A STUDY ON COMMON ERRORS IN THE USE OF TENSES

DURING ORAL PRESENTATION: A CASE OF CIVIL

ENGINEERING STUDENTS IN UTM

SURAIDA BTE ABU BAKAR

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA

A STUDY ON COMMON ERRORS IN THE USE OF TENSES DURING

ORAL PRESENTATION: A CASE OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

STUDENTS IN UTM

SURAIDA BINTI ABU BAKAR

Laporan projek ini dikemukakan sebagai memenuhi syarat

penganugerahan Ijazah Sarjana Muda Sains serta Pendidikan (TESL)

Fakulti Pendidikan

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

SEPTEMBER, 2003

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ABSTRACT

Common Errors in English often occur in both writing and speaking.

Learners may not realize that they have made a grammatical mistake when using

the second language. In learning a language, learners must understand the

grammatical rules of language before applying it for communication. Therefore,

the study on common errors in the use of tenses was carried out in order to find

out how frequent the errors occurred during a presentation in classroom. The

samples of the study were the group of civil engineering students in UTM who

were taking UHB2322. Two data collecting methods used in this study, which

were observation and questionnaire. The aim of the study was to investigate the

factors that contribute to the grammatical mistakes and types of grammatical

mistakes. The respondents’ attitudes towards the learning of grammar were also

been taken into account in this study. Some recommendations to solve the

problems were suggested at the end of the study.

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ABSTRAK

Kesilapan dalam Inggeris sebagai bahasa kedua sering terjadi dalam

penulisan dan percakapan. Pelajar mungkin tidak sedar bahawa mereka telah

melakukan kesalahan tatabahasa apabila menggunakan bahasa tersebut. Di

dalam pembelajaran bahasa, pelajar mesti memahami tatabahasa atau nahu

sebelum menggunakannya untuk tujuan komunikasi. Justeru, kajian tentang

kesilapan umum di dalam penggunaan ‘tenses’ atau ‘masa’ dalam bahasa

Inggeris dijalankan bagi mengetahui kekerapan kesilapan yang berlaku semasa

membuat persembahan di dalam bilik kuliah. Sampel kajian adalah sekumpulan

pelajar dari jurusan Kejuruteraan Awam di Universiti Teknologi Malaysia yang

mengambil kursus UHB2322. Terdapat dua kaedah pengumpulan data

digunakan iaitu kaedah pemerhatian dan kaedah soal selidik. Tujuan kajian ini

adalah untuk mengkaji faktor-faktor yang menyumbang ke arah kesalahan

tatabahasa dan jenis-jenis kesalahan tatabahasa yang dilakukan. Nilai dan

tanggapan responden terhadap pembelajaran tatabahasa juga diambil kira di

dalam kajian ini. Di akhir kajian ini, beberapa cadangan untuk mengatasi

masalah ini juga diutarakan.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER CONTENTS PAGE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iv

ABSTRACT v

ABSTRAK vi

TABLE OF CONTENTS vii

LIST OF TABLES xi

LIST OF FIGURES xiii

LIST OF SYMBOLS xiv

LIST OF APPENDICES xv

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background of Study 4

1.2 Statements of Problem 7

1.3 Objectives 8

1.4 Research Questions 8

1.5 Scope of Study 9

1.6 Significance of Study 10

1.7 Limitations of Study 11

1.8 Definition of Terminology and

Abbreviations Used 13

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CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 15

2.1 Introduction 15

2.2 A Theory of Developmental Errors 16

2.3 Factors Influencing Learner’s Language

Use 17

2.4 Types and Causes Of Developmental

Errors 19

2.5 English as a Communication Tool for

Profession Career 22

2.5.1 English for Engineer Profession 23

2.5.2 Oral Communication for

Engineering Speaker 25

2.6 Conclusion 26

CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY 28

3.1 Introduction 28

3.2 Samples 28

3.3 Research Design 29

3.3.1 Observation 29

3.3.1.1 Purpose of Observation 29

3.3.1.2 Advantages and

Disadvantages of

Observation 30

3.3.1.3 Administration of

Observation 31

3.3.2 Questionnaires 32

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3.3.2.1 Purpose of Questionnaires 32

