CHAPTER IV FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Findings
4.1.2 The discouraging factors
Most students stated that when the virtual meeting was conducted from home, they would be more eager to communicate because they faced less distraction than outside. Moreover, there is found that the home‟s situation also affected their WTC. As stated by P01:
“Prefer kalau misalnya kelas online sendirian di satu ruangan rumah, kalau misalnya ada orang lain, terutama kan kita jurusan Bahasa Inggris, kami malu kalau ngomong Bahasa Inggris terus dilihatin sama yang lain” (for example I conducting the online class alone in one room of the house, when there are other people around, because I am majoring in English, I am embarrassed if i speak English and be seen by other family members)
Furthermore, P06 also stated the same idea:
“Kalau di dalam kamar saya sendiri itu saya ... agak sedikit mempengaruhi karena suasananya tenang, tetapi kalau di dalam rumah tetapi di luar kamar itu membuat kemamuan berbicara saya juga kecil karena kadang banyak gangguan” (When I'm in my own room it influence to my willigness because the atmosphere is calm, but when I'm inside the house but not in my room, it makes my willingness to speak also small because sometimes there are lots of distractions)
The environment and situation of the house influenced their willingness to communicate. Most of the students stated that a conducive environment increased their WTC. Their WTC became high when there were no distractions from the other family members. It can be concluded that quiet and conducive learning affects the increased students‟ willingness to communicate.
Psychological variables a. Lack of self-confidence
b. Low English language proficiency c. L2 learning anxiety
d. Passive personality Situational variables a. Difficult tasks
b. Lack of topic interest c. Unfriendly characteristic of
lecturer
d. Inconvenient time and atmosphere of the meeting
e. Uncomfortable learning environment
f. Poor Internet connection Table 5 the Discouraging Factors
a. Psychological variables
Psychological factors refer to the set of factors from the individual that is correlated to students‟ WTC.
a) Lack of self-confidence
Lack of self-confidence refers to the situation when the students do not have enough confidence or feel that they are incompetent to communicate. There is found that students with low self-confidence will be
“Kalau kepercayaan diri saya rendah pastinya memengaruhi.” (If my self-confidence is low, it certainly affects me)
A similar idea was also expressed by P06:
“Dari awal semester sih percaya diri saya lumayan rendah ya kak.
Karena saya kadang merasa terintimidasi dengan suasana kelas apalagi di semester awal kemarin ee.. beneran kagok karena enggak familiar dengan suasana maupun orang orangnya jadi kemauan saya untuk berbicara di kelas sangat kecil pada masa online kemarin.”
(From the beginning of the semester, my self-confidence was quite low. Because I sometimes felt intimidated by the class atmosphere, especially in the early semester, uh... I was really confused because I wasn't familiar with the atmosphere or the people, so my willingness to speak in class was very small during the online class.)
Several factors cause low students‟ self-confidence. The classroom atmosphere could affect their WTC. Moreover, most students stated the same idea; when they faced difficult material, they became less confident in speaking since they did not have enough knowledge. P04 expressed this statement:
“Jika tidak terlalu saya pahami, tidak terlalu bisa maka saya tidak cukup memiliki kepercayaan yang tinggi untuk berbicara di depan orang lain” (If I don't really understand, I can't really understand, then I don't have high confidence enough to speak in front of other people.) The same idea also stated by P03 and P05, P05 stated that:
“Saya tidak percaya diri jika misalnya berhadapan dengan dosen…
ataupun dengan dosen yang merasa cukup takut untuk berbicara atau merasa di bawah tekanan. Juga untuk materinya kalau misalnya ee…
dianggap agak sulit, atau sulit bagi saya itu cenderung membuat saya tidak percaya diri gitu.” (I don't feel confident when, for example, dealing with lecturers… or with lecturers who feel afraid enough to speak or feel under pressure. Also for the material, for example, um…
it's considered a bit difficult, or difficult for me, it tends to make me feel not confident)
Lack of material knowledge decreased their self-confidence to speak.
Besides the material‟s understanding, the lecturer's role also became one indicator that affected students‟ self-confidence. When the lecturer cannot conduct a comfortable environment, the students may feel under pressure, which decreases their self-confidence and leads to their unwillingness to communicate.
