A longitudinal study of learners’ writing errors in French

Abstract

Several scholars have carried out investigations on writing errors in second language learning. However, longitudinal studies that focus on the linguistic development in general and lexical competence of the anglophone learners of French, in particular, are still very scarce. An investigation of this sort will give a concise scope of the language development of the anglophone learners of French and some of the factors that are responsible for the errors found in their writing. This study investigates the writing errors of the Obafemi Awolowo University learners of French. The subjects who participated in the study were 14 beginner students. The learners were monitored from their first year of study at the University all through the end of their third year of study. An essay writing exercise was administered on the subjects at the end of their first academic year in 2015/2016. By the end of their second year at the university in 2016/2017 and the end of their third year in 2017/2018, the same essay writing exercise was administered to the same set of students. The study found out that Obafemi Awolowo University learners of French-made frequent errors in their writing. They made repeated errors ranging from wrong spellings, determinants, prepositions, choice of words, overgeneralization, and wrong analogy. The study thus suggested that the learning techniques, teaching methods, and teaching curriculum be regularly reviewed to reflect the language needs of the learners.