THE EIGTH GRADE STUDENTS ERRORS IN USING INTEROGATIVE SENTENCE OF THE STATE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL 3 OF LAIS MUBA

1. Background In learning English as a foreign language there are a lot of problems faced by the students, especially in learning grammar. These are due to the fact that the systems used in English are different from those used in Bahasa Indonesia. Generally, the students do not understand how to make and arrange a good sentence. So it is very difficult for the students to produce grammatically acceptable sentence. Because of that some errors often occur in producing correct sentences, including in using interrogative sentence. It seems that the students do not really understand and know how to use the interrogative sentences. English is considered as one of the vehicles to realize the philosophy of long-life education by progressive high school graduates (Saleh, 1997;03) English structure is very different from Indonesian language structure, especially in interrogative sentence. Interrogative sentence is a sentence which is in the form of question (Richard et al., 1985:148). In Indonesian students do not have problems in using it. Masud (1992:175) states that in Indonesian language structure we do not have problems in using interrogative sentences. Because of this different system, the

students very often make errors in determining interrogative sentence in English. Based on my experience when I was PPL, I found the students errors in using interrogative sentence. For instance: *Have she bought a car? Which the correct interrogative sentence is - Has she bought a car?

*Have Marry rode a bicycle? Which the correct interrogative sentence is - Has Marry ridden a bicycle? The examples above show that the structure of the interrogative sentence does not have grammatical construction in their native language. The students errors in using interrogative sentence will affect their written communication. In this case, the can not express their ideas and opinions s clear as possible. The errors might caused by the influence of Indonesian language. It can be categorized as inter-language errors. In the process of teaching and learning, teachers of English are expected to find out the errors that the students make because by knowing the students errors it is easier for the teachers to find the ways to overcome or to minimalize the students errors. Referring to the statement above, identifying the students errors is quite important in the process of teaching and learning English as a foreign language. Therefore, it is an interesting challenge to carry out a research concerning the errors made by the students, especially in using interrogative sentence to be, present perfect and present continuous made by the eighth grade students of the State Junior High School 3 of Lais Muba. 2. The Problem of the Study The problem must be focused in terms of limitation and formulation. 3. Limitation of the Problems The problem is limited in analyzing the students errors in using interrogative sentence focusing on the use of to be, present perfect and present continuous.

4. The Formulation of the Problem The formulation of the problem is What are the errors made by the eighth grade students of the State Junior High School 3 of Lais Muba? In this case, the errors in using interrogative sentence focusing on the use of to be, present perfect and present perfect continuous.

5. The Objective of the Study In relation to the problem above, the objective of this study is to find out the students errors in using interrogative sentence focusing on to be, present perfect, and present perfect continuous.

6. The Significance of the Study The significance of the study is hopefully contributed for the following: 1) To the Writer Himself The writer could improve his English and give better knowledge on errors, which are usually made by the students in using interrogative sentence. More

specifically, by doing this study it gives a significant experience in doing a scientific task.

2) To the Students The result of this study would give them better knowledge in using interrogative sentence. So, they could avoid errors in using it.

3) To the Teacher of English The teacher of English, especially those English subject teachers at the State Junior High School 3 of Lais Muba would be well informed on the errors, which are usually made by the students in using interrogative sentence. 4) To the School It is hoped that the result of this study would give one contribution to the development of the English teaching and Learning processes at the State Junior High School 3 of Lais Muba. 5) To Other Researchers By doing this study, it one of the materials in conducting similar and future studies.

6. Literature Review This part reviews the following points: (1) the concept of errors, (2) the concept of interrogative sentence, and (3) related previous study.

6.1 The Concept of Errors Corder (1981:36) states that errors are described by the application of linguistic theory to the data of erroneous utterance produces by a learner or a group of learners. In this case, errors are described by the application of linguistic theory to the data of erroneous sentence in the composition produced by the eighth grade students of the State Junior High School 3 of Lais Muba. The study and analysis of the errors made by second and foreign language learners may be carried out in order to: (1) find out how well someone knows a

language, how a person learns a language, and obtain information on common difficulties in language learning (Richard et al., 1985:96). The result of error analysis gives feedback in the process of language teaching and learning. According to Corder (1981:35), Along with the result of the test and examinations the errors that the learners make are a major elements in the feedback system of the process we call language teaching and learning. It is on the basis of the information the teacher gets from errors that he varies his techhing procedures and materials, the pace of the progress, and the amount of practice which he plans at any moments. Errors are the flawed side of learners. They are those parts of conversation or composition that deviate from some selected norm of mature language performance (Dulay et al., 1982:138). It is considered so because the students are in the process of learning the language system (Corder, 1987:3). Therefore, instead of seeing errors negatively as a sign of students failure, it is better to see them positively as an indication that they are still in the process of learning. Brown (1987:70) says that errors is a noticeable deviation from the adult grammar of native speaker, reflecting the inter language competence learner. In this study, the errors are judged from all of the students incorrect answers to the given test which is valid and reliable.

