach and Rumisek (2005) in their book, Academic Writing from

Paragraph to Essay, introduce the process writing, focusing specific writing that

students need They also provide a basic analyzes of the different types of paragraph that commonly occur in academic contexts and texts

Blanchard Karen and Root Christine (1997) in their book, Ready to write

more: a first composition text present paragraph development and the

fundamental compositions skills students need for successful academic work, with an expanded section of model paragraphs and elaborate on writing process

In his book, How to write an essay in five steps, Scribendi (2013) covers

the various kinds of essays, how to quickly research your essay, and how to organize your essay so your teacher can easily follow your thoughts

Issues of error analysis and correction are of great importance in addressing the language problems of all students The recent literature on error correction has witnessed a lively debate between Ferris (1999, 2004) and Truscott (1996,

1999) in the, Journal of Second Language Writing The debate is whether

teachers should correct all errors in student compositions Truscott’s article argues against the correction of language errors in students’ writing, postulating that such correction should be abandoned because it is not only ineffective, and often harmful Truscott believes that error correction has no positive effect, given the nature of the correction process and its lack of correspondence to the language-learning process In trying to prove that his position in question supports his theory that is the ineffectiveness of error correction, Truscott (1996:331) seems to stretch the point by stating that, “…no reason was offered that more corrections would have helped (the writer improve his/her writing ability.”

In contrast to Truscott’s position, Ferris (2004,p 56) reports that students are likely to attend to and appreciate feedback on their errors, and this may motivate them both to make corrections and to work harder on improving their writing The lack of such feedback may lead to anxiety or resentment, which could decrease motivation and lower confidence in their teachers

In conclusion, much research has conducted on developing and improving students’ writing skills Only Ferris points out the importance of errors correction in improving writing skills In fact, there are far more difficulties that learners of English often face in mastering the intricacies of writing Overall, the writers in different ways aim to help students be aware of their own errors in writing desire to help composition teachers teach their students to be aware of their own writing errors This is an important point as in the purpose of mastering the argumentative essay is to prepare students to successfully pass the writing portion of national and certification tests With the aim to help students

to be aware of their own errors in writing and help teacher have more detailed judge about student’s writing especially in writing argumentative essay, most required in exams, the study on “Common errors in writing argumentative essay made by the second year students of Bachelor of Pedagogy in English at Hanoi Pedagogical University N0.2” has been conducted

I.2 OVERVIEW OF WRITING ESSAY

I.2.1 WRITING ESSAYS RULES IN GENERAL

I.2.1.1 Definition of the essay

Lee (2005) states that, “The essay is a group of paragraphs each with a function of supporting a controlling idea called the thesis” (p.83) Professor Muftah Lataiwish (2001) research is in agreement when he says that “An essay

is a series of paragraphs about one topic” (p.87)

In addition Kathleen Sullivan (1984) defines that “A short composition is also called a theme or an essay.The word composition means putting together a whole by the combination of parts” (p.119)

Moreover, Thomas Kane (2000) shares the same ideas when he writes that,

“An essay is a relatively short composition” He also adds that “It would be a mistake to define it precisely Here, essays will simply mean a short prose piece” (p.42)

In writing about the writing process, the above writers and authors agree that an essay is a combination of paragraphs, and that a composition expresses a particular theme and that an essay is a short composition, designed to present the writer’s thoughts on a particular subject It is important to note that all the above writers and authors agree about what an essay is, in spite of their different manners of stating their positions

I.2.1.2 The structure of an essay

According to Alice Oshima and Ann Hogue (2006, p.136), an essay includes three main parts: an introduction (introductory paragraph), a body (at least one, but usually two or more paragraphs), and a conclusion (concluding paragraph)

Title

Figure one: Diagram of an essay Alice Oshima and Ann Hogue (2006, p.136)

General statements Thesis statement

B Topic sentence

1 Support

2 Support

3 Support (Concluding sentence)

C Topic sentence

1 Support

2 Support

3 Support (Concluding sentence)

II Body

III Conclusion Restatement of summary of the main points; final comment

I.2.1.2.1 Introduction

Zemach and Rumisek (2005) define that the first paragraph of an essay is the introduction The introduction explains the topic the overview of the ideas, delivered by means of well-developed thesis statement that focuses on the main idea(s)

