Which term describes a procedure for analyzing samples of learners' language to explain the errors they make?

Which term describes a procedure for analyzing samples of learners' language to explain the errors they make?

• A. Error analysis
• B. Fluency
• C. Formal schemata
• D. Formative assessment

Answer: (A)

Error analysis is the process of examining samples of learners' language to explain the errors they make. By collecting spoken or written work, identifying and classifying errors, and investigating their causes, you reveal how the learner’s current interlanguage rules differ from the target language. This helps distinguish systematic, rule-governed errors (often due to L1 influence or overgeneralization) from random mistakes and shows where instruction can target gaps. This differs from fluency, which is about smoothness and speed of speech rather than explaining why errors occur; formal schemata refer to mental structures for organizing knowledge, not the method of analyzing learner errors; and formative assessment is about ongoing evaluation to guide teaching, though error analysis can be a tool used within formative processes.

Error analysis is the process of examining samples of learners' language to explain the errors they make. By collecting spoken or written work, identifying and classifying errors, and investigating their causes, you reveal how the learner’s current interlanguage rules differ from the target language. This helps distinguish systematic, rule-governed errors (often due to L1 influence or overgeneralization) from random mistakes and shows where instruction can target gaps. This differs from fluency, which is about smoothness and speed of speech rather than explaining why errors occur; formal schemata refer to mental structures for organizing knowledge, not the method of analyzing learner errors; and formative assessment is about ongoing evaluation to guide teaching, though error analysis can be a tool used within formative processes.