MINI RESEARCH : LANGUAGE ACQUISITION BY. CIKA (http://www.ateep77.wordpress.com/)
ABSTRACT
Children in the age of 6-12 are now must fully involved in learning English since it is considered essential for children to learn it earlier. In fact, it does not work yet for most children learning English, as a case in one of the primary schools in Subang that 97% of them could not even spell colors in English. The researchers begin to concern about the materials being taught related to their motivation to learn English where lack of motivati motivation on is proven as the main issue in this case. So, the researcher researcher is anxious about finding out the more practical solution in term of increasing their their motiva motivati tion on to speak speak Engli English, sh, witho without ut ignori ignoring ng the nature nature of the children itself; curious, active, full of enthusiasm and often show a lot of eagerness to participate. The researchers employed descriptive study in conducting this research, while observation and interviews were employed to collecting the data. The findings show that there is a material now give given n in the the seni senior or high high scho school ol wh whic ich h is appr approp opri riat ate e and and incr increa easi sing ng strongly the students’ motivation to learn English better, especially in speaki speaking, ng, which which rarel rarely y occur occur in the first first grade grade of senio seniorr high high school school.. Therefore the researchers conclude that having relevant and constructive material which actually touches the nature of the children would directly increase their motivation the most. Due to the results, the researchers recommend the government and any educationist to be more selective in verdict the materials given to students with paying more attention to the students’ interest and motivation on them.
1
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents background on the research, limitation of the rese resear arch ch,, rese resear arch ch ques questi tion ons, s, aims aims of rese resear arch ch,, sign signif ific ican ance ce of the the research, and hypothesis. This chapter also provides a brief explanation abou aboutt the the meth method od of the the rese resear arch ch.. In the the end end of this this chap chapte ter, r, the the researcher informs clarification clarification of main terms and organization of paper. 1.1
Background
Speaking English is now found very hard to be applied in daily activities even by the students of English Department. It seems to be strange when people people speak speak Engli English sh in the publi public c areas. areas. Speaki Speaking ng Engli English sh even even with with friend friends s of Engli English sh depart departmen mentt will will be consid considere ered d as weird weird by others others.. Rare Rarely ly find findin ing g stud studen ents ts,, no matt matter er in wh what at leve levell they they are, are, wh who o have have willingness to speak English in his daily life becomes one of the proves that the students have the lack of motivation. They are not even able to motiva motivate te themse themselve lves; s; it indic indicate ates s that that they they will will not not able able to motiva motivate te others. Why speaking English is important, while reading is the most important area area or acti ctivit vity for for indi ndividu vidual als s to eng engage age in
for for the the sake sake of the
development of L2 academic competence, and it is important as well for interp interpers ersona onall functi function on and for merely merely “getti “getting ng along” along” in any liter literate ate soci societ ety y (Tro (Troik ike e 2006 2006), ), shou should ld be clea clearl rly y expl explai aine ned d in the the very very firs firstt beginn beginning ing.. As the data data I found, found, elemen elementar tary y studen students’ ts’ activi activitie ties s in the clas classr sroo oom m are are most mostly ly,, for for abou aboutt 85%, 85%, done done in the the spea speaki king ng way. way. Repeating what their teacher said, singing, mentioning fruits, animals, those are examples on how students done most orally English learning in speaking way, not reading. Speaking is also important area of activity for L2 learners if they will be using the language for interpersonal purposes, 2
whether these are primarily social or instrumental (Troike 2006). To speak English cannot be done with ease. Having minimally 200 vocabularies is one one of the the requ requir irem emen ents ts for for just just spea speaki king ng Engl Englis ish h falt falter erin ingl gly. y. Sinc Since e stud studen ents ts must must have have hund hundre reds ds even even thou thousa sand nd voca vocabu bula lari ries es to spea speak k English fluently, they should be engaged earlier. Most Indonesian usually cons consid ider er some somebo body dy good good in Engl Englis ish h thro throug ugh h her/ her/hi his s pron pronun unci ciat atio ion, n, speaking. The impressive image given through speak English is totally effe effect ctiv ive e to show show off off her/ her/hi his s abil abilit ity. y. Peop People les’ s’ ways ways to see see that that can can motivate that somebody somebody to learn or do do it more. Firstly before before learning it, the students should have willingness to do it. The willingness comes up from motivation. Moti Motiva vati tion on is a key key to ulti ultima mate te leve levell of prof profic icie ienc ncy y (Tro (Troik ike e 2006 2006). ). In researcher point of view, increasing students’ motivations mean helping them to increase their level of English proficiency. So first thing to do is motivating the children to have deeper desire to speak English. The forms of the motivation can be a compliment, a pride, or amazement. It can be vari variou ous. s. Chil Childr dren en,, acco accord rdin ing g to thei theirr age, age, are are cons consid ider ered ed easy easy to be motivated. All teachers need to do is choosing the best way to motivate them through the materials given in the class. Since children are more successful L2 learners than adults (Troike 2006), the writer believes that children should be engrafted earlier. Completing that way, children’s nature is essential. It is one of the ways to have fundamental on how children respond or do something. In accordance with children’s nature, if they are given a compliment because they do something, they will do the same thing anymore to gain it again. Introduction material which in status quo is explained for the students in senior high school seems not really effective in increasing their motivation to speak English. Based on the description above about motivation and children’s nature, introduction material can meet the need of teachers to increase the children motivation to learn speaking English. Since children will meet many new people, it will be good for them to know how to introduce themselves. When parents and others know that their children 3
can speak English by introducing themselves to a guest for example, it will make their parents rightfully proud and suddenly give compliments. The These se comp compli lime ment nts s are are anot anothe herr form form of moti motiva vati tion on wh whic ich h can can burn burn children spirit to speak more not only to introduce them. There was also another reason why I have big concern and curiosity on this topic. This is just a real story happened to my cousin. Last week, my cousin, a little girl of six, went home and told my family how happy she was. She also promised to learn hard especially in learning English. Then she began to tell the story when he was in the English class. It was just a simple story in my point of view. When her teacher asked her for several questions, she never missed it. She could answer every single question pointed to her. Then her friends adored her and suddenly thought that she is so smart in speaking English. Her teacher also plays role here, she gave her her a comp compli lime ment nt.. For For me, me, that that was just just an ordi ordina nary ry comp compli lime ment nt.. However, my cousin accepted all as her new spirit, big spirit to learn English more. Actually, at that time I saw it as one of the motivation components which is desire to attain the goal or need (see Oxford and Ehrman 1993). I never thought before that this kind of very simple action could affect deeply students’ motivation. Therefore, with a big expectation that it could be useful for Education and its elements I decided to make a research on it, with the topic “The need of “introduction” material (now given in the first grade of both senior and senior high school) to be taught earlier to the fourth
grade students of elementary school in term of increasing their motivation to speak English”. 1.2 1.2
Limit imita ation ion of of Pro Prob blem lem
This research is limited in gathering information on how “introduction” material which held in the first grade of senior high school will affect the students motivation in improving speaking skill if it is taught in fourth grade of elementary school. The researcher specifies her study in the observ observati ation on of the effect effective ivenes ness s of apply applying ing intro introduc ductio tion n materi material al in 4
improving improving students’ students’ motivatio motivation n in speaking speaking English, English, without without neglectin neglecting g other aspects that could occur in the adapting of introduction material as one of the materials presenting in the fourth grade students of elementary school.
