Bartholomae, David. “The Study of Error.” College Composition and Communication, Vol. 31, No. 3, Oct. 1980, pp. 253-269. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/356486.

In the article, “The Study of Error,” David Bartholomae argues that we must “learn to treat the language of basic writing as language and assume . . . that the unconventional features in the writing are evidence of intention, and that they are, therefore, meaningful, then we can chart systematic choices, individual strategies, and characteristic processes of thought” (255). Bartholomae substantiates his argument by referencing other studies (mainly Mina Shaughnessy’s Error and Expectations),as well as showing his observations within the error analysis of the writings of a student named John. His purpose is to show that simply trying to “correct” the errors of a writer’s text and to drill them in grammar studies is futile in order to offer an alternative methodusing error analysis to see the specific errors that students make to more effectively help them. His argument is directed at teachers. As a student and a possible future teacher, I found Bartholomae’s ideas enlightening. He points out that we make assumptions that someone is incompetent or underdeveloped, even when they show a complex system of making meaning, and the differences and obstacles between the acts of speech and writing.