The Impact of Online Learning Environment on Making Errors in Second Language Learning

Abstract

Error analysis (EA) has long served as a valuable tool for examining the writing of second language learners by systematically identifying and interpreting their errors in spoken and written forms, since writing well requires effort and practice through experience in formal instructional settings. Therefore, practitioners should develop teaching methods and language skills when working with students’ language learning and acquisition. This article explores the role of online learning environments in second language learning (SLL) and the issues related to error analysis. This study collects, classifies, and analyzes the errors of second language learners' writing as it plays a vital role in language pedagogy. The outcome of using the error analysis approach provides a comprehensive understanding of the opportunities and challenges that learners face in the digital era. This paper examined written errors in online and face-to-face composition classes produced by sixty undergraduate students studying the English language at the College of Education at different universities in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The results from the students’ errors in the online learning environment show 172 more errors compared to a traditional learning environment. The findings suggest that students are still exposed to challenges from the online learning environment in grasping grammatical structures as they work through writing skills. Therefore, based on these findings, it can be understood that students are facing limited interaction, insufficient feedback, and a lack of physical exposure to English language learners.