1.3 1.3
Research arch Quest uestio ion ns
Based Based on the backgr backgroun ound d above, above, the presen presentt resear research ch endeav endeavore ored d to address the questions below: 1. What are the adv advantage ages and disadvantages of giving the introduction material earlier to fourth grade students of elementary school? Whic ich h scho school ol shou should ld be in the the firs firstt place place to teac teach h intr introd oduc ucti tion on 2. Wh material in term of motivating students to speak English better?
1.4 1.4
The Aim Aims of Research arch
The aims of this research are described below: 1. To identif identify y which materi material al is importa important nt to be given given earli earlier er as the elementary school material 2. To identify identify how significant significant does the introdu introduction ction material material promote promote the students’ motivation to speak English more 3. To have a brief brief knowledge knowledge about about children children and teenagers teenagers motivat motivation ion affected by the introduction material given to them
1.5 1.5
The The Sign Signif ific ican ance ce of of Res Resea earc rch h
The The resu result lt of this this rese resear arch ch will will allo allow w the the four fourth th grad grade e stud studen ents ts of elementary school to have the introduction material as one of the English 5
materials given. Since it is considered less effective and efficient to adapt this material to the first grade students of senior high school in promoting their motivation to speak English, it would be better to convert it to be the elementary students’ material. The impact would be seen in their spirit to learn learn more more vocabu vocabular laries ies and their their effor effortt to speak speak Engli English sh earli earlier. er. This This would be very helpful for them in the future because they already fill their spirit with a big motivation to learn English. Another consideration is that introduction material is the applicative one that is easy to be applied everywhere. As children, for sure, they will meet many new people; give this material to senior high school students will be too late to be taught.
1.6
The Hy Hypothesis
The researcher firstly came up with an assumption that children need something applicative for them in learning speaking English. Most people cons consid ider ered ed spea speaki king ng Engl Englis ish h as a hard hard thin thing g to do. do. The The rese resear arch cher er beli believ eved ed that that chan changi ging ng this this para paradi digm gm sinc since e the the chil childr dren en age age is very very crucial. Children should be have an understanding that learn or speak English is not that hard. It means that they should be given an interest and attractive material to stimulate those continuing speaking English. Motivated by compliment, feeling of proud, amazement, will lead them to the first interest that Speaking English is cool. They know not all people could speak English. Thus, introduction material is something that they can apply it anytime with anybody to show off their ability. a bility. In Indo Indone nesi sia, a, if ther there e were were chil childr dren en of seve seven n or eigh eightt alre alread ady y spea speak k English, it is a great thing to see. People will be amazed. Children feel rightfully proud. The compliments fill their head. So, related to the assumption above the researcher began this research with a hypothesis “children need an applicative material to increase their motivation, in this case it is introduction material given in senior high school”. 6
1.7 1.7
Rese Resear arch ch Meth Method od in Gene Genera rall
The research methods used in this research is qualitative method which is valuable “to assist the researcher in deciding whether the teaching program needed to be modified or altered in any way so that the objectives may be achieved more effectively” (Nunan, 1992). 1.8
Data Co Collection
As outlined above, this study used multiple techniques of data collection, conducted not only at the conclusion of the study, but also in a first beginning and ongoing way (Fraenkel and Wallen, 2000, p. 505; Bogdan and Biklen, 2003). This research begins with doing an observation toward both fourth grade students of elementary school and first grade students of senior high school and the interview done to twenty senior high school students who already learnt introduction material. This observation observation is addressed to have a wider wider point point of view view on how introd introduct uction ion materi material al affect affecting ing studen students ts motivation to speak English. Another purpose of the observation is that to know who feel more attractive in learning this material and followed it up by learning the next English materials with same or bigger motivation than than befo before re.. The The inte interv rvie iew w is aime aimed d to stre streng ngth then en the the rese resear arch cher er hypothesis that introduction material affects nothing to the senior high school students’ motivation in improving their speaking English ability. Ongoing data collection will be taken up briefly in this section, and the use of interview, which was conducted at the end of the research in detail. The interview is employed to the twenty students from both elementary and senior high school. 1.9 1.9
Clas Classi sifi fica cati tion on of Term Terms s
These following words and its meanings are several terms used in the research topic (Consulted from Cambridge University): 7
Motivation
: (U) enthusiasm for doing something; (N) The need or reason for doing something;
Spea Speak, k, spea speaki king ng : usin using g the the stat stated ed lang langua uage ge;; to (be (be able able)) talk talk in a language. Need
: something that somebody should have or would
benefit from having Introduction
it. : an activity
to do to make people know
somebody. Material
: information produced in various forms to help people.
Elem Elemen enta tary ry scho school ol
: a sch schoo ooll whi which ch prov provid ides es the the firs firstt par partt of of a chi child ld’s ’s
education, usually for children between five and eleven years old. High sch school ool
: a scho chool in the the US fo for chi chilldren dren aged aged 16-1 16-18 8 yea yearrs ol old.
Increase
: to make something larger in size.