In conclusion, students‟ low self-confidence became one of the decreasing factors in students‟ willingness to communicate. The lack of students‟ self-confidence could hinder students‟ willingness to speak.
Several factors, such as the difficult materials, lack of knowledge of the material, and the relation with the lecturer cause it.
b) Low English language proficiency
The students‟ low English language proficiency is one of the decreasing factors of their willingness to communicate. Low English language proficiency refers to the student‟s lack of ability in English. When the participants thought they are not capable to use English, they tend to give a less contribution to the discussion. As mentioned by P06:
“… Kadang karena saya ngerasa ga terlalu bisa inggrisinnya, saya jadi takut ngomong.”(Sometimes because I feel that I can't really translate it to English, I become afraid to speak)
This is also related to the anxiety of being corrected by others. As stated by P02:
“...Kadang vocabnya kurang, takut grammarnya salah, atau pronunciation” (…Sometimes it‟s because lack of vocabulary, I'm afraid of wrong grammar or pronunciation)
When the students consider they do not have high English competence, they face anxiety to speak, leading to their unwillingness to communicate. Low capability to use English during the class would reduce the students‟ WTC since most of the language learning in English study programs uses English during the lesson. Furthermore, it can be concluded that less communicative competence became a discouraging factor in the students‟ willingness to communicate.
c) L2 learning anxiety
The researcher found that learning anxiety also affected the decrease in students‟ willingness to communicate. Anxiety refers to the fear of a negative evaluation by the teacher or the other students. It caused anxiousness and nervousness that led to the unwillingness to communicate of the students. The fear of negative evaluation would come after the students had a direct negative evaluation from the teacher during class. This is in line with the statements from P01, P02, and P04. P04 stated that:
“Saya dimarahin dan ditegur, karna saya tidak menggunakan full english, semenjak itu saya takut terutama dengan dosen tersebut untuk berbicara lagi” (I was scolded and reprimanded, because I didn't use full English, since then I was afraid to speak again, especially with that lecturer)
P02 stated the same idea:
“Melihat teman teman di kritik itu yang bikin gamau ngomong, takut, kebanyaakan itu karna melihat dan timbul persepsi malas, ada mungkin teman yang salah terus diketawain di zoom meeting, itu
criticized makes me don't want to talk, I become lazy, maybe when other students make a mistake and being laughed at the zoom meeting, it really influences to my willingness)
The after-effect of direct correction made the students feel afraid of being corrected. The students feared it could damage their positive image from the teacher and the other students. They were afraid the correction would leave a bad impression on them. As stated by p05:
“Terkadang saya juga merasa malu karena takut dengan opini-opini teman” (Sometimes I feel asahamed because of afraid with the others‟
opinion)
From the statement above, it can be concluded that learning anxiety is one of the discouraging factors of students‟ willingness to communicate. It caused by the anxiousness of negative evaluation or an under-pressure situation.
d) Passive personality
The researcher found that students‟ personality affected their WTC.
When the students are quiet and introverted, the WTC will be decreased.
This is in line with the statement from p02 and P06:
“Saya introvert kak dan juga itu lumayan mempengaruhi kemauan saya untuk berbicara karena kembali lagi saya merasa ciut untuk berbicara dan cukup takut jadi pusat perhatian di dalam kelas gitu.”
(I'm an introvert and also it's quite affecting my willingness to speak because again I feel shy to talk and quite afraid to be the center of attention in class)
When the participant is an introvert, a quiet person, and has less interaction with others, they are more likely to have less willingness to communicate during the online class because they are afraid to be the center
of attention and afraid of people‟s assumptions about them. Furthermore, P02 also stated the same idea:
“… Saya merasa saya introvert karna jarang berinteraksi dengan orang lain, jadi saat online tuh aaa jujur saya kurang mau berteman, jadi kalau berbicara yah terkadang mikirkan persepsi teman jadi saya agak cenderung pendiam, takut, jadi jadi introvert yang aduh takut nanti yang lain ngomongin aku.” (I feel that I am an introvert because I rarely interact with other people, so when I'm online, to be honest, I don't really want to make friends, so when I talk, sometimes I think about my friends' perceptions, so I tend to be quiet, so I'm an introvert who is afraid that others will talk about me)
From the explanation above, it can be concluded that students with a passive personality are more likely to be silent during online classes. By that, passive personality becomes one of the factors affecting the decrease in students‟ willingness to communicate in online learning.