3.3.2.2 Advantages and

Disadvantages of

Questionnaires 32

3.3.2.3 Administration of

Distribution of

Questionnaires 33

3.4 Data Analysis 34

3.5 Assumptions 34

CHAPTER 4 RESEARCH FINDINGS 36

4.1 Introduction 36

4.2 The Observation 36

4.2.1 Frequency of Errors 38

4.2.2 Common Errors in the use of

Tenses 42

4.3 The Questionnaires 53

4.3.1 Personal Background 54

4.3.2 Communication Background 55

4.3.3 Perception on Oral

Presentation 59

4.3.4 Factors that Contribute to

Grammatical Mistakes 61

4.3.5 Types of Errors that Contribute

to Grammatical Mistakes 67

4.3.6 Attitudes towards the Learning of

Grammar 73

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CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 80

5.1 Introduction 80

5.2 Conclusion 81

5.2.1 Frequency of Errors in the use

of Tenses 81

5.2.2 Types of Errors in the use of

Tenses 82

5.2.3 Factors that Contribute to

Grammatical Errors 83

5.3 Respondents’ Attitudes towards the

Learning of Grammar 84

5.3 Recommendation to Solve the Problem 85

5.4 Closing 87

REFERENCES 88

APPENDICES 91

Appendix A – Questionnaire 91

Appendix B – Transcription of Observation 97

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LIST OF TABLES

NO. TITLE PAGE

1.1.1 English courses that is offered in FCE 5

1.1.2 Credits transfer for English courses in

UTM 5

4.2.1.1 Frequency of errors in the use of perfect

tense 39

4.3.1.1 Respondents’ results of SPM English

paper and 1119 paper 54

4.3.3.1 Perception of respondents on their oral

presentation 59

4.3.4.1 Perception on lack of mastery grammar 62

4.3.4.2 Perception on mother tongue interference 62

4.3.4.3 Perception on lack of confidence when

using the language 63

4.3.4.4 Perception on lack of usage the language 63

4.3.4.5 Perception on the grammar mistakes

have already fossilized 64

4.3.4.6 Perception on different socio-cultural 64

4.3.4.7 Perception on two different systems of

language 65

4.3.4.8 Perception on variables rules in the

language 65

4.3.4.9 Perception on difficulty in language learning 66

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4.3.5.1 Perception on over learning of the language

structure 67

4.3.5.2 Perception on ignorance of rule restriction 68

4.3.5.3 Perception on incomplete application of

rules 69

4.3.5.4 Perception on false concept hypothesized 70

4.3.5.5 Perception on unrelated and wrongly

related words 70

4.3.5.6 Perception on mistake due to confusion 71

4.3.5.7 Perception on wrong sequence of sentence 71

4.3.5.8 Perception on interference ruled of the

first language 72

4.3.6.1 Learning grammar explicitly/directly is

more effective than learning it

implicitly/indirectly 74

4.3.6.2 Learning grammar increases my level of

confidence when interacting orally with

other people 74

4.3.6.3 Grammatical correctness is the most

important criterion 75

4.3.6.4 Grammatical errors should be corrected

Immediately 75

4.3.6.5 Learning grammar explicitly is essential 75

4.3.6.6 By mastering the rules of grammar, I

become fully capable of communicating 76

4.3.6.7 Learning grammar enables me to correct

myself 76

4.3.6.8 Learning grammar is not important 77

4.3.6.9 Learning grammar is not useful 77

4.3.6.10 Knowledge of the rules of a language does

not guarantee my ability to use the language 77

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LIST OF FIGURES

NO. OF FIGURE TITLE PAGE

4.3.2.1 Frequency of respondents’ speaking

English at home 56

4.3.2.2 Frequency of respondents’ speaking

English with different groups of people 58

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LIST OF SYMBOLS

ECE - English for Civil Engineer

FCE - Faculty of Civil Engineering

L1 - First Language

L2 - Second Language

SPM - Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia

UTM - Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

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LIST OF APPENDICES

APPENDIX TITLE PAGE

A Questionnaire 91

B Transcriptions of Observation 97

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Knowing a language means being able to read, write, speak and understand

it. People decide to learn language for all kinds of reason such as commercial,

social, scientific, academic and so on. Language makes it possible for individuals to

live in a society because of its value as a means of communication’s thought

(Abercrombie, 1963). Language not only brings human being into relationship with

each other, it also brings them into relationship with the external world. One of the

highly developed languages is English.

English is highly developed and being used all over the world by people of

widely different culture. In Malaysia English is used as a second language. Some

institutes use it as a medium of instruction during lecturing process. However, our

Prime Minister has discovered that a large number of Malaysians have not mastered

the language enough. One of the skills that need to be mastered is the ability to

speak orally using the language. It is one of the important skills in order to deliver a

message.