CHAPTER 2 THEORETICAL FOUNDATION
2.1 Historical Developments and Trends in the Study of Foreign
Language Learning (L2) Motivation
8
The The fiel field d of fore foreig ign n lang langua uage ge lear learni ning ng (L2) (L2) moti motiva vati tion on rese resear arch ch was was founde founded d in 1959 1959 by two Canadi Canadian an social social psycho psycholo logi gists sts,, Lamber Lambertt and Gardne Gardner. r. Altho Although ugh they they were were not lingu linguis ists, ts, they they became became intere intereste sted d in second language learning because of the somewhat unusual Canadian socio-political environment, which is characterized by the coexistence of French- and English-speaking communities. The most universally accepted contribution of their work to the field has been that learning a second language is unlike learning any other subject. This is because it “involves imposing elements of another culture into one’s own lifespace” (Gardner & Lambert, 1972, p. 193), and because it is easily influenced (positively or negati negativel vely) y) by a range range of social social factor factors, s, such such as preva prevail ilin ing g attitu attitudes des tow toward ard
the
lang anguage uage,,
geo geo-pol -poliitical cal
cons consiiderat eratiions, ns,
and and
cul cultur tural
stereotypes (Dörnyei, 2005). In other respects, though, the field, just like its counterpart in general and educational psychology, has undergone a number of shifts: in scope, in research perspectives, in its relation to prac practi tice ce,, and and in its its rela relati tion onsh ship ip with with the the fiel field d of Seco Second nd Lang Langua uage ge Acquisition Acquisition research. The first empirical investigations related to L2 learning motivation took place in Canada, and were aimed at identifying and measuring variables that that shar shared ed vari varian ance ce in comm common on with with meas measur ures es of Engl Englis ishh-Fr Fren ench ch bilingualism bilingualism (Gardner & Lambert, 1959). Many such studies resulted in the proposal proposal of Gardner Gardner and Smythe’s Smythe’s (1975) (1975) pioneeri pioneering ng socio-edu socio-educatio cational nal model of second language acquisition in school contexts, which has been revised several times (e.g., Gardner, 1985a; Gardner, 2000; Gardner & MacIntyre, 1993a; Tremblay & Gardner, 1995). It is interesting to note that, according to Gardner, “acquisition” involves “the development of bilingual skill in the language, and that this requires considerable time,
effort, and persistence” (Gardner, 2001a, p. 4, my emphasis). Another motivation research occurred after the publication of Dörnyei and Ottó’s innovative (1998) process model of L2 motivation. As a result, in the late 1990s, a new, process-oriented period began for L2 motivation research. The process-oriented period is characterized by an increasing 9
emphasis on viewing motivation, not simply as a static product, but also as a dynam ynamiic proce rocess ss flu fluctu ctuati ating over over time. me. This his move moveme men nt is spea spearh rhead eaded ed by the the rese resear arch ch that that has has been been carr carrie ied d out out by Dörn Dörnye yei, i, Ushioda (e.g., 2001), and colleagues in Europe. The new approaches are moving toward an integration of concepts from motivational psychology, personality psychology, and even neurobiology (Dörnyei, 2005). 2.2 2.2 Or Orie ient ntat atio ion n and Mot Motiv ivat atio ion n
A basic distinction was made in Gardner (1985a) but has frequently been misunderstood, misunderstood, namely that between orientation and motivation (i.e., “the driving force in any situation,” Gardner, 2001a, p. 6). Gardner’s theory does does not belon belong g to goalgoal-typ type e theor theories ies (Dörny (Dörnyei, ei, 2001c) 2001c);; theref therefor ore, e, its focus is on motivation, not orientations. orientations. There are two common misconceptions of Gardner’s motivation theory (Dörnyei, 2005). One is that L2 motivation is simply the interplay of two component ents,
an
“integrative
“ins “instr trum umen enta tall
orie orient ntat atio ion n
/
orientation
/
motivation”
moti motiva vati tion on.” .” It is not not
and
an
surp surpri risi sing ng that that
misconceptions abound, given that: • The terms “orientation” and “motivation” have been used somewhat inconsistently inconsistently in the past by Gardner himself. • Gardner, for instance, still mentions both “integrative orientation” and “integrative motivation” motivation” but that the terms have come to refer to different concepts linked in complex hierarchical relationships (see Figure 2.3). • Many of these terms sound confusingly similar (e.g., “integrativeness,” and “integrative motive”). The other common misconception is that the theory revolves around a sim simple ple dich dichot otom omy y of the typ type, “instr strument mental al mot motivati vatio on is bad bad / integr integrati ative ve motiva motivatio tion n is good,” good,” which which is probab probably ly a conseq consequen uence ce of Gardner’s almost exclusive focus on “integrativeness.” 2.3 Integrative Motivation
Figur Figure e 2.3. 2.3. shows shows Gardne Gardner’s r’s (2001a (2001a)) concep conceptua tuali lizat zatio ion n of “Inte “Integr grati ative ve Motivation.” based on an extract from his basic model of second language 10
learning
(pp.5-7),
conc concep eptu tual aliz izat atio ion n
which of
the the
is
a
revised
“Int “Integ egra rati tive ve
version
Moti Motive ve” ”
of
his
(Gar (Gardn dner er,,
earlier 1985 1985a) a)..
“Integ “Integrat rative ive motiva motivati tion” on” subsum subsumes es three three compon component ents. s. The first first two, two, “inte “integra grativ tivene eness” ss” and “attit “attitude udes s toward toward the learn learning ing situat situatio ion,” n,” are usually fairly highly correlated and are seen as supports for the third component, which is “motivation.” In other words, a student who has high levels of “integrativeness,” and/or “positive attitudes toward the learning situation,” but is low in “motivation” is unlikely to achieve much in terms of L2 proficiency. Conversely, for motivation levels to be sustained over the long period needed to master an L2 a high level of “motivation” alone is insufficient; it needs to be supported by high levels of “integrativeness,” and/ and/or or posi positi tive ve “att “attit itud udes es towa toward rd the the lear learni ning ng situ situat atio ion. n.” ” Gard Gardne ner’ r’s s (1985a) social psychological approach assumes that students’ goals, when they they enga engage ge in L2 lear learni ning ng,, fall fall into into two two cate catego gori ries es,, an inte integr grat ativ ive e orientation, and an instrumental one. An integrative orientation reflects a positive disposition toward a community of L2 speakers, accompanied by a desire to learn the L2 for the purpose of interacting with, and even becoming similar to valued members of the community of L2 speakers. An instrumental orientation refers to a desire to learn the L2 primarily for potential concrete gains associated with L2 proficiency, such as improved education, career, or financial prospects. Even though “integrativeness” and “instrumentality” are the two most freq freque uent ntly ly high highli ligh ghte ted d conc concep epts ts in L2 moti motiva vati tion on stud studie ies s (Csi (Csizé zérr & Dörnyei, 2005), “instrumentality” has not received much attention from Gardne Gardner. r. “Integ “Integrat rative ivenes ness” s” is assess assessed ed in the AMTB AMTB by scales scales tappi tapping ng attitu attitudes des toward toward the group group of L2 speake speakers rs,, genera generall intere interest st in foreig foreign n languages, and a set of integrative orientation orientation items reflecting reasons for stud study ying the L2 base based d on attr ttract action to the the gro group of L2 spea peaker kers (MacIntyre, 2002). Fina Finall lly, y, Figu Figure re 2.3 2.3 indi indicat cates es the the func functi tion on that that Gard Gardne nerr (200 (2001a 1a,, p. 5) attributes to “instrumental motivation” and to other motivational factors (e.g., a stimulating L2 teacher or course), within a class of variables that 11
he termed termed “other “other suppor support” t” in his his model model of second second langua language ge learni learning. ng. However, this miscellaneous class of factors appears somewhat artificially differ different entiat iated ed from from “inte “integra grativ tive e motiva motivatio tion,” n,” and not parti particul cularl arly y well well integrated into the model (Dörnyei, 2005).
