An Analysis of English Language Teaching Department Students’ Perspective toward English
Ruth Alvina Widodo
Abstract
There are many kinds of perspectives toward English around the world, for example, English as foreign language, lingua franca, global language, etc,withtheir own characteristics. In Indonesia,there are possibly some perspectives as well. This descriptive quantitative research investigates on which perspectives are applicable in Indonesia based on English Language Teaching Department (ELTD) students‟ point of view. Questionnaires were distributed to 100 ELTD students.The questionnaires were about some statements toward English among ELTD students.The students need to answer it by choosing number 1-5 that indicated strongly disagree to strongly agree. As the result, the researcher found that ELTD students have 3 perspectives toward English. Based on the rank, the participants regarded English as global language first, English as an additional language second, and English as a foreign language third.
Key words : English perspectives, global language, additional language, foreign language.
INTRODUCTION
Indonesia has Indonesian as the official language because of the
development in education. There are actually some foreign languages that give
contribution in Indonesia, for example, Dutch, English, and Mandarin (Lauder,
2008, p.9). In the past, English was first taught to Indonesians in 1914 in junior
high schools (Lauder, 2008, p.9). Nowdays, English is taught as a major lesson in
school, not only in junior high school, but also in kindergarten. Furthermore,
(Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini)or preschools. Many parents are also sure that it is
better to learn English at young age. Many students of junior or senior high
school, college student, even many people who have occupations realize that
English is very familiar in our society, for example, in social medias like
Facebook, Twitter, etc; and some terms in the title of movies or lyrics of song.
That is why English has a special status in Indonesia which is as a foreign
language that is learnt as a compulsory subject in schools (Lauder, 2008).
Kachru (1985) categorizes the usage of English into three concentric
circles. There are „the inner circle‟, „the outer circle‟, and „the expanding circle‟.
He said that the inner circle represents the more traditional bases of English that
are used in places like the United Kingdom, the United States of America,
Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. I regard those countries as countries that use
English as a lingua franca. The outer circle includes countries which “have gone
through extended periods of colonization, essentially by the users of the inner
circle varieties” (Kachru, 1985, p.12).This includes Nigeria, Singapore, and India.
These countries possibly regarded as English as a second language. Unlike the
outer circle, the expanding circle does not have the same effects of colonization as
the inner circle. In the expanding circle, English is used mainly for business and
international purposes. The expanding circle includes such countries as Indonesia,
China, Greece, Saudi Arabia, and Israel, and represents the largest expanding
numbers of English speakers in the world today (Crystal, 2003). I regard this
(Kachru, 1996)
Now English become the world‟s leading communication as a “global
language” (Crystal, 2003, p.1) because it is used for business, science, and
politics. Even in society, It is very familiar with English language like in a
shopping centre or mall. There are some words in English such as “fitting room”,
“rest room”, and “exit”. Lowenberg (1991) said that English is used by non-native
speakers in countries where English is not the dominant language, as English as a
second language (ESL) and English as a foreign language (EFL). According to
Lowenberg (1991), ESL refers to the functions of English in former colonies of
Britain or the United States such as India, Singapore, and the Philippines; where
English is used in daily activities among large populations of non-native speakers.
education, the mass media, and literature. In contrast, the term EFL (English as a
Foreign Language) is applied in contexts such as Germany, Thailand, and Japan,
where English is used by certain people and in a limited context, such as science
and technology, and international business and tourism.
The previous explanations show that there are many kinds of perspectives
toward English in some countries around the world. In addition, according to
Manitoba Education (2006), there are some countries in which the first or primary
language is other than English, but they program additional services to develop
English language proficiency to improve their potential in occupation. It is called
English as an additional language (EAL). On other side, there are other opinions
about English around the world. One of the example is English as an International
Language (EIL). According to Rohmah (2005), The meaning of international
language is a language which is used in any international communication which
involves people from two or more countries. According to Seildhofer (2003, p.3)
other terms of English are English as a lingua franca, English as a global
language, English as a world language, and English as a medium of intercultural
communication. Seildhofer (2003) stated that in recent years, the term„English as
a lingua franca‟ (ELF) has emerged as a way of referring to communication in
English between speakers with different first languages. Then nowdays, since only
one of every four users of English in the world is a native speaker of the language
(Crystal, 2003), most ELF interactions take place among „non-native‟ speakers of
English. Related to English and intercultural communication, Dombi (2011) said
mother tongue requires the use of a language spoken and comprehended. This
might be achieved through using mother tongues or a language spoken as a
foreign language.”
There are six kinds of perspectives about English around the world. The
six perspectives are English as a global language, English as an international
language, English as a foreign language, English as a second language, English as
a lingua franca, and English as an additional language.