Alice Oshima and Ann Hogue (2006) share the same ideas that “An essay introduction consists two parts: a few general statements to attract your reader’s attention and a thesis statement to state the main idea of the essay”

I.2.1.2.1.1 General statement

According to Alice Oshima and Ann Hogue (2006), general statements introduce the general topic and capture the reader’s interest This is crucial for

an argumentative composition If the writer is involved in the writing process, the reader will more easily be persuaded by the writer’s arguments or position It

is important to note that general statements do not state the topic of the essay directly, but provides background information that will lead the reader to the topic The general statement includes a general idea that relates to the topic

I.2.1.2.1.2 Thesis statement

The thesis statement, as defined by Zemach and Rumisek (2005), is the central sentence that conveys the main idea of the whole essay It is the central overview of the whole essay It can be compared to the topic sentence, which gives the main idea of a paragraph

The thesis statement states the specific topic It may list subtopics or subdivisions of the main topic or subtopic, or may indicate the pattern of organization of the essay.(Alice Oshima & Ann Hogue, 2006)

I.2.1.2.2 Body paragraph

According Zemach and Rumisek (2005), the function of body paragraph is

to explain and/or support the thesis statement Body paragraphs come between the introduction and the conclusion and there must be one more paragraphs in the main body of an essay

Alice Oshima and Ann Hogue (2006) state that the body paragraph are like the supporting sentences in a paragraph They also suggest that the body paragraphs should be organized according to some sort of pattern, such as chronological order or comparison/contrast Sometime, the combination of patterns needs to be used depending on the topic chosen

I.2.1.2.3 Concluding paragraph

Alice Oshima and Ann Hogue (2006) report that the conclusion is the final paragraph in an essay which has three purposes:

1 Signal the end of an essay

2 Remind the reader the main point by summarizing the topic or paraphrasing the thesis statement

3 Leave the reader with the final thoughts on the topic This is an opportunity to convey a strong, effective message that the reader will remember

I.2.1.3 Writing essay stages

I.2.1.3.1 Choose a topic

The choice of essay topic is crucial to the end result of any form of essay writing While it is great to be able to choose a topic that one cares passionately about, there will not always be freedom to do so It doesn't mean, however, that one cannot choose an effective essay topic when specific instructions have to be followed

I.2.1.3.1.1.Topic has been assigned

In many history courses, a list of topics could be provided to choose from The writers will still need to work with their assigned topic to ensure that it provides with ample opportunity to write a good essay

After that, they start researching that topic, brainstorm, and they make an outline As research the topic, they make notes and record all things learnt This will make it easier to form an outline from the notes taken

I.2.1.3.1.2 Topic has not been assigned

Choosing a topic may seem like an easy step, but it should be done with care

Topic selection must be specific Because of this, it is impossible to cover a general topic in the scope of an essay For example, the topic “Internet” is a general one In this case, the writer should narrow down the topic, for example:

“Facebook” Something more specific will give a deeper and more detailed discussion of this topic such as “How Facebook influences us”

I.2.1.3.2 Define the purpose

The first thing to do is to think about the purpose of the essay that must be written Is the purpose to persuade people to believe as the writer’s view, to explain to people how to complete a particular task, to educate people about some person, place, thing or idea or something else entirely?

Lataiwish (2001) in the book Elements of writing from sentence to essay

presents that “Writing an essay will require some questions that need answers These questions plan the ideas and the structure of the essay about Who, What, When, Where, and How (p.90)

I.2.1.3.3 Brainstorm subject of interest

Lataiwish (2001) states that brainstorming is a process of writing about many thoughts as quickly as possible There is no formal organization in the beginning; later the writer look back at his/her ideas and sentences jotted down, and select the best to organize for the essay

Brainstorming is thinking about a list of ideas It may be a list of general topic if the topic has not chosen It also may be a list of specific ideas and details

if the topic has already chosen

I.2.1.3.4 Organize the ideas

I.2.1.3.4.1 Outline

Lataiwish (2001) claims that an outline is a method of organizing material that illustrates the sequence of the topic in the essay