FIGURE 2.3 Conceptualization of Integrative Motivation (Based on Gardner, 2001, pp. 5-7)
12
2.4 Value Components of L2 Motivation
For many secondary school students, learning an L2 remains primarily an academic requirement, which is often at best perceived as a means to achieve another end. In other words, they may be interested in obtaining high scores in an L2 test (which may only require the ability to do well in comp comple lex x mult multip iple le-c -cho hoic ice e test tests, s, and and not not test test eith either er oral oral or writ writte ten n
13
proficiency in the L2), in order to pursue other meaningful personal goals. Recall that the term “instrumentality” “instrumentality” is normally used to refer to learning an L2 for such utilitarian purposes. Dörn Dörnye yeii and and Korm Kormos os (200 (2000) 0),, and and Dörny örnyei ei (200 (2002) 2) inve invest stig igat ated ed the the instrumental benefits associated with the EFL proficiency of Hungarian high school learners. In these studies, the authors preferred to use the term term “ince “incenti ntive ve values values” ” to instr instrume umenta ntali lity ty becaus because, e, besid besides es the usual usual pragmatic benefits mentioned by the participants, other incentives were mentioned such as traveling, making foreign friends, and understanding English songs. Dörnyei and Kormos (2000) found a negative correlation between learners with high task attitudes who reported an interest in incentive values and the number of words produced by these learners; they they sugg sugges este ted d it migh mightt be beca becaus use e such such an inte intere rest st was was soci social ally ly desi desira rabl ble e rath rather er than than genu genuin ine. e. On the the othe otherr hand hand,, Dörn Dörnye yeii (200 (2002) 2) reported a highly significant, positive correlation between students with positive task attitudes who reported an interest in incentive values and the the numb number er of turn turns s they they had had take taken n duri during ng the the task task.. Dörn Dörnye yeii (200 (2002) 2) indicates that the result is in accordance with his theoretical proposition that task motivation is “fuelled by a combination of situation-specific and generalized motives” (p. 151). Final Finally, ly, anothe anotherr notewo noteworth rthy y findi finding ng from from the studie studies s by Dörny Dörnyei ei and Kormos (2000) and Dörn Dörnye yeii (200 (2002) 2) was was that that some some lear learne ners rs,, wh who o had had nega negati tive ve atti attitu tude des s towa toward rd the the task tasks s used used in thei theirr stud study, y, neve nevert rthe hele less ss enga engage ged d in L2 communication behavior when they held favorable attitudes toward the L2 course. This seems to lend support to Schumann’s (1999) argument that some individuals may be “willing to endure” (p. 36) certain L2 learning experiences that they find unappealing or even unpleasant, just because of the contribution these experiences make to achieving a longer-term goal that they value (e.g., learning an L2). It also suggests to me that favorable attitudes toward an L2 course may be related to the positive value students attach to L2 learning in general, and that attitudes toward
14
specific language learning tasks may be based on an affective type of response to these learning tasks, which can be self regulated. 2.5 Dörnyei’s L2 Motivational Motivational Strategies Framework
Traditionally, Traditionally, motivational psychologists have been more concerned about what motivation is than about how we can use this knowledge to motivate
learners. Recently, however, there has been a marked change, and more and and more resea esearrcher chers s hav have deci ecided ded to look at the the pedag edago ogica gicall impli implicat catio ions ns of resear research ch by concep conceptua tuali lizin zing g motiva motivati tiona onall strate strategie gies. s. Motivational strategies can refer to instructional interventions consciously
applied by the teacher to elicit and stimulate student motivation, or to self-regulating strategies strategies that are used purposefully by individual students to manage the level of their own motivation. The motivational strategies disc discus usse sed d here here belo belong ng to the the firs firstt type type,, name namely ly,, to inst instru ruct ctio iona nall techniques used by teachers. A survey of the educational psychology literature related to the study of moti motiva vati tion on in the the clas classr sroo oom m reve reveal als s many many publ public icat atio ions ns on teac teache herr behaviors that should be effective in fostering student motivation in the classroom (for reviews in educational psychology see, e.g., Brophy, 2004; Ginsberg & Wlodkowski, 2000; Pintrich & Schunk, 2002; within the area of language education see, e.g., Alison & Halliwell, 2002; Dörnyei, 2001a, 2006; 2006; Will William iams s & Burden Burden,, 1997). 1997).Yet Yet,, it also also reveal reveals s the absenc absence e of a theory-based framework that could accommodate the diverse behaviors— although Dörnyei (2001a) is a notable exception in the L2 field. His model for a motivational L2 teaching practice comprises four main dimensions: •
namely ly,, layi laying ng the the Creati Creating ng the basic basic motiv motivati ationa onall condit conditio ions ns, name
foundations of motivation through establishing a good teacher-student rapp rappor ort, t, a plea pleasa sant nt and and supp suppor orti tive ve clas classr sroo oom m atmo atmosp sphe here re,, and and a cohesive learner group with appropriate group norms. •
Generating Generating initial initial motivati motivation, on, that that is, is, “w “whe hett ttin ing g the the stud studen ents ts’’
appetite” by using strategies designed to develop positive attitudes toward the language course and language learning in general, and to increase the learners’ expectancy of success. 15
•
Maintaining and protecting motivation through promoting situation-
specific task motivation (e.g., by designing stimulating, enjoyable, and relevant tasks), by providing learners with experiences of success, by allowing them to maintain a positive social image even during the often face-threatening task of having to communicate with a severely limited language code, and finally, by promoting learner autonomy. •
throug ugh h the the Encour Encouragi aging ng posit positive ive retro retrospe specti ctive ve self-e self-eval valuat uatio ion n thro
promotion of adaptive attributions and the provision of effective and encouraging feedback, as well as by increasing learner satisfaction and by offering grades in a motivational manner. Figure 2.5 presents the schematic representation of the model, indicating the main macro-strategies associated with each dimension. The macrostrategies are further broken down into over 100 motivational techniques. The The read reader er is refe referr rred ed to Dörn Dörnye yei’ i’s s book book on moti motiva vati tion onal al stra strate tegi gies es (2001a) where these are explained in detail. Dörnyei’s L2 motivational strategies framework served as the theoretical basis for designing the classroom observation instruments in the current investigation. While the motivational strategies reported in the L2 motivation literature are usually grounded in sound theoretical considerations, there has been very little research in the past to answer this crucial question: Do the prop propos osed ed tech techni niqu ques es actu actual ally ly work work in lang langua uage ge clas classr sroo ooms ms? ?
This This
deficiency was already highlighted by Gardner and Tremblay (1994) over a decade ago: In reflecting on the potential usefulness of motivational strate strategie gies, s, they they argued argued that, that, from from a scient scientifi ific c point point of view, view, intui intuiti tive ve appeal without empirical evidence was not enough to justify strong claims in favor of the use of such strategies. They therefore recommended that these strategies be considered as mere hypotheses to be tested, and highlighted a number of possible pitfalls to avoid in such research. The fact that there may be a discrepancy between the assumed and the actual motivational power of certain motives or motivational strategies is indeed a real concern, which is well reflected in the title of a very recent paper by Chen, Warden, and Chang (2005): “Motivators “Motivators that do not motivate.”
16
In retrospect, however, it can be seen that Gardner and Tremblay’s (1994) recommendations have hardly been taken up by scholars in the L2 field. This is partly because validation studies of motivational strategies are labor-intensive, labor-intensive, since they require the application application of experimental designs and/or extensive classroom observation. At the time of writing, only one published study (Dörnyei & Csizér, 1998) had the explicit objective to prov provid ide e empi empiri rica call data data abou aboutt the the effe effect ctiv iven enes ess s of 51 moti motiva vati tion onal al strategies (selected from a list, drawn up by Dörnyei, 1994a, of about 100). However, that study only relied on teachers’ self-reports about how important they considered strategies and how often they used them; it was not based on documentation of the actual nature of the participating teachers’ motivational practice (which would have been more objective), nor on the students’ classroom behavior to which such practice might have been linked.
