Five 8-9 Years Old Sprinters Level Students At Kids2success With Difficulty in Concentrating on Lessons.

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Maranatha Christian University

ABSTRACT

Di dalam proses belajar-mengajar pasti ada masalah yang dapat

mengganggu, apalagi bagi guru baru yang belum mengetahui karakteristik atau tingkah laku murid-murid yang akan dihadapinya. Dalam pengalaman yang saya dapatkan saat magang di Kids 2 Success, saya menemui kesulitan dalam menangani murid-murid yang sukar berkonsentrasi saat belajar. Sebagai guru, saya harus menentukan cara yang tepat untuk menghadapi masalah tersebut. Di dalam tugas akhir ini saya mencoba menjelaskan dan menganalisa permasalahan tentang murid-murid kelas Sprinters Level di Kids 2 Success yang kesulitan berkonsentrasi dalam belajar.

Kesulitan berkonsentrasi di kalangan murid-murid ini disebabkan oleh beberapa faktor, yaitu: mempunyai banyak kegiatan di sekolah, tidak menyukai pelajaran Bahasa Inggris, dan tidak mendapatkan ruangan untuk belajar yang nyaman. Kesulitan dalam berkonsentrasi dapat menimbulkan efek yang dapat berakibat langsung pada proses belajar-mengajar. Efek-efek tersebut adalah: murid-murid tidak dapat belajar dengan baik dan tidak dapat menyerap informasi dengan baik; murid-murid akan mengerjakan tugas (di dalam kelas) dengan waktu yang lama; dan yang terakhir, prestasi atau nilai-nilai mereka akan menurun. Namun hal-hal tersebut dapat diatasi dengan beberapa solusi yang berpotensi agar murid-murid dapat berkonsentrasi lebih baik lagi. Solusi-solusi tersebut adalah: memberikan waktu untuk istirahat, mengajar dengan menarik (menggunakan elemen visual dan gambar), dan menggunakan metode pembelajaran “belajar sambil bermain”.

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Teaching young children is not easy, especially for a new teacher who

does not know the characteristics of students that will be dealt with. Dr.

Kizlik states that “The teacher must be able to observe all students at all

times and to monitor work and behavior, so that students’ problem can be

detected early” (par. 5). From my observation during my internship at Kids

2 Success teaching English to the 8-9 years old children, I found a

problem that was quite hard to handle. It is about dealing with students

who are difficult to concentrate on lessons. I chose the topic “Five 8-9

years old Sprinters Level students at Kids 2 Success with difficulty in

concentrating on lessons” because this was the most difficult problem that

I faced; therefore, I would like to analyze the problem more deeply. As a

new teacher, I did not know what I should do; therefore, I had to find some

appropriate solutions to handle the students with difficulty in concentrating

on lessons to create an effective learning process.

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In this term paper I also analyze the causes and the effects of the

problem. Furthermore, I discuss three potential solutions to solve the

problem.

B. Identification of the Problem

I would like to focus on the problem of handling five Sprinters Level

students at Kids 2 Success with difficulty in concentrating on lessons.

Here are some questions to identify the problem.

1. Why was it hard for the students to concentrate on the lessons?

2. How to handle the students with difficulty in concentrating on lessons to

help them have better concentration?

C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study

In writing this term paper there are several purposes that I want to

reach. Besides, there are some benefits from this term paper.

Objectives

The objectives of writing this term paper are to know what makes

the students hard to concentrate on lessons and to find out the best

solution to this problem.

Benefits

The benefits of writing this term paper are: first of all is to get the

best solution to handle students with difficulty in concentrating and it will

be useful for me when someday I become a teacher; secondly, I hope that

the solution from this study can be useful for teachers at Kids 2 Success to

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they can teach them better. Also, I hope that this term paper may help

parents, teachers from other schools, and other readers of this term paper

who have the same problem.

D. Description of the Institution

Kids 2 Success is an educational program designed for teaching

English as a second or foreign language, or as a language development

program for young children. Kids 2 Success is not only excellent to learn

English, but also has been designed for developing students’ intellectual,

emotional, and creative skills.

Kids 2 Success is an English course for students of 2.5 to 18 years old.

In Kids 2 Success students can choose a private course or a group course

continually from the first level to the highest level. The first level is Runner,

second is Sprinter, third is Jumper, and the last is General English.

Kids 2 Success is a franchise company from the U.S, which has

expanded throughout 12 countries including Indonesia. Kids 2 Success in

Bandung was established in June 2005 and located at Taman Kopo II,

Ruko 2A no.55. Later, it has a subsidiary in Setrasari Plaza A2, which is

owned by Mr. Setiabudi Teja.

Kids 2 Success’ vision is to create an English education center with a

new fun way of learning for students. Kids 2 Success mission is to make

students like learning English more and to create a fun learning process

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E. Method of the Study

I use several methods to compile data for this term paper. First, I did an

interview with the teachers in Kids 2 Success about their students

(characteristics, behaviors, and habits) and about the institutions’

background. Also, I interviewed the students. Second, I observed the

students’ behavior in the classroom to get some information about it. I

wrote about all their activities and problems that I observed during the

internship in my internship journal. Third, I did some library research to

find relevant theories that can support my analysis.

