Analyzing Errors Committed in Paragraph Writing by Undergraduates

Abstract

Writing plays a key role in the educational system. Since it is a creative skill, both native and non-native speakers face difficulties to write in a proper and academic way. The main focus of the present study is to examine the type and frequency of errors in 87 paragraphs written by 87 of the 2nd year students (Department of English, College of Education for Women, University of Baghdad) when practicing paragraph writing as part of their syllabus. To achieve this objective, the researchers have designed a rubric that includes both the recognition and arrangement criteria. According to this rubric, they taught and trained their students how to write a paragraph for 3.5 months. At the end, the researchers gave the participants a title to write a good paragraph. The researchers identified the type and frequency of their errors. Results have been arranged in a descending sequence: grammar, capitalization, spelling, punctuation, formatting, handwriting, and coherence.