Nihta V. F. Liando
Faculty of Languages and Arts, Manado State University
e-mail: nihta02@yahoo.com
ABSTRAK
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memaparkan
bagaimana berbagai kejadian dalam proses pembelajaran mendukung para pembelajar
meraih keberhasilan dalam belajar bahasa Inggris sebagai bahasa asing. Data
penelitian diambil dari pengalaman-pengalaman pribadi dari tiga orang mahasiswa
dan tiga orang dosen pada jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Universitas Negeri
Manado. Wawancara semi terstruktur dan narasi pribadi digunakan untuk
mengumpulkan data dalam penelitian ini. Ada tiga tema utama yang dapat
disimpulkan dari data wawancara yaitu: keluarga dan masyarakat, pengaruh
lembaga (institusi), dan faktor-faktor individu. Temuan penelitian ini
menunjukkan bahwa anggota-anggota keluarga, guru dan individual memegang
peranan penting dalam mendukung para pembelajar sehingga bisa berhasil dalam
pembelajaran bahasa Inggris
INTRODUCTION
The research literature in the area of
second language learning suggests that motivation is one among several factors
that play an important role in learning a second language (Crookes &
Schmidt, 1991; Dornyei, 1994a, 1994b; Ely, 1986; Gardner & Lambert, 1972;
Laine, 1978, 1988; Morris, 2001; Oxford & Shearin, 1994).
However, what maybe important to explore is the other factors beyond motivation
that lead some students to work harder and become more successful.
Indonesia has adopted English as a tool of
communication to establish relationships with other countries. English, despite
its status as a second language, has become more and more popular among
scholars, bureaucrats and the elites in Indonesia as the use of information
technology is increasing. This has been called the era of autonomy in
Indonesia. The rapid change is expected particularly because of Indonesia’s
role in the ASEAN Free Trade Association (AFTA). However, the excitement of
developing English as a second language of communication in Minahasa is
paralleled by the fear of losing the languages of Minahasan, which form part of
the people’s identity. The languages have been used by ancestors, and they
characterize the Minahasan people as different from other ethnic groups in
Indonesia. What is needed, therefore, is an appropriate method for teaching
English, which will both contribute to meeting the needs of people as a part of
a global community without displacing their identity.
Many teachers and educators view English teaching as a neutral practice.
However, teaching English cannot be seen as a neutral practice given the
cultural and political assumptions embedded in it. Norton (1989), for example,
examined how teachers and learners of English attempted to resolve the
ambivalent role of English in South Africa. English in South Africa became a
political tool especially during the period when discrimination against black
South Africans was dominant. She concluded that applying communicative
competence as the base of the teaching of English could give students freedom
to choose what was more appropriate and useful for them. Canagarajah (1993)
distributed questionnaires and interviewed 22 tertiary-level Tamil students
attending a mandatory class of English for general purposes (EGP) in Sri Lanka.
The findings showed students’ motivation for learning English declined
gradually based on the record of attendance, but the results of the interview
and questionnaire showed that they gave a high priority to the learning of
English.
Canagarajah suggested that these dual attitudes to English appeared because
of the conflict students faced in maintaining their own identity and the desire
for socioeconomic gain. Therefore, cultural factors and socioeconomic are among
the many factors that may contribute to students’ decision to study a language
(Lin, Wang, Akamatsu, & Riazi, 2002; Norton & Toohey,
2001).
In Indonesia, English as a second language is taught in schools. Following
a classification by Krashen (1981), Clyne (1986), and Ellis (1994) on the
contexts of learning languages other than the mother tongue, English in schools
is taught through instructional learning. According to Ellis (1994) this means
learning via study with guidance from reference books or direct classroom
instruction of interest has been teachers and students’ motivation to study
this kind of instructional context. Motivation does not always come from the
individual. Tremblay and Gardner (1995) who studied 75 students in a
francophone secondary school who completed a range of motivational measures
such as the variables mentioned above and the existing measures of attitudes
and motivation. Findings revealed that these new motivational measures such as
roles of parents and teachers influenced students’ language learning
achievement. Findings of Laine’s study (1978) indicated the important role of
parents towards students’ success in learning a foreign language. In addition,
Le Blanc (1997) described the importance of positive perceptions of language
learning in the community, especially among parents as a motivating factor in
students’ learning. Several studies of motivation have been able to identify
teachers’ roles as significant factors in learning second languages (Ellis,
1994; Macaro, 1997). Gardner, Smythe, Kirby and Bramwell (1974) identified
teacher, and school course of the target language (TL) among the factors that
promoted second language acquisition. This project was conducted to gather
information directly from the language learners regarding their experience of
learning English and to identify motivations, socioeconomic and cultural
factors might influence their desire to learn. Drawing from the participants’
life experiences in learning English, I gathered data regarding students’ and
teachers’ beliefs about 1) the qualities contribute to a student becoming a
good student and 2) the teaching practices contribute to a lecturer becoming a
good teacher.