b. Situational variables
Situational factors refer to the situation when the situational or the specific occasion influences the students‟ WTC. Those are:
a) Difficult tasks
The researcher found that difficult task is one of the decreasing factors of students‟ WTC. All of the participants argued that difficult task made them prefer to be silent. When the students are given a difficult task, their willingness to communicate will decreased. As stated by P04:
“Semakin sulit tugas semakin malas saya bicara, tapi semakin.. e..
gimana ya ngomongnya. Paham tidak pahamnya saya terhadap tugas tersebut. kalau saya paham saya mau bicara, kalau kurang paham saya menurunkan semangat untuk berbicara, takut..” (The more
difficult the task, the lazier I am to speak, if I understand I want to talk, if I don't understand I lower my enthusiasm to speak, I'm afraid..) The same statement also stated by P02:
“Kalau tugasnya sulit ya tentunya banyak diam, melihat yang lain, gimana sih mereka. Biasanya kan tugas itu ga selesai sehari, jadi melihat teman dan bertanya, tapi lebih cenderung diam dan mengamati” (If the task is difficult, of course I become more silence and only watch others.. Usually the task doesn't finish in a day, so I can look at friends and ask questions, but you tend to be quiet and observe)
From the statements above, it can be concluded that students prefer to be silent during class when they do not understand the material. Lack of material understanding makes them scared of a negative correction. It also linked to fear of mistakes, the students were afraid of the wrong answer. By that, the difficult task became one of the decreasing factors of students‟
WTC.
b) Lack of topic interest
The researcher found that a lack of topic interest affects students' willingness to speak. Most participants explained that their WTC decreased when they were not interested in the topic. Less interesting topics made the students lose interest and unwilling to speak. This is in line with one of the participants‟ statements while being asked about a less interesting topic, as stated by P01:
“Ahh kurang… ya responnya Cuma kalo disuruh berpendapat, seadanya, tapi kalau semisalkan dibebaskan lebih baik ngga ngomong sama sekali”(When the topic is less interesting. The response is only when I am asked to give an opinion. But if it's not, it's better not to say
P05 and P06 also stated the same idea:
“Cenderung lebih diam kalau ga familiar.” (I become more silent whith unfamiliar topic) (P05)
In conclusion, topic familiarity is one of the factors affecting students‟
WTC. Less interesting and familiar topics led to a decrease in students‟
WTC.
c) Unfriendly characteristics of lecturer
The researcher found that the role of the lecturer influenced students‟
WTC to be decreased. This is related to the negative approach of the lecturer during the lesson. Most of the students explained that the negative lecturer‟s approach influenced their WTC to be decreased. A lecturer who has a bad temper and intimidates the students will lead to an unwillingness to communicate. As stated by P01, P02, P03, and P06:
“Ngambekkan, marah, tempramen, kami kurang suka, jadi takut”
(Cranky, angry, hot-tempered, I don't like it, it makes me afraid (P01) The same idea also expressed by P06:
“… Tapi jika karena belajarnya terlalu tegang, dosennya terlalu mengintimidasi itu membuat saya jadi tidak ingin berbicara di kelas online gitu kak.” (When the learning atmosphere is too tense, the lecturer is too intimidating, it makes me not want to talk in online classes)
Learning with a strict lecturer made them willing to speak less because they faced anxiety. Besides the lecturer‟s personality, one of the participants stated that the presence of the teacher determined their presence, as stated by PO5:
“Terkadang ada situasi hmm dosen itu lebih cenderung off camera
emang karena ingin off camera bukan karena suatu hal yang mendesak membuat mereka harus off camera, maka ketika mereka off camera itu membuat saya merasa tidak termotivasi, dan juga saya bisa melihat teman-teman juga merasa kurang termotivasi karena kami merasa tidak diawasi secara langsung gitu.”