People tend to make grammatical errors in communication. This is because,

some of them emphasis on a meaningful message rather than to produce correct

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grammar. As the professional, the person should be able to master the language

enough because they need to interact with different of people and at the same time

the professional person is being respected.

Communication is understood as the exchange and negotiation of

information between at least two individuals (Canale .M, Swain .M, 1980). Canale

and Swain added that communication could be through the use of verbal or non-

verbal symbols, oral and written/visual modes, and production and comprehension

process. Communication is judged as successful or not on the basis of actual

outcomes, thus in order to make the communication successful, man must

understand the underlying systems of knowledge and skill required for information,

this is also called as communication competence (Richards, J.C. Schmidt, R.W,

1983). Grammar is one of the knowledge that needs to be learned when learning a

language.

Professional comes from the word profession, which is showing the skill of a

trained person (Hawkins J.M, 1991). There are many careers that can be called as

professional such as architect, engineer, quantity surveyor and so forth. One of the

professional careers is engineering. Engineering is now, more than ever before, a

global profession. Johnston, S.F (2001), assumed that engineers are finding

employment in multinational companies in greater numbers, and their work takes

them to every corner of the world. It has many disciplines such as, mechanical,

electrical/electronic, civil and many more. In this paper, civil engineering students

will be selected as the subjects of the study.

Civil engineering professions employed in wide range of projects such as

highway, buildings, airports, bridges, wastewater treatment systems and other

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structures, and perform related surveys and studies (Tech Direction, Nov 2002).

There are seven main civil engineering areas: structural, geo-technical,

environmental, water resources, transportation, construction and urban and

community planning.

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) is one of the institutes, which focus

more on technology and engineering. There are many faculties in UTM: Faculty of

Civil Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Build and

Environment, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Science, Faculty of

Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Computer Science, Faculty of Management and

Development, Faculty of Science Geo-information and Faculty of Education.

Mostly, the faculties are engineering courses. One of the largest faculties in UTM is

Faculty of Civil Engineering.

From the introduction above the researcher is interested to study on common

errors during oral presentation among Civil Engineering students in Universiti

Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). Here the purpose of the study is to evaluate their ability

to communicate using the English language. As engineering students, they are

exposed to become a professional in the workplace. The need of communication

skills should be seen as facilitating learning in their engineering courses and,

therefore, serving their needs.

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1.1 Background of Study

Engineering is one of the oldest occupations in the history of mankind. The

word engineer is used in two ways in English. One usage refers to the professional

engineer who has a university degree (Hall E.J, 1977). It is also used to refer to a

person who operates or maintains an engine or machine. Faculty of Civil

Engineering (FCE) has a mission to be ahead in academic excellence and

technological development through creativity. At the same time, it has a vision to be

a world-class center for professional education and research in civil engineering.

FCE is one of the largest faculties in UTM. In year 2000, a total of 3356

students registered with the Faculty of Civil Engineering (Annual Report 2000). The

history of the FCE in UTM started way back in 1904 as a class for technical studies.

Now, there is over 140 academic staff with annual enrolment of about 3000

students. FCE offers courses such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, calculus, and

any subjects related to engineering for five years (10 semester). It also offers

English courses to the students.

English courses that are offered in FCE provide a context in which students

acquire rhetorical skills and strategies necessary to integrate into a discipline-

specific discourse community. According to Artemeva and friends (1999), the

rationale behind English course design was to establish a discipline-specific context

in which engineering students could acquire linguistic and rhetorical strategies that

would provide an initial site of professionalism. Thus, the university offers three

English courses for engineering students. The courses are tabulated as table below.

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Course(s) Semester English 1 (UHB1312)

Proficiency in English 1

English 2 (UHB1322)

English for Academic Communication

2

English 3 (UHB2322)

English for Professional Communication

3

Table 1.1.1 – English courses that is offered in Faculty of Civil Engineering

However, in UTM, students can be exempted to take some of the English

courses if they fulfill the requirement for credit transfer. The credits transfer are

showed as table 1.1.2 below.

