An Error Analysis of Students’ Recount Text Writing at SMA Negeri 2 Kefamenanu
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61276/loqula.v4i1.89Abstract
This research aimed to find out the types of errors made by the tenth-grade students in writing recount text and to explore the problems they encountered during the writing process. This research used a mixed-method design (quantitative and qualitative) and involved 20 students of the tenth grade of SMAN 2 Kefamenanu in the 2024/2025 academic year. The data were collected through a writing test and semi-structured interview. Students’ writing errors were catogorised using surface strategy taxonomy comprising omission, addition, misformation, and misordering. The result revealed that students produced 318 errors. Misformation was the most the most frequent error, with 132 errors or 41.50%, followed by misordering with 70 errors or 22.01%, omission with 62 errors or 19.49%, and addition with 54 errors or 16.98%. The interview results revelaed that problems students encountered were (1) limited vocabulary, (2) sentence construction (3) paragraph organisation comprehension, (4) grammar rules mastery, (5) inadequate writing practice time. It is advised that teachers are supposed to provide more guided writing practice with adequate time, vocabulary enrichment, and grammar enrichment to facilitate students’ writing skill.
Keywords:
Surface strategy taxonomy , omission , addition , misformation , misordering , recount , writingReferences
Aknouch, l., & Bouthiche, H. (2022). Types and Sources of Moroccan EFL Students' Errors in Writing: A Study of Error Analysis. Arab World English Journal, 13(4). https://doi.org/10.7176/JLLL/102-01
Alazemi, A. F. T., Gheisari, A., & Patra, I. (2023). The consequences of task-supported language teaching via social media on academic engagement, emotion regulation, willingness to communicate, and academic well-being from the lens of positive psychology. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 8(1), 47. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-023-00220-6
Ariansyah, P. A., Rahayu, D., & No, J. S. (2016). Grammatical Errors in Students’ Recount Text Writing (A Case Study in The Third Grade of SMAN 22 Jakarta). Proceedings Series on Social Sciences & Humanities, 18, 274–280. https://conferenceproceedings.ump.ac.id/pssh/article/view/1270
Chandra, S. I. L., Dollah, S., Sakkir, G., & Rosalia, H. (2024). An analysis of students’ problems in writing recount text. ARRUS Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 4(3), 365-372. https://doi.org/10.35877/soshum2609
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Dewanto, N. (2025). Syntactic Errors in Indonesian EFL Students' Narrative Essay Writing. IDEAS: Journal on English Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Literature, 13(2), 7550-7562. https://doi.org/10.24256/ideas.v13i2.7913
Dirgeyasa, I. W. (2016). Genre-based approach: What and how to teach and to learn writing. English language teaching, 9(9), 45-51. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v9n9p45
Dulay, H., Burt, M. K., & Krashen, S. (1982). Language two. Oxford University Press.
Efriza, D., Zainil, Y., Syarif, H., & Zaim, M. (2023, October). Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) for English Class in Indonesia. In Proceedings International Conference on Education Innovation and Social Science (pp. 89-106). https://proceedings.ums.ac.id/index.php/iceiss/article/view/3171
Fakhrudin, M. H., Dzulfikri, D., & Mustofa, M. (2023). Exploring lexical errors of Indonesian EFL students in writing recount texts. Journal of English Language Teaching and Linguistics, 8(1), 13-22. https://doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v8i1.1003
Fasikh, M. (2020). The error analysis of regular and irregular verbs in the simple past tense. JELL (Journal of English Language and Literature) STIBA-IEC Jakarta, 5(01), 75-88. https://doi.org/10.37110/jell.v5i01.97
Giawa, K., Tampubolon, S., & Sipayung, K. T. (2024). Grammatical and Mechanical Errors Analysis in Writing Recount Text. Journal of Language Education (JoLE), 2(2), 232-241.