RESEARCH DESIGN
were purposively selected. Lecturers in
the English Department at Manado State University were selected based on their
teaching experience. The different length of their working experience meant
that it was possible to gather a range of stories about their
experience with English in different eras of teaching, as well as their
opinions about the issues being addressed in this study. One female and two
male lecturers were selected and coded as Dan, Mista, and Mien for L1, L2 and
L3 respectively. Dan is a senior lecturer and has been in service for more than
30 years. He will retire in three or four years. Mista took up a position as a
junior lecturer in the English department in 2001. Mien has been in the
department for approximately 20 years.
The students who participated in this study were in their final year and
were writing-up their skripsi, a report which is similar to an
honours thesis. When the interviews were held, they were in their
8th semester. They all started their study in the English department UNIMA
in 2005. These student participants were coded as Helly, Deysa, and Yenta for
S1, S2, and S3 respectively. Helly attended a general high school and took the
Language program. Deysa attended a general high school too but took the Natural
Sciences program. Yenta attended a vocational high school and took a
Secretarial program.
The aim of this pilot study was to gather baseline information from
lecturers and students regarding their perceptions of the qualities that
contribute to a student becoming a good student and the teaching practices that
contribute to a lecturer becoming a good teacher. The data was collected
through interviews designed to gather information about past actions and how
individuals understood the actions (White, 1973). In addition to the interviews,
student participants were asked to write their own stories about learning
English. Stories, according to Labov (1972), serve to tell specific past events
and have common properties. “How events have been constructed by active
subjects” can be identified in the narratives (Riessman, 1993, p.70). Thus
their stories help to give a detailed picture of their experience in learning
English in addition to the information gathered in the interviews. These
stories were used as supporting information. Only students were asked for
stories and due to health problems, only two student participants submitted
narratives.
The interview tapes were transcribed using punctuation to support the
meaning of the utterances rather than the structure of the talk (Mills, 2001).
The transcripts were then examined and categorized into key themes (Mills,
2001).
DISCUSSION
Within the student data, the stories about
their initial experiences with English were similar. Each of these student
participants had support from the family. The media also, in this case,
television, had its influence in introducing English through cartoon films to
them. These similarities were dependent upon the time in which they grew up.
These student participants were introduced to English for the first time when
they were at the elementary school level. Growing up with access to technology
gave these language learners more opportunity to be in touch with English
through mass media such as television and printed papers. They were all
surprised by the English sounds they heard when they watched films on TV. The
sounds, which were different from their mother tongue. This finding supports
the research of Finocchiaro (1964) who stated that childhood is the ideal
period to acquire a language. This is based on reasons such as, a lack of
inhibition which is typical for older learners and a willingness to communicate
with their interlocutors without feeling under pressure.
When these student participants started learning English in junior high
school they were taught by teachers who had English subject backgrounds. Deysa
and Yenta mentioned that at this level they started to like English because of
their teacher. They started to become motivated because of the way the teacher
taught them.. Unlike Deysa and Yenta, Helly did not mention anything about her
English teacher either in junior or senior high school but she did mention
about her taking part in the extra courses offered by her English teacher when
she was in year one and year three of junior high school. Their first
impression of teachers when they were first introduced to English as a second
language in a formal school influenced their attitude towards English at more advanced
levels of education. The first experience in learning English thus marked their
learning English experience and has influenced their decision later in their
life.
Despite taking different subject tracks at the senior high school level,
all of the participants ended up taking English as their major in the
university level. Although their performances differed during their years of
study, they were now finishing their studies. Helly felt confident in choosing
a language program because she liked languages very well, particularly English.
Her earlier experience with English triggered her interest to study English
further. She mentioned that at first she did not want to be a teacher because
she thought being a teacher was a difficult job. She gradually changed her mind
after spending time studying in the English department. She said that she would
like to be in the teaching profession, in particular teaching the children. All
of the students who took English as their major expressed confidence about both
their career choices and about continuing their studies in English even though
they were undecided about their future careers.
Deysa who chose a Natural sciences program
during high school and spent a year in a civil engineering faculty confidently
changed her decision and moved to English department. She was active in the
school extra curricular activities as described in her narrative. Although she
has not decided yet what kind of job she wants to do, she looked comfortable
with her choice. Yenta took a Secretarial program in a vocational high school.
Her choice was very much dependent on her parents. After she finished high
school, she entered university and chose the English department because she
liked English and, again, because her mother suggested she do so. Just like
Deysa, Yenta is still not sure whether she will enter the teaching profession
or work in a second company after she has finished.
There is one last thing to note in the
student data. Although the stories the student participants told were, to some
extent, similar, the way in which they responded to the questions was also of
interest. It was evident that these students still could not express themselves
fully when using English (see the evidence in the transcripts presented). Although
before the interview, they were given the option to choose either Indonesian or
English, whichever they felt more comfortable with, they all opted for English.