FIGURE 2.5
17
The Components of a Motivational L2 Teaching Practice (Dörnyei, 2001, p. 29)
18
CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1
Research Design
This mini study, as outlined before, is conducted by using qualitative descriptive method. Qualitative or interpretive methods are not yet commonly used in L2 motivation research, although they have been advo advoca cate ted d over over the the past past deca decade de (e.g (e.g., ., Dörn Dörnye yei, i, 2001 2001c, c, in pres press; s; Ush Ushioda, oda,
1996 1996). ).
A
mai main
diff differ eren ence ce
betw betwee een n
quant uantiitati tative ve
and and
qual qualit itat ativ ive/ e/in inte terp rpre reti tive ve meth method ods s is that that the the latt latter er focu focus s on the the participants’ rather than the researcher’s interpretations and priorities. Thus, Thus, quali qualitat tativ ive e method methods s can be more more contex contextua tuall lly y sensit sensitive ive than than quan quanti tita tattive ones becau ecaus se resear search cher ers s do not not set set out to test test prec precon once ceiv ived ed hypo hypoth thes eses es;;
rathe ather, r, they they tend tend to defi define ne anal analyt ytic ic
categories only during the process of research. Qualitative methods exclude the collection of numerical data in favor of natural data in the form of researchers’ field notes (e.g., notes taken during during classroo classroom m observati observations) ons),, particip participants’ ants’ verbaliza verbalization tions s of their experiences (e.g., interviews, journal entries, or answers to open-ended items in questionnaires), and/or authentic documents (e.g., recorded speech speech sample samples, s, texts texts writt written en by parti particip cipant ants, s, video video-rec -recor ordin dings gs of lessons). The analysis of these data consists of discovering meaningful them themes es and and patt patter erns ns.. Cons Conseq eque uent ntly ly,, rese resear arch cher ers s can can lear learn n abou aboutt students’ students’ L2 motivati motivation on from, from, for instance, instance, descripti descriptions ons construct constructed ed after having observed the students engaged in classroom activities and from students’ accounts of their feelings relating to their L2 teacher and engagement in L2 class activities. From observation notes, it is possib possible le to apprec appreciat iate e how teache teachers rs select select,, sequen sequence, ce, modify modify,, and create create activi activiti ties es to cater cater to their their studen students’ ts’ specif specific ic needs needs and the constraints of their particular environment.
19
With With thei theirr pote potent ntia iall for for yiel yieldi ding ng rich rich and and vari varied ed data data,, qual qualit itat ativ ive e rese resear arch ch meth method ods s acco accomp mpan anie ied d by qual qualit ity y in-d in-dep epth th anal analys ysis is and and interpretation can lead to uncovering the structure of events when the meanin meanings gs and and perspe perspecti ctives ves of indiv individ idual uals s are import important ant.. The main main drawbacks drawbacks are that qualitati qualitative-ty ve-type pe studies studies are labor-int labor-intensiv ensive e and usually involve only a small number of participants, which makes it impossible to generalize the findings since the few participants may not be representative of the population being studied. However, the latter drawback can be overcome to some extent by using appropriate sampling methods (see next section, and for more details, Dörnyei, 2007). 3.2
Data Collection
The The data data are are coll collec ecte ted d usin using g obse observ rvat atio ion n and and the the inte interv rvie iews ws.. The The observation is done in the fourth grade of elementary school and first grade of senior high school in Subang. This city is chosen because the citizens in this city are less development especially in the educational field. It shown by the results of national examination conducted every year years. s. Besi eside math ath, Engl Engliish beco become me the the obsta bstacl cle e to pass ass the the examination. The researchers assume that the cause is the teachers lack in molding the students since the children age. Because of the lack motivation that never be built in themselves make the students stay longer longer in the paradigm paradigm of “learning “learning English English is hard”. hard”. The elementar elementary y school is chosen because most of the students about 95% have low marks. Even though the teacher has has done many methods but then the students are still not being motivated to get higher marks. Then it is considered as the lack of motivation that the students have in learning Engli English. sh. Anothe Anotherr reason reason that that leads leads the resear researche chers rs to choose choose this this elem elemen enta tary ry scho school ol is beca becaus use e of thei theirr open open-m -min inde ded d towa toward rd the the progress of their students. The same case also occurs in one of senior high high scho school ols s in Suba Subang ng.. Wh When en bein being g aske asked, d, they they answ answer er that that the the materials is sometime too hard and other times too simple. Then to
20
prove all the assumption, the researchers firstly conduct observation to know the real of students’ activities includes its material in class. 3.2.1 Observation
Observ Observati ation on is an inves investig tigati ation on done done system systemati atical cally ly and emplo employed yed intent intentio ional nally ly by using using the five five senses senses,, especi especiall ally y eyes eyes toward toward the ongoing cases (Bimo Walgito, 1987: 54). While Djumhur (1985: 51) defi define ned d
obser servati ation as a
tech echniq nique to direct rectlly
and and
indi ndirectl ectly y
investigate the ongoing phenomenon both inside and outside school. In conducting the research, using literal observation is the only way to have more intimate situations with the students. It also facilitates the researchers to direct feel what the students feel and to fairly judge the performances performed by students from both elementary school and senior high school. Getting involved and sitting in the same classes enac enacte ted d like we are are the the real pupi pupill was the the way to gai gain some some experiences and to keep the validity of the data collected. The observation is done firstly in collecting data in order to provide the researchers a general condition on the learning process of introduction material conducted in the first grade of senior high school. Since an observation of the same class in the elementary school is also need needed ed,, a teac teache herr from rom one of elem elemen enttary ary schoo choolls in Suban ubang g intere intereste sted d to get involved involved in this this resea research rch and try to conduc conductt this this material to her students. Introduction material is taught to them in term of finding out the children responds to this kind of new material. it is caused by the result of the previous observation when elementary childr children en are just just taught taught about about number numbers, s, color colors, s, things things,, and others others without relating it into their daily lives. The observation is done to measure the class performances shown by the studen students ts from from each each level. level. Then Then the resul resultt of each each observ observati ation on 21
woul would d be comp compar ared ed to know know the the diff differ eren ence ces s of them them and and as the the mate materi rial al to answ answer er the the firs firstt rese resear arch ch ques questi tion on addr addres esse sed d by the the researchers. The result of their performances was presented in the percentage scale in order to facilitate the readers in understanding the result. We use the scale from 10%-100%. It was classified deeper into: 10%- 25% = poor performance 25%-50% = average performance 50%-80% = good performance 80%-100% = awesome performance
3.2.2 3.2.2 Interview Interview
The last source of data was interviews with the students. An interview has been been define defined d as “an “an inter interact actio ion n betwee between n two people people,, with with the inte interv rvie iewe werr and and the the subj subjec ectt acti acting ng in rela relati tion on to each each othe otherr and and reciprocally influencing influencing each other” (Kvale, 1996, p.35). This enabled the researchers “to check the accuracy of-to verify or refute-the impressions we had gained through observations” (Fraenkel and Wallen, 2000, p.509). The interview was conducted to 40 respondents, 20 respondents were from elementary school and the rest were from senior high school. Both Both inter intervie views ws were were done done after after the studen students ts got the intro introduc ductio tion n material. The form of the questions being investigated was presented in different languages for each level. Students of elementary school were asked in bahasa concerning that English questions would not be understandable for them as they just have learnt few things in English. Considering that senior high school students were already taught many 22
thi things in Engl nglish and and the the ques questi tio ons aske asked d are are simpl mple, so, so, the researchers questioned them in English. After the class, the students were asked to stay in a room to be called later in turn and the researcher asked about their opinions after having introduction material. 3.3
Data Instrument
The data instruments are the observation sheet and the interviews questions written in a paper. 3.4
Data Analysis
Data Data are are coll collec ecte ted d from from the the inte interv rvie iew w used used to inve invest stig igat ate e twen twenty ty students from both senior high schools and elementary schools. The questions asked are same for both levels of schools. The researchers just just diffe differen renti tiate ate it in the langua language ge used. used. Indone Indonesia sian n questi questions ons are used to investigate the elementary school students in informal way, whereas the English questions in a quite formal way are used to the other level. They all answer the questions in a good way, so it does not render collecting data difficult. Litera Literall obser observat vation ion is also also emplo employed yed on this this collec collectio tion n data data work. work. Init Initia iall lly, y, both both rese resear arch cher ers s part partic icip ipat ated ed as a lear learne ner, r, sitt sittin ing g with with diff differ eren entt char charac acte terr of chil childr dren en and and teen teenag ager ers. s. We lear learne ned d and and practiced with them and they watched us struggle with similar jobs in the class, specifically in this material. Bello ellow w is the resu esults lts of the data data coll collec ectted as well well as its its analysis.