(Sometimes there are situations where the lecturer tends to be off camera, for example during lectures, they turned-off the camera not because something urgent, it makes me feel unmotivated, and also I can see my friends also feel less motivated because we don't feel directly supervised.)
The lecturer‟s presence by turning on their video camera became one of the students' motivations. The students‟ felt more controlled when the lecturer showed their presence during the online class. The low presence of the lecturer could affect students‟ WTC. From the explanation above, it can be concluded that the lecturer's role influenced the decrease in students‟
WTC. The lecturer with a strict personality decreased students‟ willingness to communicate.
d) Inconvenient time and atmosphere of the meeting
The researcher found that the inconvenient time and atmosphere of the meeting became one of the decreasing factors of students‟ WTC.
Inconvenient time refers to the time when the meeting is held, and the atmosphere refers to the online classroom‟s situation. When the class atmosphere made them uncomfortable, it decreased their willingness to communicate. This is related to the relation to the other students and the teacher. These ideas were expressed by P02, P03, P05. P05 stated that:
“… Situasi di kelasnya sedang tidak baik-baik. Misalnya lagi ada clash ataupun ada sesuatu yang bermasalah maka keinginan berbicara saya menurun.” (The situation in the class was not good.
For example, there is a clash or something is problematic, so my desire to speak decreases.) (P05)
Besides of the classroom‟s atmosphere, there is found that time and the number of credits of courses affected their WTC. When the meeting was held at a vulnerable hour, such as lunchtime, in the evening, or in a long sequential class, some students became tired and found it hard to focus, and it affected their willingness to communicate. This idea was stated by P05 and P02. P02 stated that:
“Waktu atau jam mk nya sangat mempengaruhi, kalau waktu jam 12 itu waktu makan, waktu ngantuk, itu sangat mempengaruhi. Apalagi kalau jam 1 ke atas itu ngantuk, teman-teman yang lain juga kelihatan begitu.” (The time schedule really affects it, if it's 12 o'clock when it's time to lunch, when it's sleepy, it really affects especially if it's 1 o'clock and above. I can see the other students feel the same too) The same idea about the time when the lesson is conducted also affects their WTC, as the statement from P04:
“Biasanya jam siang, biasanya jam 1 ada kelas online zoom, kecuali kalau waktunya presentasi, itu tidak memengaruhi. Tapi kalau belajar biasa dengan dosen itu memengaruhi saya untuk berbicara karna kondisinya ngantuk cape, apalagi kalau belum makan, waktu mepet dan lapar. Eee.. Apalagi kalau kelas tiba tiba dipindahkan ke malam hari, cape” (Usually at noon, at 1 o'clock and there is an online zoom class, except when it's time for a presentation, that doesn't affect it.
But if I study normally with the lecturer it affects me to talk because I'm sleepy and tired, especially when I haven't eaten, time is tight and I am hungry. Moreover if the class is suddenly moved to the evening, I am tired)
From the explanation above, it could be concluded that the classroom situation, such as the relationship between one another in the classroom, the time of the meeting, and the interaction of the students, influenced the decrease in students‟ willingness to communicate.
An uncomfortable learning environment refers to the uncomfortable place or circumstance around the students while conducting the meeting.