Qualification Subject(s) Credits Transfer SPM (A1 – A2)

UHB1312 and UHB1322

4 Credits

SPM (C3-C6)

UHB1312 2 Credits

Diploma UHB1312 and UHB1322

4 Credits

Certificate (Petronas) and Maktab Perguruan

UHB1312 2 Credits

TOEFL and IELTS UHB1312 and UHB1322

4 Credits

Table 1.1.2 – Credits Transfer for English courses in UTM

The major goals of English courses are of course to facilitate the acquisition

of rhetorical skills and strategies necessary for students to successfully integrate into

their engineering school environment and to facilitate their transition to the work

place as Artemeva and friends (1999) said, ‘ What constitutes effective

communication differs from discipline to discipline and from profession to

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profession ……… what makes a good presentation for a group of physicists would

not necessary make a good presentation for an audience of engineers’.

The communication has its own purpose for the students in sharing

experiences in their engineering courses and exchange knowledge. Howell A.C

(1957) said that an engineer writes in a style peculiar to his profession because he

has to express ideas, which are of interest to members of the profession. The

engineer uses English as an instruments or a tool for conveying exact information to

other. Learning how to understand and manipulate any genres of communication

such as writing in one’s field is essential to professional success.

Most of the references and sources for engineering courses are in the English

language. Perhaps the students may be able to use the language as a form of

meaning but sometime they may fail to use the language structurally. Grammatical

knowledge concern with the mastery of the language code itself included

vocabulary, word formation, spelling and so on.

Here, the study is used to identify some common errors in oral presentation

and to find out the types and the reasons of errors made by the students. The

researcher did some observation among the students of Civil Engineering in UTM

during their oral presentation. The presentation focused on engineering project

work. Oral presentation is one of their projects in UHB2322, English for

Professional Communication. The subject emphasized on oral communication

where students are given practice in extracting information of the key concepts in

Engineering surveying.

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1.2 Statements of Problem

English in engineering is now become more important. Large number of

engineers all over the world read the same English language journals. They

communicate formally and informally in English. However, most of the fresh

graduate students hard to find any job because their lack of English bars them to

communicate successfully in authentic situations.

Their lack of English is a barrier for them to communicate effectively during

job interviews. In addition, the use of English is widely in the private sector, their

lack of proficiency also hinders them from communicating effectively on the job.

Thus, the students need to equip themselves well by acquiring the language as the

art of communication in the university before entering the job market.

They are required to enter English courses in UTM but they should also be

exposed to other courses related to the language such as seminar, conference,

language camps and so on. The goals are of course to enhance and integrate their

communication skills. They should be familiarized with the language in every

semester. In this case, although English is being used as a second language, there is

only diminutive courses related to English.

Do the engineering students have the ability to produce grammatical correct

sentences rather than to communicate a meaningful message? If they are only

learning a little about the language, how are they going to master the language

enough? They should know the structure of the language even not much but it is

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more better if they can apply the language both structurally and meaningful. To

answer these questions, the researcher is interested to find out how well they can

communicate with the language. However, this is not the focus of the study but

rather to understand in-depth about learners’ second language ability.

1.3 Objectives

The objectives of the study are as follows:

1.3.1 To find out the frequency of errors in the use of tenses that occurs during the

oral presentation.

1.3.2 To identify the types of errors in the use of tenses made by the students.

1.3.3 To discover the reasons for the errors made by the students.

1.3.4 To recommend ways to solve the problem.

1.4 Research Questions

Based on the objectives of the study, below are the questions that will be

focused in this study:

1.4.1 What are the most frequent error and the less frequent error occur made by

the students during oral presentation?

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1.4.2 What are the respondents’ perceptions on the factors and types of errors that

contribute to their grammatical mistakes?

1.5 Scope of Study

The purpose of the study is to investigate the grammatical errors occur

during oral presentation. It focuses more on common errors in the use of Tenses.

Tenses are one of the parts of grammar, which is important and learners need to

apply it whether in writing or speaking performance. It is actually the property that

may express the time of the action asserted by the verb (Turner R.F, 1981)

Although there are many types of tenses, the researcher studies only the

Present Tense. The tenses are Simple Present Tense, Present Progressive Tense,

Present Perfect Tense and Present Perfect Progressive Tense. However, the

researcher also observes other types of tenses during the oral presentations – only

not as rigorous as the tenses mentioned above.

The researcher observed the Civil Engineering students only who were

taking UHB2322. This is because the syllabus puts emphasis on oral

communication. Furthermore, they presented their Engineering project work orally

in class. However, the researcher was not focused at the subjects but rather at the

common error in the use of tenses occurring during the presentation.