According to the observation done, the data are the following: No . 1.
Active Class Participation
Level of each value (Percentage) High School Elementary school 30% 60% 23
2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Students enthusiasm Teachers and students interaction Students practice actively Good students’ responds to “introduction” “introduction” material Good students attention This material affects students moti motiva vati tion on in impr improv ovin ing g spea speaki king ng ability positively Students willingness to learn Followed up by doing practices outside the class
20% 40% 50% 35%
95% 65% 85% 85%
45% 25%
80% 95%
45% 5%
75% 100%
In doing the observation, the researchers attempt to be completely objective in viewing the students’ performance of both school levels, elem elemen enta tary ry and and the the seni senior or high high scho school ol.. To show show the the rese resear arch cher er perspectives, the students’ performance of senior high school will be firstly firstly discussed discussed in the findings findings part. The senior senior high school students students are seems not interested in learning this material. It is proven by their less less atte attent ntio ion n wh when en thei theirr Engl Englis ish h teac teache herr expl explai aine ned d it to them them.. Chatting, doing something with their cell phones, silent joking, are such activities they did in the class when Introduction material is conducted. The interaction between teacher and the students is wide apart. They are in the same same room room worki working ng on differ different ent busine business. ss. Howev However er the goodness found by the researcher is that in the practice session, most of the students take easy on it. Some of them pointed to come forward and practice show very small amount of difficulties on doing that. They already know how to introduce introduce themselves. Well done. Perceiving “no matter” for this material leads them to the lack of practice outside. Unde Un ders rsta tand ndin ing g the the mate materi rial al befo before re teac teache her’ r’s s expl explan anat atio ion n affe affect cts s studen students’ ts’ motiva motivatio tion n negati negativel vely. y. The ease ease of this this actual actually ly causes causes a weak willingness to learn other English materials. Seco Second ndly ly is wh what at the the rese resear arch cher er has has foun found d in the the four fourth th grad grade e of elementary school students. This observation result shows significant diff differ eren ence ces s of perc percen enta tage ge from from both both elem elemen enta tary ry scho school ol stud studen ents ts’’ perf perfor orma manc nces es and and seni senior or high high scho school ol ones ones.. The The chil childr dren en invo involv lve e 24
actively in each activity of learning this material. When first time the teacher introduces herself, they begin to mumble, trying to say what she said. It is one of the indicators that they start to be attracted on. It is a kind of very good interaction done between teacher and students, because the students do what the teacher ask to them. Listening and repeating loudly what is being taught run smoothly in that class. All children want to be able to do the same thing. When the teacher asks them to practice introducing themselves, one by one in front of the class, they’d be happy to. They perform as well as they can. Sometimes, even the mousy one, willing to come to the front, and speaks very slow and soft. Almost everyone in the class enjoy this material. Every time the teacher asks for practicing many of them directly raise their hands. Answering teacher’s question does not become their fear any longer. Hobbies and dreams are their favorite things to share. Smile and even laugh fill that classroom; it is a fresh class. No one want to be silent, they do it repeatedly without feeling bored. This is a very active classroom since the students show very big enthusiasm by repeating the entire teacher said loudly. After the class dismiss, they ask the teacher when they are going to learn English again. It is very good news. It indicates their motivation and interest to learn English especially to speak this language. As a nature nature of children, children, they love to show off themselves, themselves, who they are, or how smart they are. That happens after this class; outside the class. When Wh en they they meet meet othe otherr frie friend nds s from from othe otherr clas classe ses s they they dire direct ctly ly introduce themselves in English. Most of others who listen to them look like they wanted to do what they have done. Not only those students taught this material but also students from other classes want to be able to speak English. The researcher found that the class participation of the senior high schoo schooll stude students nts is less less than than the elemen elementar tary y ones. ones. The observ observati ation on result shows that the elementary school students have bigger interest in learning the “introduction” material than the other ones. Then it 25
gives them more motivation to speak English than it is for the senior high school students. These are question used to investigate twenty students of senior high school: 1. Do you you like like speakin speaking g Englis English? h? 2. Do you like like learning learning “intro “introducti duction” on” materia material? l? 3. Does learnin learning g this material material bring bring any impacts toward toward your speaking speaking ability? 4. Is it difficu difficult lt for you to learni learning ng this materi material? al? 5. Does learning learning this material material motivate motivate you to speak English better? TABLE 3.4 a
The interview is employed as one of the ways to dig the information
Before going further, let’s firstly discuss the data collected from one by one specific specific answer answer delivered delivered by the twenty twenty respondents respondents.. For the first first ques questi tion on,, more more than than half half of the the resp respon onde dent nts s resp respon ond d it posi positi tive vely ly.. Speaking English is something they like to do. Good beginning. It means that they already have good start to learn speaking English. Teachers just
26
need to support them appropriately by giving them, in this case, more challenging material than just a little of “introduction”. Then the second questi question on answer answered ed by the studen students ts disli dislike ke domina dominatin ting g it. it. In fact, fact, the ignorance of this material begins to appear here. It is one of the reasons of why learning introduction material does not bring any impacts toward their speaking ability. Unfortunately their likes to speak English are cut down by the easy material given to them. The data show that learning an introduction material is not a big deal for them so why teachers should teach something the students already able to do. The materials should be to appropriately support the development of motivation so that there is a prop proper er foun founda dati tion on for for opti optima mall educ educat atio iona nall grow growth th.. Howe Howeve verr the the data data collec collected ted from from the senio seniorr high high school school interv interview iew negate negate the statem statement ent before. According to Ryan and Deci (2000), ‘intrinsic motivation generally refers to motivation to engage in an activity because that activity is enjoyable and satisfying to do.’ Class activities are on occasion of the materials of it. Inde Indeed ed,, beca becaus use e they they alre alread ady y know know the the stag stages es of self self intr introd oduc ucti tion on,, learning this material become as just as flashing something the usually do. It leads them to feel bored immediately in class. Repeating something usua usuall in a form formal al cond condit itio ion n make make them them igno ignore re it, it, not not watc watch h in from from academic perspective and its senses. The boring atmosphere in the class will not bring them to have an enjoyable and satisfying activity to do, for inst instan ance ce,, prac practi tice ce to intr introd oduc ucin ing g your yourse self lf.. An Any y bett better erme ment nt beco become mes s unobtainable for them. They lose their focus to learn their motivation and finall finally y aboli abolish sh their their own own spiri spiritt to learn. learn. At this this point, point, nothi nothing ng can be expected from the introduction material taught to the first grade students of senior high school. Having known the senior high school students respond to this material, the the elem elemen enta tary ry stud studen ents ts migh mightt show show diff differ eren ent. t. The The natu nature re of both both different ages, at least in this case, strongly affected their interest and ways to learn something. After having discussion for this long in senior high school area, the next one to be presented will be the discussion 27
presen presented ted after after conduc conducti ting ng interv interview iew to the fourth fourth grade grade studen students ts of elementary school.