When the place around the students is not conducive, they tend to be quiet and prefer to be silent during the discussion. The word not conducive refers to a noisy environment with many distractions. Most of the students stated that they often turned off the microphone because of the distraction from their surroundings, as stated by P02:
“Saya sangat sering dirumah kakak saya, itu bikin saya sangat malas ngomong karna gangguan ponakan dan adik saya, sama ribut.” (I am very often at my sister's house, it makes me very lazy to talk because of the distractions of my nephew and my sister, and noisy)
A similar idea is also expressed by P05:
“Contohnya ketika saya di tempat agak ramai walaupun di dalam rumah, terkadang ada situasi di dalam rumah ramai itu saya merasa enggan untuk open mic atau berbicara. Itu saya takut akan mengganggu perkuliahan tersebut dan membuat lebih apa lebih ribut sehingga mengganggu dosen ataupun teman-teman lainnya.” (For example, when I'm in a rather crowded place, even though I'm at home, sometimes there's a situation in that crowded house, I feel reluctant to open a mic or speak. I was afraid that it would disrupt the lecture and make more noise so that it would disturb the lecturers or other friends)
The disruptions around the place where the students conduct the virtual meeting lower their willingness to communicate. Since the meeting was held from home, the other family members interference tends to happen. Most participants stated that the most common distraction from their home comes from other family members. They prefer to conduct the online meeting in a private environment or their room. This idea was stated by P01 and P06, P06 addressed that:
“… Kalau di dalam rumah tetapi di luar kamar itu membuat kemamuan berbicara saya juga kecil karena kadang banyak gangguan seperti tiba tiba anggota keluarga saya lewat atau ee keadaan rumah tidak kondusif, berisik.” (If I'm inside the house but outside my room it makes my willingness to speak also small because sometimes there are lots of distractions like suddenly my family members pass by or when the house conditions are not conducive, it's noisy)
Moreover, there is also found that the participants often feel ashamed to be seen by the others. As stated by P03:
“Kadang mau bicara malas di dengar orang rumah, karna ada beberapa hal karna kalo di liat liat di dengar. Makanya saya lebih suka offline dibanding zoom meeting”(Sometimes when I want to talk, I'm do not want to be heard by people at home, because sometimes I know they are hearing. That's why I prefer offline than zoom meetings)
One of the participants stated that he did not want to be heard while speaking during online classes by the other family members, so he preferred to be silent around the other person while conducting zoom meetings.
Moreover, the disruption was not only come from the house. When the meeting was held outside the house, the participants also got many distractions and decreased their willingness to speak, as stated by P05:
“Ketika saya di luar ruangan itu suara yang tangkap cenderung banyak. Suara di sekitar saya dan suara di dalam Zoom itu sendiri.
Itu membuat saya merasa sulit menangkap maaterinya atau menangkap pesan yang disampaikan dosen. Sehingga membuat saya ketinggalan beberapa pesan dan membuat saya enggan berbicara”
(When I'm outside the room, the sound tends to catch a lot. The sound around me and the sound within Zoom itself. It makes it difficult for me to catch the material or catch the message conveyed by the lecturer. So that makes me miss some messages and makes me reluctant to talk)
The participant felt it was hard to focus on the material due to the
home. She became more focused on the class and had a high WTC. It can be concluded that the learning environment and the place selection to conduct zoom meetings influenced students‟ willingness to communicate. When the students held the meeting in the uncomfortable surrounding, it decreased their willingness to communicate.
f) Poor internet connection
The researcher found that poor internet connection influenced students‟ WTC. Poor internet connection refers to the situation when the internet connection is unstable and disrupts the learning process. Most participants stated that their participation would be decreased when the internet connection is unstable or in trouble. When the connection gets down, the meeting‟s connection will be unstable and disrupt the learning process. Most participants stated that their WTC and participation will be decreased during the bad internet connection. This idea was stated by P01:
“Semisal putus-putus tuh bikin menurun kan tingkat kemauan berbicara, jadi kayak kalau udah ngomong terus putus-putus jadi males.” (When the voice is disturbed it decreased my willingness to speak, so when the voice is not clear I become lazy)
P06 also expressed a similar idea:
“Karena suaranya kadang delay, tidak jelas, jadi ga ngerti, jadi kayak yaudah jadi malas juga untuk berbicara gitu.”( Because the voice is sometimes delayed, not clear, so I don't understand, so it's like I'm too lazy to talk.)
Most of the factors of connection trouble came from the power failure and rain, as stated by P02, P03, and P04. P02 explained that:
“ … Sering mati lampu, wifi mati juga, disitu internet sangat sulit.
Dirumah jadi sangat was was, kalau daring aduh males nian lagi kalau mati lampu tiba tiba, malas ngomong” (The lights often go out, the wifi goes off too, the internet is very difficult there. It makes me feel anxious. I hate when the lights suddenly go out, it makes me lazy to talk)
When the connection becomes unstable, the flow of video and voice during the Zoom meeting will be disturbed. The video will be freezing, and the voice will not be delivered clearly. This would lead the students to lose their interest and understanding of the material, leading to a decreased willingness to communicate.