An Error Analysis of Written Composition in English and Other Content Subjects of the 1952-53 Freshman Class, Booker T. Washington High School, Marlin, Texas

Author

Mabel Althea Taylor Tyrone, Prairie View A&M College

Date of Award

8-1953

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Degree Discipline

English

Abstract

The art of writing unfolds itself to the student as the art of the control of words, and if the student effectively learns to exert this control, he is then better able to express himself and to achieve a greater degree of social acceptance. Sterling A. Leonard feels that both form and effectiveness in expression rise from social needs; therefore he says, "the first step in an effective course in composition should be the child's realization that he needs better written expression."¹

In the area of language development the child is usually the product of his home and neighborhood environment; it becomes the task of the school to correct the habits and patterns of language usage that veer away from the accepted standard. In its application to the elementary school, Robert Pooley has applied this same concept. Pooley feels that "rarely is the influence of the elementary school strong enough to overcome the persistency of habits formed and reinforced in the home environment."² The difficult task that the school faces is evident, for who can venture to tell a child that the language which parents use is not the language of social acceptance? Then, the task which the teacher faces becomes increasingly more difficult - not only important but also difficult.

This study proposes to point out the types of errors made in written composition of students enrolled in the English, general science and history courses of Booker T. Washington High School, Marlin, Texas. This study further proposes to ascertain methods and techniques to be used in the teaching of English grammar and composition in order to better meet the needs of the freshmen, not only in English but in the other content subjects as well.

¹Sterling A. Leonard, English Composition as A Social Problem, New York: Houghton-Mifflin Company, 1929, p.190. ²Robert C. Pooley, Teaching English Usage, New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, Inc., p. 192.

Committee Chair/Advisor

Anne L. Campbell

Publisher

Prairie View A&M College

Rights

Date of Digitization

11-11-2021

Contributing Institution

John B Coleman Library

City of Publication

Prairie View

MIME Type

Application/PDF

Recommended Citation

Tyrone, M. A. (1953). An Error Analysis of Written Composition in English and Other Content Subjects of the 1952-53 Freshman Class, Booker T. Washington High School, Marlin, Texas. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/pvamu-theses/713