TABLE 3.4 b
The data above were collected after the researchers try to conduct such experi experimen mentt by givin giving g them them intro introduc ductio tion n materi material. al. The resul resultt is total totally ly different with those from senior high school where almost all students respon responded ded negative negatively ly on the questio questions ns given. given.
The element elementary ary school school
students, on the other hand, gave positive respond to the questions. It is along with one of the characteristics of young learners characterized by Brumfit (1997: v) who stated that young learners tend to be keen and 28
enthusiastic
learners
(cited
fromhttp://peni.st fromhttp://peni.staff.uns.ac.id/2008/10/10/ aff.uns.ac.id/2008/10/10/young-learner-characteri young-learner-characteristics/ stics/). ). The surprising results occur when respondents answered the third and fifth fifth questi question. on. All All of them them said said ‘yes’ ‘yes’ in respon respondin ding g the two questio questions ns indicating a high interest in learning English, the introduction material particularly. Show Showin ing g the the exis existe tenc nce e of moti motiva vati tion on amon among g stud studen ents ts them themse selv lves es,, according to Ball (ibid), motivated students refer to those who wish to do things that teachers expect. Creating kinds of situation that can emerge studen students ts motiva motivatio tions ns are often often hard hard to do. do. Howeve However, r, the resear researche chers rs foun found d
any any
other ther
situ situat atiion
suppo upporrting ting
his his
stat statem emen entt.
Stu Student dents’ s’
attractiveness to perform in front of the class introducing themselves and to obey obey the the teach teacher ers’ s’ inst instru ruct ctio ions ns is par parts ts of this this sit situa uati tion on..
The The
elem elemen enta tary ry stud studen ents ts’’ perf perfor orma manc nces es in the the clas class s indi indica cate te thei theirr big big willingness to speak English better and better. By their eagerness to be active actively ly partic particip ipati ating ng in the class class activi activiti ties es wh when en they they were were given given the introduction material, they feel nothing difficult with English. It’s going to be greatly affecting their perspectives in viewing English as many people consider it very hard to learn. Their motivation will transform to be a contin continuit uity y of speak speakin ing g Engli English sh as it is prove proven n by the answers answers of fifth fifth questi question. on. Just Just as it was found found in Song Song (2004) (2004) that that elemen elementar tary y school school children indicated that they are motivated to study English because it is a compulsory subject at school. The situations the researchers underwent when implementing it to the senior high school students were no longer happen in the elementary school. All students seem to be focus on teacher instruction, and they respond enthusiastically to every activity along the introduction material. It again, proves that this material already touch the natures of children, which are different from adults. The characteristics cover their ways of thinking, their attitude, their aptitude, et cetera. They also prevail to the children’s ways of learning language. This, of course, influences the ways of teaching them. To give the best quality of teaching English to the 29
chi children, en,
the teac teache herrs shou shoulld know know and and under nderst stan and d them them (ci (cited ted
fromhttp://peni.st fromhttp://peni.staff.uns.ac.id/2008/10/10/ aff.uns.ac.id/2008/10/10/young-learner-characteri young-learner-characteristics/ stics/). ).
CHAPTER IV FINDINGS
4.1 Findings
Every time adult learners see a child who speaks a foreign language flue fluent ntly ly,, the the lear learne ners rs regr regret et not not havi having ng star starte ted d lear learni ning ng the the fore foreig ign n langua language ge earli earlier er becaus because e the learne learners' rs' speech speech necess necessari arily ly invol involves ves a foreign accent. It is widely believed that the earlier people start learning a second language, the more successful they will be. If there is 'a period, during which language can be acquired more easily than at any other time (Richards, Platt and Platt 1992:92),' language learning after that period should be more difficult. It is related with the findings of the researcher through this mini research. The researcher found that it is very essential to motivate children to learn English since their children age. Giving material which is relevant with 30
thei theirr live live is appl applic icat ativ ive e for for them them.. Ap Appl plic icat ativ ive e mate materi rial al is easy easy to be implemented anywhere, anytime and with anyone. One of the applicative materials found useful to be learnt since children age is “introduction material” which is now given in the senior high school level. It is also found that teaching introduction material to the fourth grade students of elementary school brings many advantages to its students. They are able to make people know who they are to say in English. Since it is very applicative material, it is going to be hard for them to forget this material. There are no longer the words of “English is hard” which make students reluctant to learn English. Showing easier material makes them have big enthusiasm to learn English which lead them to the betterment of their their Engli English sh especi especiall ally y on the speaki speaking ng abili ability ty that that the resea research rcher er concern from the very first beginning. The disadvantages also found in this experimental research, after having an easy material, it is difficult to move them to the next stage which is not interesting for them. From the data collected, we found a very significant value ( shown shown in percentage) of motivation gained by the elementary and the senior high
school students. The children aged- students show that this introduction material attracts them to learn English again and again. In contrast we found less interest from the senior high school students. They tend to be boring in the class which makes it run ineffectively. The result also shows that most of them already recognize well “how to introduce”. The last, the researcher found that the students of elementary school need this material more than the students of senior high school. According to the condition above in the first paragraph, it is important for them to learn English since children age. So, the introduction material, in term of motivating children in the earlier age to speak English for the sake of learning effectiveness, is more needed to be share in the fourth grade of elementary school.
