Selecting Errors for Selective Error Correction

Abstract

If one accepts the standard view that error correction in second language classes should be selective rather than comprehensive, the question naturally arises of how the selection process should be carried out. The paper explores this question by asking which types of errors are most likely to be eliminated or reduced by means of correction; in other words, which are most correctable. The focus is on (a) practical problems affecting the success of correction and (b) existing empirical work on the effectiveness of correction. The major conclusion is that the most correctable errors are those that involve simple problems in relatively discrete items. Least correctable are those stemming from problems in a complex system, particularly the syntactic system. Grammar errors in general are not good targets, though certain types can be identified that are more promising than others. These conclusions are developed in detail in the paper, with numerous examples.