It also suggested that because an essay is long, it is important to organize and plan before you begin to write The best way to do this is to make an outline An outline not only organizes your thoughts, but it also keeps you on track once you begin to write (Alice Oshima & Ann Hogue, 2006)

According to Zenmach and Rumisek (2005), before writing an outline, you must go though the usual process of gathering ideas, editing them and deciding

on the topic for your writing They also claim that writing an outline can be a very useful way of organizing the ideas and seeing how they will work together

It is also suggested to show the ideas working together by numbering

them Here are some suggestions in the book Academic Writing from paragraph

to essay (Zemach & Rumisek, 2005):

To avoid confusion, use several different types of numbers and letters to show the organization of the ideas

Use the Roman numerals (I, II, III, IV…) for your essay’s main ideas: your introduction and thesis statement, your main body paragraphs and your conclusion Write all of these first

Capital letters A, B, C, D, and so on label the body paragraphs

Arabic numerals 1,2,3,4, and so on number the subpoints in each paragraph

Small letters a, b, c, d, and so on label the specific supporting details

I.2.1.3.4.2 Compose the thesis statement

Now that you have decided, at least tentatively, what information you plan

to present in your essay, you are ready to write your thesis statement The thesis statement tells the reader what the essay is about, and what point you, the author, will be making, and As Kathleen Sullivan (1984) claims that thesis statement or thesis sentence (the terms are synonymous) State the purpose of the composition It conveys the central or main idea of the composition and often indicates how the main idea will be supported Ideally, it is a sentence summary

of the whole composition

Now you must look at your outline or diagram and decide what point you will be making What do the main ideas and supporting ideas that you have listed say about your topic?

I.2.1.3.5 Writing the body paragraph

In the body of the essay, all the preparation up to this point comes to fruition The topic you have chosen must now be explained, described, or argued Each main idea that you have written down in your diagram or outline will become one of the body paragraphs If you have three or four main ideas, you will have three or four body paragraphs

Each paragraph will have the same basic structure:

1-Start by writing down one of your main ideas, in sentence form If your main idea is "Reduces freeway congestion" you may say: Public transportation reduces freeway congestion

2-Next, write down each of your supporting points for that main idea, but leave four or five lines in between each point

3-In the space under each point, write down some elaboration for that point Elaboration can be further description or discussion, supporting points; for example with the point:” Commuters appreciate the cost savings of taking public transportation rather than driving” Elaboration can be: “Less driving times means less maintenance expense, such as oil changes Of course, less driving time means saving on gasoline as well In many cases, these saving amount to more than the cost of riding public transportation”

4-If you wish, this is not generally needed, however; and such sentences have a tendency to using them.?Once you have fleshed out each of your body paragraphs, one for each main idea, you are ready to continue

I.2.1.3.6 Write the introduction and the conclusion

Your essay lacks only two paragraphs now The introduction and the conclusion, these paragraphs will give the reader a point of entry and a point of exit from your essay

I.2.1.3.6.1 Introduction

The introduction should be designed to attract the reader's attention and give him an idea of the essay's focus, and as Lee (2005) states "A good introduction paragraph does many things It attracts the reader's interest, states

or points toward the thesis and makes the reader smoothly into the body paragraphs, the development paragraphs."(p.85)

According to Alice Oshima and Ann Hogue (2006), “The introductory paragraph of the model essay is a funnel introduction This introduction is so called because it is shaped like a funnel-wide at the top and narrowed at the bottom”

The writer is advised to write introduction as the steps as following:

Step 1: Read each of the following sets of sentences When put in the

correct order, they will form introductory paragraphs

Step 2: Write each paragraph, beginning with the most general statement

first

Then add each sentence in the correct order until the introduction becomes more specific Write the thesis statement last

Step 3: Identify the type of introduction (funnel, dramatic/interesting/funny

story, surprising statistics, historical)

I.2.1.3.6.2 Conclusion

The conclusion brings closure to the reader summing up your points or providing a final perspective on your topic "Your concluding paragraph should give the reader the feeling that you said all you want to say about your subject" (Brandon, Lee, 2005, p.87)

The conclusion is the final paragraph of the essay A good concluding paragraph

 Summarizes the main points of the essay

 Restates the thesis (using different words)

