Error Correction for L2 Students by Michael John Alroe

Error Correction for L2 Students by Michael John Alroe

Summary of Article

The article ‘Error Correction of L2 Students’ Texts: Theory, Evidence and Pedagogy’ examines the underlying issues regarding error correction for learners of language as a second language. The author begins by exploring how the support for continued error correction has evolved in the past three decades. In the last one decade, there has been much revival whereby scholars and theorists in linguistics have supported error correction of students of second languages (Alroe, 2011). Earlier, many people believed that considerable comprehensible input would be effective for effective acquisition and learning of second languages such as English, German or French. With such a notion, there was some considerable progress thereby calling for new researches to examine the effective of error correction in the learning of second languages.

The article further explains how various studies supported the revival in error correction thereby identifying how comprehension and improvements in the learning process could be achieved. This supported the use of continued error correction. The empirical studies indicate that error correction using very simple techniques such as simple underlying would be effective towards promoting the learning process and comprehension. The article offers an analysis and support for simple error correction as a theoretical approach towards effective learning and acquisition of second languages. In the article, John Alroe further explains how the process is effective when the learners are required to write substantial works or essays, and correct their respective errors (Alroe, 2011). The article also explains the need to integrate the content comments in the works completed by the students. While correction might be strictly limited in the learning environment, the article further indicates that focused correction can definitely have powerful impacts in the learning process.

Strengths of the Article

After reading the article, it is notable that various evidences and strengths emerge as described by the author. For instance, the article offers a conclusive background that highlights some of the theoretical assumptions and views that favored output and content delivery as appropriate in the acquisition of second languages. For example, the article explains how studies and works of scholars such as Stephen Krashen argued that the use of error correction was irrelevant to the teaching and acquisition of languages in the classroom. As well, Truscott also believed that the use of error correction would be harmful and a waste of precious learning time. The author has gone further to offer new studies and researches that widened the theoretical knowledge thereby leading to the integration of error correction in the classroom (Alroe, 2011).

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