English as a global language
Crystal (2003) stated that language can be ragarded as a global language if the
language achieved a global status because it is recognized in every country. As
Rohmah (2005) suggested, English is a global language which people use not only
to communicate with English speakers but it also with people from different
nations or first languages meet. “English is not only an international language, but
also a global language.” (Rohmah, 2005). Rohmah (2005) said that the main
characteristic of a global language is that it is the most widely used language in
communication in most places in the world. People feel the need to master that
language for their life.English is a language which used around the world. It is
proven by the fact when we watch TV, politicians around the world speak English
when they have meeting or conversation with other foreign politicians then,
wherever we travel, we can see English signs and advertisement. The previous
explanation showed that how important to master English because most country in
English as an international language
According to Sasaki that stated English is an international language because of
the number of non-native speaker of English around the world. As we knew that
English is the most widespread medium of international communication. It means
that English is the dominant language that used on a much more universal rather
than other language. Rohmah (2005) stated that the meaning of international
language is a language which is used in any international communication which
involves people from two or more countries.
English as a foreign language
The meaning of foreign language is “a language learned mainly in the
classroom, for reading texts and/or communication with its speakers (e.g., Arabic
in Korea, English in Mongolia, French in Russia)” (Skutnabb-Kangas & McCarty,
2006). Rohmah (2005) noted that as a foreign language, English does not have the
official status which is not used as a first language, but it is taught to children and
learned by adults for various reasons. For example, more than 100 countries,
including China, Russia, Germany, Spain, Egypt, Brazil, and Indonesia learn
English as a foreign language (Crystal, 1997). They learn English to fulfill their
need for business and trade, academic purposes, cultural and technological
contacts, and political needs.
English as a second language
The meaning of second language is “Language learned after acquiring the
mother tongue (as opposed to first language), or learned and used in the
(Skutnabb-Kangas & McCarty, 2006). According to Rohmah (2005), based on
early studies that as a second language, English is spoken by people in countries
as an official language (Crystal, 1997,p.4). Rohmah (2005) stated that English is
used to communicate in various contexts such as the goverment, law court, social
media, and educational system. In addition, there are more than seventy countries
that are using English as their second language (Crystal, 1997). On the other hand,
Skutnabb-Kangas and McCarty (2006) stated that English can be a second
language for people who their mother tongue is not English, but they still learn
English to communicate in their environment, get higher education, and improve
their skill for their jobs.
English as a ligua franca
“English as a lingua franca (ELF) has emerged as a way of referring to
communication in English between speakers with different first languages”
(Seidlhofer, 2005). According to Weil and Paullin (2011), English as a lingua
franca can be defined as a contact language used between speakers who do not
share the same mother tongue(s) or cultural backgrounds. Knapp and Meierkord
(2002) define lingua franca as a language used for communication by individuals
for whom that language is not a first language (p.13). According to Baker (2011),
there are two reasons why English as a lingua franca. First, "English is used as a
contact language among speakers from different first languages."(Jenkins, 2009,
p.143). The last, “English is used among speakers of different first languages for
English as an additional language
According to Lauder (2008), English is one of a number of foreign languages
which used and taught in Indonesia. “English has a special status among the
foreign languages. It was chosen as the language of wider communication in the
immediate post-independence period and is presently the only foreign language
which is a compulsory subject in schools.”. So, that is why English is an
additional language in Indonesia. According to Machrum (2011), English is the
first foreign language that taught in Indonesia. It is based on the Regulation of
Ministry of Education and Culture No.096/1967 (Kartono, 1976: Alwasilah, 1997)
which is regulating the status and function of English.
The previous explanations informed that many kinds of perspectives
toward English which most of them showed that English is used in many
countries in the world with different purposes. That issue also happened in
Indonesia which is English used in public places, social medias, academic
purposes, and other contexts. That is why the writer chose ELTD students as the
participant. The ELTD students was focussed on learning in teaching English, so
it is important to know their perspectives toward English. ELTD students may
have their own perspectives that are different from one person to another.
Participants could also possibly agree with two or more opinions or statements
related to perspectives toward English. Therefore, the study focused on ELTD
students‟ perspective toward English. I hope this study can answer my research
What is English Language Teaching Department students‟ perspective
toward English?
THE STUDY Context of the study
The setting of the study was English Language Teaching Department
(ELTD) studentsof the FLL in Satya Wacana Christian University. It is located in
a small town of Salatiga, Central Java, Indonesia. The reason why I chose this
town was to ease me collect the data for my study because I study in this town and
this department. The ELTD itself was very familiar with English language as the
focused lesson in the department. It means ELTD students use English more
fluently and know about the English language deeper compared to students from
other faculties. By that background, I expected that those participants could give
reliable answer related to the study.