31
Stimulation (introductio n material)
After completing this research, the researcher also found a cycle exists. Based on the researchers’ observation, most of teachers come to the classes without big plan on how they are going to teach. The big plan in this case is not simply as the lesson plan. Teachers need to develop an overall plan that covers the entire aspects of learning processes. In status quo, teachers generalize the students’ capabilities and performances that make them restricting students right to gain more knowledge in the class. What teachers demanded is only the students understand what they have explai explained ned in class classroo rooms. ms. Expec Expectin ting g studen students ts to obtain obtain high high scores scores in his/he his/herr lesson lesson is usual. usual. No more educati educative ve practice practice..
No wonder wonder if the
education does not increase significantly. One thing that seldom to be touc touche hed d is to buil build d stud studen ents ts moti motiva vati tion on;; how how to make make the the stud studen ents ts attr attrac acti tive vely ly invo involv lve e in the the Engl Englis ish h lear learni ning ng proc proces ess. s. Stud Studen ents ts are are commonly forced to be active in the classroom without any stimulant before. Stimulant to increase the students motivation to speak English are rarely thought by teachers. Then this research comes up with a new cycle above, motivation cannot be built built witho without ut the existenc existence e of the stimu stimulan lant. t.
The stimul stimulant ant can be
everything. The ways teachers deliver the materials, even the materials itse itself lf can can be the the stim stimul ulan antt to buil build d stud studen ents ts moti motiva vati tion on.. Wh Why y the the motivation becomes so important by the way, stated by Harmer 1998, while real motivation comes from within each individual, young learners rarely rarely have clear motivatio motivation; n; they may come to class simply taking it for 32
gran grante ted, d, or beca becaus use e they they like like the the teac teache her. r. So, So, thro throug ugh h stud studyi ying ng the the elemen elementar tary y studen students’ ts’ perfor performan mances ces in the classr classroom oom,, the resear researche chers rs determ determine ine that that materi materials als play play import important ant role role in stimul stimulati ating ng stude students nts’’ motivations. The introductio introduction n material material is considere considered d as an applicati applicative ve and relevant relevant mate materi rial al for for chil childr dren en and and thei theirr live lives. s. Then Then,, impl implem emen enti ting ng it in the the classr classroom oom,, and provid providing ing appro appropri priate ate method method to impro improve ve it made made the students feel interested in learning this. This interest, then, leads them to prac practi tice ce more more and and more more sinc since e it is can can be perf perfor orme med d easi easily ly.. This This motivation will encourage them to perceive the next materials for sure with more enthusiasm perhaps. The The more more prac practi tice ce done done make makes s them them has has a good good abil abilit ity y in spea speaki king ng English; it is then the next motivation for them. Added by the compliments from others, just affect nicely to their motivation to speak English.
CAHAPTER V CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 33
5.1 Conclusion
To sum up, it is very important for the Indonesia government to pay more attention on how children learn language and how to meet the learner needs. In accordance with the result, the researcher expects that the government be willing to reconsider the education policy. Since the result of this mini research prove to you that the English material given to the students in various levels does not meet yet the need of the students. Another thing which is important is that students should be able to use the language since the earlier age. Then they will not have any barrier to learn it in the adult age. Giving the easy material and motivate them from the childr children en age shoul should d be done done well well to increa increase se their their willi willingn ngness ess in learning language. 5.2 Recommendation
Based on the findings of the study, the researchers recommended it for three parties who are taking part in the flow of education. Thus, it is addressed for the government, teachers, and students. First, the government is suggested to be more selective in deciding the materials given from each level of education. The researchers suggest that the material should touch the nature of learners in order to make them them eage eagerr to lear learn n Engl Englis ish h bett better er.. The The mate materi rial als s them themse selv lves es are are emphasized as such kind of applicative materials which are appropriate to be implemented not only in the teaching learning process but also in stud studen ents ts’’ dail aily life. fe. The stud tudent ents are are hop hopeful efullly abl able to app apply it everywhere, every time, and with everyone they deal with. To To Engl Englis ish h teach teacher ers, s, the the rese resear arch cher ers s have have a big big expe expect ctat atio ion n of the the betterment on their ways of teaching. They should be able to find an effe effect ctiv ive e ways ways of teac teachi hing ng certa certain in mate materi rial als s in an atte attemp mptt to rais raise e students’ motivation. In addition, teachers are expected to be able to organize the intended materials into the useful one by giving them a 34
relevant relevant method method in deliveri delivering ng the material. material. Teacher Teacher education education therefore therefore must urgently urgently provide better models for teaching English. The students’ students’ perceptions toward the materials given should be in positive ways, don’t let the students perceive that the material being present means nothing for them, for their lives, just because the teachers give no feedback to the students. It is what we called as meaningful learning. Rega Regard rdin ing g stud studen ents ts as the the main main subj subject ect of this this rese resear arch ch,, it is also also reco recomm mmen ende ded d for for them them not not to be rebe rebell in rece receiv ivin ing g the the mate materi rial al.. Whatever the material given, they must be able to take more advantages. a dvantages. They must enable themselves to engage well with any material they got. Moreov Moreover, er, for the recomm recommend endati ation on of furthe furtherr study, study, the resear researche chers rs suggest other researchers who have a big concern in enhancing students’ motivation to focus on more specific detail since this study has a limited setting; it may not be appropriate to be implemented in other settings.
35
REFERENCES
_________. Behaviorism, Behaviorism, umbrellas, and shallow side of motivation (http://www http://everything2.com/title/Behavi http://everything2.com/title/Behaviorism%252C orism%252C %2520umbrellas%252C%2520and%2520t %2520umbrellas%252C%2520and%2520the%2520shallow he%2520shallow %2520side%2520of%2520motivation, %2520side%2520of% 2520motivation, accessed on June 24, 2009). _________. Motivation. (http://www.pickthebrain.com/b (http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/21-provenlog/21-provenmotivation-tactics/, motivation-tactics/, accessed on June 24, 2009).
_________. Motivating Motivating Learning in Young Children. (http://www.nasponline.org/r (http://www.nasponline.org/resources/home_schoo esources/home_school/earlychildmo l/earlychildmotiv tiv _ho.aspx, accessed on June 24, 2009). Halliwel, Halliwel, S. (1992) Teaching English in a Primary Classroom. Classroom. N. Y. : Longman Publishing Group Limited Halin. How to Motivate Children to Learn English (http://blog.ycyxg.cn/u/92/archives/200 (http://blog.ycyxg.cn/u/92/archives/2008/568.html, 8/568.html, accessed on June 23, 2009). Junko Matsuzaki. How to Enhance children’s motivation motivation for learning English. (http://www.learningguardi (http://www.learningguardian.com/blog/enhanci an.com/blog/enhancingngmotivation-and-engagement-school motivation-and-engagement-school accessed on June 24, 2009). Richard Roando. How How to Increase Increase Motivation Motivation (http://ezinearticles.com/?How (http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Increase-Motivati -to-Increase-Motivation&id=429351, on&id=429351, accessed on June 24, 2009). Slattery, M and Jane Willis. (2001) English for Primary Teachers. Oxford: Oxford University Press Tellis, W. 1997. Application of a Case Study Methodology by Winston Tellis; the qualitative report , volume 3. (http://www.nova.edu/s (http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR3-3/ sss/QR/QR3-3/tellis2.htm tellis2.htmll, accessed on June 24, 2009).
36
37
