ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS’ LANGUAGE ERRORS IN WRITING SHORT STORIES IN ENGLISH LEARNING AT JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Abstract

This study aims to analyze students’ language errors in writing short stories in English learning at junior high school. The subjects consisted of 38 eighth-grade students at SMP Negeri 3 Payung, divided into two classes: VIII A and VIII B. This research employed a qualitative descriptive method, with data collected through students’ compositions, observations, and brief interviews. The data were analyzed by identifying, classifying, and calculating the frequency of language errors in four categories: spelling, diction/vocabulary, sentence structure, and paragraph organization. The results showed that the most dominant errors occurred in sentence structure (35%), followed by diction/vocabulary (26%), spelling (22%), and paragraph organization (17%). Examples of errors include incomplete sentences, inappropriate word choice, incorrect spelling, and incoherent paragraphs. These findings suggest that EFL writing instruction should adopt a holistic approach, emphasizing sentence construction, vocabulary enrichment, paragraph organization guidance, and encouraging students to read English texts.