Participants
The participants were 100 ELTD students of year 2010 and above from 3
classes of ELTM (English Language Teaching Management). The reason why the
writer chose ELTM class of Semester II/ 2013-2014 it was because the class was
compulsory and 2010ers took the ELTM class this semester. The writer chose 100
participants because that is the total students from 3 classes of ELTM. The
participants were chosen because they have higher level of experiences and
knowledge compared to younger students like from the years 2011 and 2012.
English teacher, but also the English literature and linguistic. They also practice to
have conversation in English not only in class activity but also teach in the
Teaching Practicum lesson. These experiences possibly affect their sensitivity
related to the status of English around their environment or society.
Data Collection Instrument
The type of instrument was questionnaire (see Appendix A). It was used
because questionnaire was the way to get specific information and it could
minimize bias questions and make the answer easier to analized (Malhotra, 2004).
It was also suitable and match with the topic about “English Language Teaching
Department Student‟s Perspective Toward English” because the questionnaires
focused on some statements about student‟s perspectives toward English for
examples in their society, social media, etc.
The scale used was Likert scale that were “strongly disagree”, “disagree”,
“neutral”, “agree”, and “strongly agree” (Deborah and Harry, 2012). “The
participants were asked to indicate their degree of agreement by choosing one of
five response categories” (Malhotra, 2004).
Data Collection Procedures
The first step, the data was collected by asking permission to distribute the
questionnaires in ELTM (English Language Teaching Management) class. There
were 3 ELTM classes that gave contribution to this research. The writer
distributed the questionnaire at the beginning of 2 classes on the different days.
For the other class, the writer distributed the questionnaire after class because the
of the questionnaire and asked help for the ELTM students to fill it in. The
students needed around 10 minutes to fill the questionnaires in.
Data Analysis Procedure
In this research, the writer input the data to Microsoft Excel. The purpose
was to make it easier to counting the data and counting the average of all data.
The next step, the writer categorized the questions to some categories (additional,
foreign, and global language). Then, the writer counted the percentage and
average of the data based on the categories. After that, the writer made four of
graph that consist of a graph of the average of all results and the other graph for
the percentage of each category. Every graph are followed by the detailed
explanation.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
This section is about the result of questionnaire that was distributed to
ELTD students to investigate their perspective toward English (see Appendix B).
There were three perspectives as the result that were English as an additional
language, English as a foreign language, and English as a global language. The
findings are presented on four graphs followed by the detailed explanation of the
results. The first graph depicts the overall result. This section is followed by the
explanation of the average of all result. The next 3 graphs depict the ELTD
students thought toward English. The second graph is about English as a global
last graph is about English as a foreign language. All of each graph was followed
by the detail explanation.
Overall Result
Graph 1. The average of all result
Graph 1 shows the average result of ELTD students answers. There were 3
perspectives of ELTD students toward English (English as an additional,
foreign, and global language). The meaning of the number was 1 as strongly
disagree, 2 as disagree, 3 as neutral, 4 as agree, and 5 as strongly agree (Deborah
& Harry, 2012). The highest of students‟ thought toward English as a global
language was 4.08 . It indicated that most ELTD students agreed that English is
a global language. Then, the average of English as an additional language was
3.86. It indicated that the ELTD students almost agreed that English as an
additional language because it was almost reach 4. The last, the average of
3.86
3.33
English as a foreign language was 3.33 . It indicated that the ELTD students
were still neutral about it.
So, based on the rank, most ELTD students regarded English as global
language first, then English as an additional and foreign language.
English as a global language Graph 2. Global Language
Note: 1 = strongly disagree 2 = disagree 3 = neutral4 = agree 5 = strongly agree
Graph 2 shows the result of ELTD students perception about English as a
global language. The result shows that ELTD students regarded English as a
global language because they could find English signs and advertisements in their
environment easily. The participants also felt the need to master English for their
life. The following explanation are the evidences of this perspective: P
E R C E N T A G E
STATEMENT
1. Statement number 2: MostELTD students in SWCU Salatiga find English
in social media (Facebook, Twitter,etc).
Statement 2 was about students‟ experience related to English in
social media. 39.4% of students chose 4 (agree) and 30.2% students chose
5 (strongly agree). This showed that most of them agreed that they could
find English on social medias (Facebook, Twitter, etc).
2. Statement number 4: Most ELTD students in SWCU Salatiga find English
signs in public places (mall, hotel, restaurant, etc).
Statement 4 was about students‟ experience related to English in
public places. 39.4% ELTD students chose 4 (agree) and 25% chose 5
(strongly agree). This showed that most students agreed that they could
find English signs in public places (malls, hotels, restaurants, etc).
