Error Competence and Structural Competence in EFL Context

Subject Areas :

Ahmad Yaghoubi ¹ ( عضو هیات علمی )

Received: 2009-06-05 Accepted : 2009-09-26 Published : 2009-12-10

Keywords: Keywords: error competence, error orientation, structural competence,

Abstract :

  Abstract This investigation was conducted with the intention of possibly recognizing error competence as a new variable related to advanced learners’ structural weakness. Error competence as one of the psychological levels of error orientation is the active knowledge to recover from errors immediately and reduce the error consequences. And error orientation shows how learners cope with and react to their own mistakes and errors.  The purpose of the study has been to determine the existence of any meaningful relationship between the error competence and the structural competence of the EFL students. The target population of the research included the English students at Islamic Azad University, Roudehen Branch. A sample of 200 EFL senior students was selected based on the multistage random sampling. They were administered the two instruments of the research: The Structural Error Competence Questionnaire (SECQ) and the structure section of a standard TOEFL test. The research has been conducted based on a descriptive correlational study in Iran and resulted in the existence of significant correlation between the two variables. The correlation coefficient amounted to 0.228 which was significant and positive at the 0.01 level. In conclusion, this investigation has paved the way to support the idea of having error competence as a strategy which needs training and management.