F. Limitation of the Study

I did my research on five students who are 8-9 years old in the

Sprinters Level at Kids 2 Success. In addition, I did my research on the

teachers and my supervisor at Kids 2 Success. The observation started

from 7th January 2009 until 5 February, for about a month.

G. Organization of the Term Paper

This term paper starts with the Abstract, a short summary of the whole

paper in Bahasa Indonesia. The abstract is followed by the Declaration of

Originality page and next is the Acknowledgments, the Table of Content

and is followed by four chapters. The first chapter is the introduction which

consists of: Background of the Study, Identification of the Problem,

Objectives and Benefits of the Study, Description of the Institution, Method

of the Study, Limitation of the Study, and Organization of the term paper.

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effects of the students’ difficulty in concentrating to lessons. The third

chapter contains the potential solutions for the problem, and the fourth

chapter is the conclusion, which contains the chosen solution for the

problem. The next part is Bibliography, which contains the sources of the

supporting theories. The last part is the appendix which contains a

problem analysis flowchart.

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₁₅ Maranatha Christian University

CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSION

The students of Sprinters Level at Kids 2 Success have difficulty in

concentrating on lessons because of three causes. The three causes are:

the students are tired after having too many activities at school, the

students do not like the English lesson, and the teachers do not prepare

an adequate room for studying. In addition, there are three effects of the

problem, which are: the students cannot study well, the students do their

task in Kids 2 Success’ slowly, and the students will give low performance

in their study.

In this chapter I would like to explain the best solution from the three

potential solutions discussed in the previous chapter. The best potential

solutions for the students with difficulty in concentrating on lessons at Kids

2 Success is using studying-while-playing method and giving the students

time for taking a break.

The studying-while-playing method and giving the students time for taking a break can make the students have a better concentration

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break even if they study while they play, gradually they will feel tired and

bored; consequently they are unable to concentrate. Therefore, by giving

students time for taking a break, they can relax their mind; as a result, the

students will be ready for the next activity, to continue studying, and of

course they will be able to concentrate again. The other solution, which is

the teacher teaches in interesting ways by using visual elements or picture

is not suitable for handling the problem. It can make students enthusiastic

or interested to study, but if the students study continually without taking a

break, it can influence their ability to concentrate. They will feel tired or

bored. Although the teacher teaching using visual elements or pictures,

but if the study method that the teacher uses is boring, the students will

not be interested in studying. Moreover, if the students still do not like the

subject, it can disturb the ability to concentrate.

Difficulty in concentrating on lessons can be a disturbing problem to a

new teacher who does not really know how to handle the problem.

However, there are some solutions to solve the problem, as I discuss in

the previous chapter. When applying the solutions, as a teacher we have

to be patient because the result cannot be achieved immediately; besides,

the students cannot adapt quickly with the new method, because

everything needs a process.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Printed sources

Deporter, Bobbi, and Hernacki Mike. Quantum Learning: Unleashing The

Genius In You. Trans. Alwiyah Abdurrahman. New York: Dell

Publishing,1992.

Rimm, Sylvia. Smart Parenting. Trans. Mangunhardjana. Scottsdale:

Great Potential Press, Inc., 1998.

Electronic Sources

Evans, Carol J. ”How to Improve Your Concentration.” 2006. Clackamas

Community College. 20 April 2009

<http://dl.clackamas.cc.or.us/os11class/studystrategies/concentr.htm>.

Harris, Robert. “Some Ideas for Motivating Students.” Virtual Salt. March

2005. 15 April 2009 <http://www.virtualsalt.com/motivate.htm>.

“How to Have Fun While Studying.” wikiHoW. 2007. 15 April 2009

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“Improving Concentration.” 6 March 2008. Barts and the London

Student’s Association. 7 May 2009

<http://www.bartslondon.com/content/21861/welfare/coping_with_exam

s_and_study_stress/>.

Kizlik, Robert, Dr. “Education Information for New and Future Teachers.”

ADPRIMA. 3 February 2009. 26 June 2009

<http://www.adprima.com/managing.htm>

“Learning While Playing.” HubPages. 2009. 15 April 2009

<http://www.hubpages.com/forum/topic/6347>.

“Learning While Playing.” Advanogy.com. 2007. 27 March

2009 <http://www.learning-styles-online.com/style/visual/spatial/>.

“Motivating the Unmotivated: Teaching Self-motivation, Self-discipline &

Responsibility.” 2004. Bob Wack & Effective Learning Resources. 30

March 2009 <http://www.motivatestudents.com/motivating.html>.

Saeman, Jane. “Increase Your Study Concentration by Creating a Good

Study Environment.” ABC Article Directory. 2009. 8 April 2009

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“Teaching Using Visual Elements.” National Centre for

Languages and ALL. 30 May 2008. 2 May 2009

<http://www.languages-ict.org.uk/action/archive/projects.htm#saltley>.

“Time Management Evaluation.” 29 August 2007. Students Disability

Services-Worcester Polytechnic Institute. 7 May 2009

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Maranatha Christian University Thompson, Tess. “The Major Cause of Lack of Concentration in Children.”

Native Remedies. 2008. 20 April 2009

concentration-in-children.html

Wesley, John. ”5 Tips to Maximize Your Ability to Concentrate.”

Zenhabits.net. October 2007. 7 May 2009

<http://zenhabits.net/2007/10/5-tips-to-maximize-your-ability-to-