6.2 The Concept of Interrogative Sentence Frank (1972:221), interrogative sentence is the sentences that end with a question mark (or, interrogation point) in writing. In the spoken language most yes-no questions end with a rise in pitch According to Richards et a., (1985:148), In addition

interrogative sentences is a sentence which is in the form of a question.

Krammer and Schuldz (1992:1) give definition that an interrogative sentence is a type

of sentence which usually asks a question and use a question mark (?). They may ask for information or for confirmation or denial of a statement. They typically begin with a question word such as what, who, or how, or an auxiliary verb such as do/does, can or would. The subject of a question is a little tricky to find. It typically comes after the verb or between parts of the verb. The questions elicit specific information-a person, place, time, etc. Examples: Is Marry late? Did Marry arrive? Has Marry arrived late? (Frank, 1972:89)

6.2.1 Types of Interrogative Sentence Marcella (1972:88) There are four types of interrogative sentences. 1) Yes/No Interrogatives Yes/No questions usually will be answered by yes or no. A short answer to a yes-no questions only a personal pronoun as subject, and the same verb as the one that initiated the questions. Negative answer of course also contain the word not. For example: - Will you bring your book? * Answer: Yes I will or No, I wont) - Did she pass the test? * Answer: Yes she did or No, she didnt)

2) Alternative Interrogatives Alternative interrogative offer two or more alternative responses: For example: - Should I telephone you or send an email? - Do you want bear, wine, or wisky? Yes/no interrogatives and alternative interrogatives are introduced by an auxiliary verb. 3) Wh- Interrogatives Wh- Interrogatives are introduced by a wh- word, and they elicit an open-ended response: For example: - What happened? - Where do you work? - Who won the Cup Final in 1997? 4) Tag Questions They are sometimes tagged onto the end of a declarative sentence. For example: - David plays the piano, doesn't he? - We've forgotten the milk, haven't we? - There's a big match tonight, isn't there? In this study, the writer will use the yes-no questions that is to find out the students errors in constructing the interrogative questions of use of to be, present perfect and present perfect continuous. For more information, it could be seen in Table 1

TABLE 1 THE ATTACH QUESTIONS

The interrogative yes-no questions consist of two parts. The first part makes a statement; the second part asks the questions that expects agreement with the statement. The second part contains the regular question auxiliary plus the personal pronoun that stands for the subject. Note that if the statement part of the question is positive, the questions part is negative; if the statement part is negative, the question part is positive.

6.3 Related Previous Study There is a previous related study that investigated the similarity topic with this present study the thesis entitled Some Difficulties are Faced by the Eighth Year Students in Using Interrogative Sentences of SMP 1 Rambang Dangka, Muaraenim, written by Melia Sari Dewi (2001). The writer found the similarities and the differences between Melias and this study. The similarities are in term of the investigation, population, the sample, the method and interrogative sentences.

The differences of both studies are that Melias thesis talked about difficulties in using interrogative sentence while the writer will study about the students errors in using interrogative sentence focusing on to be, present perfect and present perfect continuous. The result of Melias thesis, it was found out that most of the students still have difficulties in using interrogative sentences about 7.78% in using did, and 7.33% in using does. The difficulties of the students because that 15.5% that they didnt ask their teacher when they have difficulties.

7. Research Procedure The research procedures cover the following; (1) the method of the study, (2) the operational definitions, (30 population and sample, (4) techniques for collecting data, and (5) techniques for analyzing the data.

7.1 Method of the Study This study will be conducted through a descriptive method. Adescriptive

method describe and interpreter what it is. It is concerned with condition or relationship that exist, opinions that are held, processes that are going on, effects are evident or trends that are developing (Best and Khan, 1989:76). Descriptive method is aimed to collect the information about the symptoms of something namely the condition of symptoms based on what there are, when the research is done (Arikunto, 2010:390) The overall steps will be taken in this study cover: 1) surveying literature to the problems;

2) defining the problem; 3) designing the research problem; 4) designing the research instrument; 5) trying out the research instrument; 6) collecting the data by giving test; 7) analyzing data; 8) drawing conclusions; 9) proposing suggestion, and 10) writing the research report as a thesis.

7.2 Operational Definitions 1) Errors are all the students incorrect or deviated answer in using interrogative sentence in the given test which is valid and reliable. 2) Using refers to the students determination in selecting the correct interrogative sentence. 3) Interrogative sentence is a sentence that asks question and ends with a question mark.

7.2 The Population and Sample 7.2.1 Population According to Arikunto (2010:108) population is a set or collection of all elements possessing one or more attributes of interest.