Hall, S., & Liebenberg, L. (2024). Qualitative description as an introductory method to qualitative research for master’s-level students and research trainees. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 23, 16094069241242264. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069241242264
Nadia, N. (2024). The Analysis of Students’ Grammatical Errors in Recount Text Writing. Journal of English Language Teaching and Linguistics, 9(3), 257. http://dx.doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v9.i3.1424
Nagao, A. (2019). The SFL genre-based approach to writing in EFL contexts. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 4(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-019-0069-3
Nayak, G., & Patel, P. (2024). Developing speaking skills through task-based learning in English as a foreign language classroom. The Scientific Temper, 15(4), 3447–3452. https://doi.org/10.58414/SCIENTIFICTEMPER.2024.15.4.55
Nugrahaningtyas, I. Y., Rohmah, L. N., & Defitasari, A. (2024). The influence of discovery learning on efforts to develop students' communication skills: A literature study. Indo-MathEdu Intellectuals Journal, 5(1), 1034–1042. https://doi.org/10.54373/imeij.v5i1.676
Oktaviani, A., & Hasibin, N. (2020). A Descriptive Study of the Difficulties in Using Regular and Irregular Verbs in Simple Past Tense of the Eighth Grade Students at SMP Muhammadiyah 3 Banyuwangi. In LUNAR (Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 123-127). https://doi.org/10.36526/ln.v4i1.1441
Pratiwi, A., Hidayah, J., & Edy, S. (2020). Tertiary students’ difficulties in combining English clauses to generate complex sentences. English Education: Jurnal Tadris Bahasa Inggris, 13(2), 156-172. https://doi.org/10.24042/ee-jtbi.v13i2.6738
Richards, J. C. (2012). A non-contrastive approach to error analysis. In Error analysis (pp. 172-188). Routledge.
Roberts, M. K., & Daw, J. (2024). The importance of describing research populations. Sociological Methods & Research, 53(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/15269248241237823
Sadapotto, A., & Usman, M. (2022). Investigating Grammatical Errors in Recount Text Written of EFL Learners. Uniqbu Journal of Social Sciences, 3(2), 82-87. https://doi.org/10.31949/jell.v6i1.4988
Seran, Y. (2020). The Ability in Using Idiomatic Expression by Students of Nusa Cendana University. Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris undiksha, 8(2), 84-91. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpbi.v8i2.30968
Simbolon, D. S. L., Sitorus, N., & Siahaan, S. T. (2026). An Analysis of Students’difficulties in Writing Recount Text at Tenth Grade of SMA Negeri 7 Medan. Pendas: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Dasar, 11(02), 212-219. https://doi.org/10.23969/jp.v11i02.44846
Sugiyono, P. D. (2018). Quantitative, qualitative, and R&D research methods. Bandung: (ALFABETA, Ed.).
Sulaiman. (2023). Investigating students’ problems in writing recount text to the eighth grade students. Journal of English Language Learning, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.31949/jell.v6i1.4988
Syam, C., Seli, S., & Abdu, W. J. (2023). Dynamics of language interaction in multicultural urban communities: Analysis of socio-cultural linguistic environment. Society, 11(2), 575-588. https://doi.org/10.33019/society.v11i2.628
Tarigan, H. G. (2013). Writing as a language skill. Bandung: Space.
Wati, A., Nurhadi, K., & Hakim, A. L. (2024). Exploring undergraduate students’ difficulties in EFL academic writing. Concept Community Concern for English Pedagogy and Teaching, 10(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.32534/jconcept.v10i1.5686
Xu, T. S., Zhang, L. J., & Gaffney, J. S. (2022). Examining the Relative Effects of Task Complexity and Cognitive Demands on Students’ Writing in a Second Language. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 44(2), 483-506. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263121000310
Downloads
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Yanuarius Seran, Mikhael Misa, Nurul Fikriyah Isu, Eugelin Sulaiman, Maria Wihelmina Wisrance, Maria Fridolin Naben

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
- Abstract 26
- pdf 8
