From L1 to L2

Writing Problems Faced by Karen and Mon Students as Revealed by Error Analysis

Abstract

This research article aimed to study the problems encountered by Thai Pwo-Karen and Mon junior high school students in Kanchanaburi writing tests of 180 students from six schools in Thongpaphum and Sangkhlaburi districts in Kanchanaburi Province; 95 of whom were Pwo-Karen and the rest were Mon. Error Analysis was employed as a methodological framework by which the participants' errors were compared with the standard Thai. The results showed that in terms of spelling, the students had problems with initial consonants, final consonants, vowels and tones. At sentence level, the students had problems with sentence structure, using wrong parts of speech and wrong meaning. These errors resulted from the influence of the mother tongue, the complications of Thai orthography, linguistic environment, incomplete acquisition of the second language and Thai textbooks. By comparison, it was found that the students from both ethnic groups had similar word and sentence problems.