Makes a final comment about the essay’s main ideas

 May emphasize an action that you would like the reader to take

The conclusion should not introduce new ideas A conclusion only restates

or gives further commentary on ideas discussed in the essay

Here are techniques that you can use to write a memorable conclusion:

Make a prediction

E.g: We have seen how the costs of attending college have been rising while, at the same time, sources of financial aid for students have been disappearing If this trend continues, fewer and fewer families will be able to send their children through four years of college

Suggest results or consequences

E.g: To sum up, the costs of attending college are up and financial aid for students is down Fewer and fewer future members of the workforce are able to educate themselves beyond high school As a result, the nation will waste the intelligence, imagination, and energy of a large segment of the present college- age generation

Suggest a solution, make a recommendation, or call for action

E.g: We have advanced technology that allows deepwater offshore drilling, but we lack the advanced technology that would manage these spills effectively,

as such until cleanup and prevention technology are available we should, as gatekeepers of our coastal shores and defenders of marine wildlife, ban offshore drilling- or, at the very least, demand a moratorium on all offshore oil drilling

I.2.1.3.7 Check your writing

Nothing can substitute for revision of your work By reviewing what you have done, you can improve weak points that otherwise would be missed Read

and reread our paper

•Does it make logical sense? Leave it for a few hours and then read it again Does it still make logical sense?

•Do the statements flow smoothly from one another? If not, try to add some words and phrases to help connect them Transition words, such as "Therefore"

or "However", sometimes help Also, you might refer one sentence to a thought

in the previous sentence This is especially useful when you move from one paragraph to another

•Have you run a spell checker or grammar checker? These aids cannot catch every error, but they might catch errors that you have missed Once you have checked your work and perfected your formatting, your essay is finished

I.2.2 ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY

I.2.2.1 Definition

Argumentative essay

Alice Oshima and Ann Hogue (2006) defines that an argumentative essay

is an essay in which you agree or disagree with an issue, using reasons to support your opinion Your goal is to convince your reader that your opinion is right It can not be denied that argumentative is a popular kind of essay question because it forces students to think on their own: They have to take a stand on an issue, support their stand with solid reasons, and support their reason with solid evidence

Alan Barker (2013) reports that we tend to use the word “argument” to mean a disagreement In this kind of argument, people exchange views, often in

a heated, emotionally charged way Everyday argument of this kind often revolves around feelings or moral issues He also suggest that we can also use the world “argue” in the sense of “making a case” We use this meaning of the word for more formal situations; for example, we might talk about lawyer arguing her case in court, or a politician argues for reducing taxes

I.2.2.2 Organization of an argumentative essay

Alice Oshima and Ann Hogue (2006) write that there are several ways to organize an argumentative essay You can use a block pattern or point-by-point pattern The following chart shows these two possible patterns

Block pattern Point-by-point pattern

I Introduction

Explanation of the issue, including a

summary of the other side’s arguments

Thesis statement

II Body

Block 1

A Summary of other side’s arguments

B Rebuttal to the first argument

C Rebuttal to the second argument

D Rebuttal to the third argument

Block 2

E Your first argument

F Your second argument

G Your third argument

III Conclusion

Restate your thesis/claim, address

opposing viewpoints and explain why

readers should align with your

position

I Introduction Explanation of the issue, including a summary of the other side’s arguments Thesis statement

II Body

A Statement of the other side’s first argument and rebuttal with your own counterargument

B Statement of the other side’s second argument and rebuttal with your own counterargument

C Statement of the other side’s third argument and rebuttal with your own counterargument

III Conclusion Restate your thesis/claim, address opposing viewpoints and explain why readers should align with your

position

I.2.2.3 Characteristic of a good argumentative essay

Wang (2007) states that a good argumentative essay is designed to assess the writer ability to:

1 Present differing points of view and support one with his/her own ideas

2 Communicate his/her ideas and opinions clearly and fluently

3 Use grammatical and appropriate English with a wide range of structures and vocabulary

4 Organize his/her ideas and stick to the point

Alice Oshima and Ann Hogue (2006) state that an argumentative essay contains these five key elements:

1 An explanation of the issue

2 A clear thesis statement

3 A summary of the opposing arguments

4 Rebuttals to the opposing arguments

5 Your own argument

CHAPTER TWO METHODOLOGY

In this chapter, the research methods are described Two survey questionnaires including pre- survey questionnaire and post-survey questionnaire were conducted They were designed to map out the errors in writing argumentative essay made by the second-year students of Bachelor of Pedagogy in English at Hanoi Pedagogical University N0.2 In addition, this chapter also presents the findings of the practical research with the second-year students of Bachelor of Pedagogy in English at Hanoi Pedagogical University

N0.2 The results of the survey with detailed information about the research procedures were presented Based on the results of the pre-survey, the writing habit of HPU2 student, the types of common errors and causes have been found, and solutions to the problems have been suggested

Based on the results of the post-survey, the solutions and interventions by teacher in correcting writing errors were demonstrated that they were effective

in eliminating the most common writing errors in writing argumentative essays

II.1 SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRES (APPENDIX A AND B)

As mentioned in chapter one, the study does not only help students of English have a deep insight into the writing essay skill but also find out the common errors in writing argumentative essay Due to the framework of a thesis, to map out all the common errors made by the student at all educational levels is impossible Therefore, this thesis only focus on the common errors in writing argumentative essay made by the second-year students of Bachelor of Pedagogy in English at Hanoi Pedagogical University N0.2 To find out those errors, two survey questionnaires were conducted

II.1.1 RATIONALE BEHIND THE USE OF SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE

Survey questionnaire is chosen for this study because of four main reasons Firstly, it is believed that it is an inexpensive way to gather data from a potentially large number of respondents Secondly, it can reach a large number

of people in a very short time Richards (1994, p.10) points out that it is useful

in “gathering information about affective dimensions of teaching and learning such as beliefs, attitudes, motivation, preferences and enabling a teacher to collect a large amount of information relatively quickly” As it is in the case, a questionnaire survey was designed to find out the difficulties in writing argumentative essay made by the second-year students of Bachelor of Pedagogy

in English at Hanoi Pedagogical University N0.2 in the year of 2014-2015

Another advantage of this tool is that the collected data is relatively easy to summarize and report as all the informants answer the same questions Last but not least, one of the most important reasons to choose this tool is that the survey questionnaire gives the students an opportunity to express their options and need with out the pressure about grade Students are not required to write their names when answering questions because traditionally Vietnamese students are afraid

of judging their teachers and making their names known

II.1.2 POPULATION OF THE SURVEY

The number of students participating in the survey questionnaire is 88 students of Bachelor of Pedagogy in English at Hanoi Pedagogical University

N0.2 They are the second-year English major, so they have to overcome many writing testes or the testes using the writing essay skill such as Writing term 4, English Teaching Method, English- American literature, and so on Most of the students have been learning English for ten years Some are really good at writing but others are not really good

II.1.3 CONSTRUCTION OF THE SURVEY

The materials used in the questionnaire were taken from the books concerned with the common errors in writing essay There are two survey questionnaires: Pre-survey questionnaire and post-survey questionnaire

II.1.3.1 Pre-survey questionnaire

The pre-survey questionnaire is divided into 5 parts with 30 questions Part 1 consists of 12 questions The general purpose of this part is to examine student’s attitude to the writing skill, students’ ways and the habit of writing (Question 1,2,3,4) as well as their opinion about the importance of grammar, format and vocabulary in writing essay though some difficulties they often encounter (Question 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12)

Part 2 consists of 10 questions (Question 13 to question 22) This part is aimed to find out and summarize the errors which the students made in writing them in sentences of paragraph of essay such as grammar errors and vocabulary errors

Part 3 consists of 3 questions (Question 23, 24,25) This part is aimed to find out students’ ability to explore the logical and evidence errors in writing Part 4 (question 26) is an exercise in which students are required to restructure an essay This general purpose of this part is to test the knowledge of students in structuring an essay

Part 5 consists of 4 questions (question 27,28,29,30) This part is aimed to test the students’ way in punctuating and capitalizing

II.1.3.2 Post-survey questionnaire

The students were asked to complete a post-questionnaire (Appendix B) after the causes of their common errors in essay writing have been found and the suggested solutions have been applied with the support and intervention of the teacher of Course 40 Pedagogical Writing Class Without part 1, the others part

of the post-questionnaire were the same as those on the pre-questionnaire The post-questionnaire was administered in the same way as the pre-questionnaire

