An Error Analysis of Using Question Tag on Students’ Writing Test of English Department Universitas Pamulang

Abstract

Based on the observation, researchers find that there are students’ error of using Question tag in writing test at English letters department of UNPAM. The difficulty of understanding and applying the structure of using question tag in writing test become the problem. The aim of this research is to know the English Letters Department students’ errors of using question tags in writing test at Universitas Pamulang. Researchers use descriptive qualitative method. The population of this research is around 200 third year students of English Letters Department, Unpam. Researchers take 30 students to represent the sample of population of purposive sampling technique. The instrument is argumentative writing test. Researchers ask students to write argumentative text with question tags inside, such as: positive sentences, negative sentences and modal auxiliaries. Then researchers collect the data, identify the data, classify the errors of question tag and explain the causes of students’ errors in question tag writing test. Researchers use Richard’s theory to analyze the causes of error into: 1. Overgeneralization. 2. Incomplete application of rules. 3. False concepts hypothesized 4. Ignorance of rule restriction. After this study, researchers expected to be able to enrich the lecturers and students’ knowledge and to improve students’ ability in writing Question tag, know both the kinds and the causes of students’ error of using question tags in writing test.