Maybe because they wanted to practice their English or perhaps they simply
could not say “no English” to me, as they were my English students.
Unlike the student participants’ experiences, the lecturer participants shared some similarities in their experiences with English:
(a) all of them formally started learning English in the first year of junior
high school, (b) all of them had shown good performance in English as far as
their academic record was concerned, and (c) all of them were English teachers.
The differences, however, exist, not only because they were of different ages
but also because they had different community identities which led them holding
different opinions.
Dan took his upper level elementary schooling in the early 50s where he had
no opportunity to experience English prior to his junior high school years.
Mista who attended elementary school in the 80s learned English for the first
time from his junior high school friends. On the other hand, Mien, who attended
elementary school in the early 70s, had the opportunity to learn English in
school when she was in grade 6. This does not happen very often.
In terms of learning English in school, each of them experienced different
education systems and different curricula. When Dan was in senior high school,
he learned English only in his first and second year because in year three
students concentrated on special subjects that did not include English. The
subjects were grouped into Social sciences, Arts, and Sciences classes.
Therefore, the examination for the English subject took place at the end of
year two. When Mien was in high school, the curriculum that applied was 1975
curriculum. Because Mien was in a teacher training school, the amount of time
allocated for English subject was very small based on a consideration that this
school was assigned to produce kindergarten and elementary school teachers and
English was not taught at this level. Mista, who did his high school studies in the early 90s learned
English each year. The proportion of English he studied was even greater in the
Language program he chose.
When answering the research questions, their responses varied. For example,
regarding factors that contribute to successful teaching English practice, all
of them mentioned the teacher as an important factor. However, each of them
emphasized different points about the teacher. Mista pointed out that it is the
job of the teacher to make the lesson interesting. For him, this was considered
urgent and therefore a priority. Mien said that the first thing to do is to
make the students love the teacher and then they will love the subject. Mien
put the emphasis on the performance of the teacher, in attracting the students’
interest. And Dan mentioned that it is important that the teachers know what
they are going to teach in class, which means good preparation. Dan who has
been in English teaching area for more than three decades was able to make a
comparison and evaluation of what he did and saw during his career and back those
opinions with research. Thus, a teacher is considered important and those who
are “effective teachers can help learners to progress … at any level of
schooling” (Brumfit 1995).
Students’ attitudes were also an important factor. Dan emphasized the
importance of students changing their attitudes and learning styles when they
are at university if they wanted to be successful. He pointed out that there
were differences between learning styles in high schools and universities in
Indonesia. Mista and Mien said that the motivation of the students mattered a
lot. The differences found in these perspectives are generated from their own
experience in teaching English. Most of the participants’ first experience with
English started when they were around the age of 11 or 12, involved a family
member such as parents, siblings, relatives or friends. But this was not the
case for Dan who was introduced to English for the first time in when he
started learning it in junior high school and Mien who was fortunate to have a
creative teacher in the elementary school, who initiated to teach these grade 6
children English despite its absence in the curriculum. In a number of Gardner
studies, parental encouragement was found to be significantly correlated with
students’ motivation in learning a second language (Gardner, 1983, 1990;
Gardner, Masgoret, & Tremblay, 1999; Gardner et al., 1974).
The participants in this study came from a variety of backgrounds. In spite
of these differences, there is one thing shared by most of the participants,
the role of parents in the decision making of the children. One argument why
this happened is because of the cultural background of the participants. The
culture they belong to is very supportive of parents’ rights to determine their
children’s future. In many families in many parts of Indonesia, but
specifically in the case of those in North Sulawesi, it is still the practice
for parents to impose their own desires and will on their children. This also
relates very much to the socio-economic condition of the family. Parents, who
have higher incomes, will see themselves having more power to direct their
children’s future. If what they want is in line with what the children want,
there is little or no problem. However, concerns arise when the wants of
parents and children do not match.
All of the participants agreed that individual attitudes were important in
order to succeed. Motivation, self-interest, and positive attitude were
mentioned as important factors that should exist to be successful. Crystal
(1997) argued that motivation is a central factor in order to successfully
learn any second language. Anderson (1961) believed motivation is also a factor
that correlates to academic performance. For some researchers, motivation is
considered as one of the main determining factors regarding successful in
developing second or foreign language learning (Oxford & Shearin, 1994).
However, it is not solely motivation, because there are also other important
factors that matter such as family and community.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
This study explored three key themes generated from the data gathered in
this pilot study. These were (1) family and community, (2) institutional
influences, and (3) individual factors. These themes were interrelated each
other in the context of learning a second language, in particular English in
Indonesia. One key question arising from this study remains. This is “Why do
some students in the English department.
Do better in their English subjects during their first semester at
university than other students, given that they bring to the subject a similar
number of years of learning English. The data from the pilot study suggests
that various aspects of motivation may influence students learning. Therefore,
the purpose of the next stage of this study is to find out the influences on
student motivation, performance and subsequently their achievement.
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