The post- survey questionnaire is divided into 4 parts with 16 questions Part 1 consists of 9 questions (Question 1 to question 9).This part is aimed

to find out and summarize the errors which the students made in writing them in sentences of paragraphs of an essay such as grammar errors and vocabulary errors

Part 2 consists of 3 questions (Question 10, 11, 12).This part is aimed to find out students’ ability to explore the logical and evidence errors in writing Part 3 (question 13) is an exercise in which students are required to restructure an essay This general purpose of this part is to test the knowledge of students in structuring an essay

Part 4 consists of 3 questions (question 14, 15, 16) This part is aimed to test the students’ way in punctuating and capitalizing

II.1.4 ADMINISTRATION OF THE TRY-OUT

II.1.4.1 Preparation of the try-out

The teachers in charge of 40 English Pedagogy Class which was intended

to do survey questionnaire were asked for permission before the try-out was carried out

II.1.4.2 Try-out

The try-out was conducted on April 10th, 2016 The students of 40 English Pedagogy were asked to do the questionnaires as well as possible in compliance with their own ability They were instructed carefully before answering the questionnaires Importantly, they were reminded that the result of the questionnaires was to serve the research and it had no influence on their study results Hence, they made their real effort to do questionnaires without copying from the others They allocated time for 30 questions was for sixty minutes for each questionnaire

II.1.5 METHODS OF DATA ANALYSIS

The data was analyzed in three steps In the first step, the average percentage of students’ common errors in writing argumentative essay naturally and the students’ need to improve their writing were calculated The average percentage of those errors and the student’s need to improve their writing when they know about their own errors were calculated in step two Then, the levels of were ranks from the highest to the lowest Based on this arrangement, the highest was considered as the most common error in writing argumentative essay

CHAPTER THREE THE RESULTS

This chapter presents the findings of the practical research with the second year students of Bachelor of Pedagogy in English at Hanoi Pedagogical University N0.2 It falls into three sections The first section deals with the results of the survey with detailed information about the research procedures The second section presents some reasons of making errors in writing argumentative essays The third provides some suggested solution to avoid making errors in writing

III.1 THE RESULT OF THE SURVEY

This chapter presents the findings of the practical research with the year students of Foreign Languages Faculty at Hanoi Pedagogical University

second-No.2 It falls into three sections The first section deals with the result of the survey with detailed information about the research procedures The second section presents some reasons leading to these problem The third section shows suggested solutions to minimize the difficulties in writing argumentative essay

III.1.1 RESULT OF THE PRE- SURVEY

The results of analysis showed that the frequency of writing given by the second-year students of Bachelor of Pedagogy in English at Ha Noi Pedagogical University N0.2 was usually once a week (66.78%), twice a week (30%) and 3 times a week (4.22%) The students stated that they seldom of never planned the time before writing and organize the essay into 3 parts (Introduction, Body, and Conclusion) Most of students (79 in the total number of 88 students) admitted that the quality of their writings was not good (based on the scores they often get) Difficulties in grammar, vocabulary and expressing ideas were some of the causes of this phenomenon

III.1.1.1 The common errors in essay writing made by the 2 nd students of Bachelor of Pedagogy in English at HPU2

Chart 1: Common errors essay writing made by the students

The bar chart shows the common errors in essay writing made by the second year students of Bachelor of Pedagogy in English at Hanoi Pedagogical University N0..2 Generally speaking, the errors made in their essay writing were significant

As can be seen from the bar chart, the errors in grammar accounted for 65.38% which was the highest percentage In contrast, the percentage of the format errors was the fewest, which was less than half of that of the former, namely 32.45% The second common error was content error, which accounted for 48.36%

Overall, the results obviously showed that the second year students of Bachelor of Pedagogy in English at HPU2 made all of these three types of errors above with the high rate, notably the grammar errors

III.1.1.1.1 Errors in format

The results of question 26 in appendix A show that 32.45% of the students commit the format errors Most of them stated that their writings often had all three parts: Introduction, Body, and Conclusion However, only 26.32% of students report that they often organize their essay before writing