Syntactic Errors in the Written Work of Student Teachers in Kericho Teachers' Training College Kericho, Kenya

Abstract

This research investigated the syntactic errors in the written work of students in Kericho Teachers’ Training College (TTC) in Kericho, Kenya. The research used Error Analysis procedure to investigate these errors. College students are supposed to be competent in English as a second language, since it is a language of instruction in school. The TTC students undergo residential training for 2 years and upon completion are posted to Kenyan Primary Schools to teach. The presence of errors in their written work reflects the quality of teachers being trained in these colleges. The objectives of this study were to identify the syntactic errors in the written work of the students, to code and describe these errors, to describe the source of the errors and to suggest how they can be avoided‘ The research looked at the theoretical literature and the studies on Second Language acquisition. The framework of this study was based on the Interlanguage theory. The respondents wrote a composition out of which the errors were analyzed. It was found that the main cause of these errors was overgeneralization. The other causes were ignorance of rule restriction, incomplete application of rules and false concepts hypothesized. This study recommends among other things, the redesigning of the curriculum. The curriculum planners should improve in the design of English as a subject. The current syllabus concentrates more on methodology than content. The presence of these errors gives a clue on how students cope up with the learning of other subjects in the curriculum. This will assist the lecturers in understanding the student’s level of proficiency in English. Above all, this study will influence the admission policy so that performing well in English will be a pre-requisite for training.