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There were 3 classes that will be taken as the population in this study. They have the same chance to be the sample. The population could be seen in the table 2 below. TABLE 2 THE POPULATION OF THE STUDY Total Students VIII.1 38 VIII.2 34 VIII.3 35 Total 107 Source: The State Junior High School 1 of Rambang Dangka Muaraenim No. 1 2 3 Class

7.2.1 Sample Sample is a part of population which is investigated (Arikunto, 2010:109). In this study the writer will take only one class. The sample will be assign through convenience non random sampling because the teacher of English determined which class could be involved as the sample. The chosen class is VIII.3.

7.3 Technique for Collecting the Data In this research, the writer will use a written test as the technique to collect the data. Test is the way to know the students ability in using interrogative sentence in to be, present perfect tense, and present perfect continuous. According to Arikunto (2010:198), test is used to measure basic skill and achievement. The test will be consisted of 30 questions in the form of multiple choices with 15 items and transformation test also with 15 items. The students will be given 45 minutes to answer the questions. Before giving to the students, the validity and the reliability of the test will be estimated first.

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7.3.1 Validity of the Test Validity is a measurement that shows the level of the appropriateness (Arikunto, 2010:144). The validity of the test material will be checked through the content

validity, it is a form of validity, which is based on the degree to which a test adequately and sufficiently measures. To have a valid test, the writer will check the validity and reliability of the test before it is given to the students. Besides, the instrument will be consulted with the two advisors. The test items will be specified in table 3. TABLE 3 TEST SPECIFICATION Objective To know the students errors in using interrogative sentences focus on to be, present perfect, and present perfect continuous. Indicator Types of test Number of items 1-15 Item 15

The students Multiple are able to Choice choose the correct response

Completion Test

16-30

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7.4 Reliability of the Test Reliability is a measure of degree to which test gives consistent result. Fraenkel and Wallen (1993:149) say that for the research purposes, a usual clue is that reliability should be at least 0.70 and preferably higher. The following formula will be used in testing reliability.

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KR 21= (Fraenkel and Wallen, 1993:149) Where: KR 21 K M SD

K K 1

M (K M ) 1 K ( SD 2 )

= Kuder-Richardson Reliability Coefficient, = Number of Items in the Test = The Number of the Students Correct Answers = Standard Deviation of the Set of Test Scores The Formula is: SD=

( x x )
N

b 2 4ac

b b 2 4ac 1 lim a2 + b2 2 [ 0,1] M x 2a 2 (Hatch and Farhady, 1982:59)

Where: SD X
X

= Standar Deviation = The Number of the Students Correct Answers = The Average Number of the Correct Answers = The Number of the Students

9.5 Techniques for Analyzing the Data To analyze the data obtained from the test, these following steps will be taken: 1) checking the students incorrect answers in using interrogative sentence; 2) calculating the number and percentage of the students incorrect answers; By using formula X= R x100% txn

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Where: X= The Average Percentage of the Students Errors R= Total Number of Errors. N= Number of Students T= Number of Items 2) determining the students incorrect answer as errors; 3) discussing the students errors; 4) drawing conclusions By following the steps above, the errors in using interrogative sentence by the students can be found.

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REFERENCES Arikunto, Suharsimi. 1998. Prosedur Penelitian: Suatu Pendekatan Praktek. Yogyakarta: Rineka Cipta.. Best and Khan. 1993. Research in Education. New Delhi: Prentice Hall of India Private Limited. Brown, HD. 1982. Principles of language Teaching and Learning. Cliffs,New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Corder, Pit S. 1981. Error Analysis and Interlanguage. University Press. Englewood

Great Brittain: Oxford

Dewi, Melia Sari. 2001. Some Difficulties Faced by the Eighth Year Students in Using Interrogative Sentences of SMP I Rambang Dangka Muraenim. Unpublished Undergraduate Thesis. Palembang: University of Muhammadiyah Palembang. Fraenkel, Jack R. and Norman E. Wallen. 1993. How to Design and Evaluate Research in Education. New York: McGraw Hill, Inc. Frank, Marcella. 1972. Modern English A Practical Reference Guide. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs. Hatch, Evelyn and Hossein Farhady. 1982. Research Design and Statistic for Applied Linguistics. Rowley Massachusetts: Newbury House Publisher, Inc. Heaton, JB. 1988. Writing English Language Test. New York, USA: Longman, Inc. Hornby, A.S. 1995. Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Richards, Jack, John Platt and Heidi Webber. 1985. Longman Dictionary of Applied Linguistics. Hongkong:Longman Group Ltd. Saleh, Yuslizal. 1997. Methodology of TEFL in the Indonesian Context Book 1. Palembang: Faculty of Teacher Training and Education Sriwijaya University. Tinambunan, W. 1988. Evaluation of Students Achievement. Jakarta: Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan.

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