3. Statement number 6: Most ELTD students in SWCU Salatiga find English
advertisements in their society.
Statement 6 was about students‟ experience related to English in
society. 40.7% of students chose 4 (agree) and 27.6% of students chose 3
(neutral). It showed that most students could find English advertisements
in their society.
4. Statement number 7: Most ELTD students in SWCU Salatiga realize that
mastering English can help them to get a better future.
Statement 7 was about student‟s thought toward English to master
get a better future by chose 5 (strongly agree). 21% of students chose 4
(agree). It showed that most students realized that mastering English could
help them to get a better future.
5. Statement number 8: Mastering English can help ELTD students get a
better job.
Statement 8 was about ELTD students thought about the function
of mastering English. 67.1% of students believed that mastering English
could help them to get a better job. 21% of the students chose 4 (agree).
The data showed that ELTD students regarded English as a global
language because they could found English sign in public places and their
environment easily and they believed by mastering English, they could have a
better job. Statement 2, 4, and 6 were proved that the ELTD students could found
English advertisements and signs on their society and social media. Statement 7
and 8 were proved that English as a global language which people feel the need to
master that language for their life (Rohmah, 2005).
English as an additional language
Graph 3 shows the result of (ELTD) students‟ thought about English as an
additional language. Below are the evidences that indicated that English was an
additional language:
1. Statement number 3: Most ELTD students in SWCU Salatiga learn English
Statement number 3 was about students‟ educational background
related to English language. Here, most participants agreed that they already
studied English as acompulsory subject in school. 35.5% students answered 4
that means that they agreed to the statement. Then, 28.9% students chose 5
which indicated strongly agree to the statement. So, the most of ELTD
students agreed that they studied English as a compulsory subject in school.
2. Statement number 5: Most ELTD students in SWCU Salatiga started
learning English in elementary school.
The result for statement number 5 was almost the same with
statement number 3. It was about students‟ educational background, that is
whether they started studying English since elementary school. 38.1%
students answered 5 (strongly agree) and 36.8% students answered 4
(agree). It means that for the participants, English was not only taught as a
compulsory subject in school, but it was also learnt by participants in their
early age (elementary school).
3. Statement number 9: Most ELTD students in SWCU Salatiga often listen
English songs or watch English movies.
Statement number 9 was about students‟ habit related to English in
their environment. The answer showed that most of the students often
listen to English songs and watch English movies. 55.2% students chose 5
(strongly agree) and 32.8% ELTD students chose 4 (agree) that means that
students did not only learn English in school, but they also use it outside
class, like for listening to English songs orwatching English movies.
4. Statement number 10: Most ELTD students in SWCU are comfortable to
use English in daily conversation.
Statement number 10 was about students feeling related to the use
of English in daily conversations. 36.8% of the students chose 4 that
indicatedthat they were comfortable to use English to communicate with
each other and 31.5% of the students chose 3 (neutral).
The data showed that the ELTD students regarded English as an
additional language because English is taught as a compulsory subject in school,
learnt in early age, and also it used in society. The result was same with Lauder‟s
(2008) thought. English is one of the foreign languages which was used and
taught in Indonesia. Lauder (2008) also said that English has a special status and it
was a compulsory subject in school. That is why English is not only as a foreign
language, but also as an additional language (Lauder, 2008).
Graph 4 shows the result of ELTD students perspective toward English
as a foreign language. Below are the evidences that indicated that English was a
foreign language for ELTD students:
1. Statement number 1: Most ELTD students in SWCU Salatiga used English
only at campus or classroom.
Statement number 1 was about students‟ habit related the use of
English among the ELTD students. 36.8% of students chose 4 (agree) and
27.6% of students chose 3 (neutral). This indicated that some of the
participants used English only at campus or classroom.
2. Statement number 11: Most ELTD students‟ environment (family,
neighbor, friends, social media) is familiar with English.
Statement number 11 was about students‟ environment toward
English. Here,38.1% of students chose 3 that indicated neutral. It means
that they neither disagree nor agree (Deborah and Harry). It was maybe
because the students‟ family and neighbor were not familiar with English,
but the students‟ friends was familiar with English. So, some participants
answer 3. Also there is32.8% of the students who chose 2 that indicated
disagree. Based on it, It proved that English was a foreign language
because it used in limited environment for example in social media.
3. Statement number 12: Most ELTD students in SWCU regard English as a
Statement number 12 was about student‟s perspective toward
English as a foreign language. 38.1% of the students chose 4 (agree) and
27.6% students chose 5 (strongly agree). It showed that most of them
agreed that English was a foreign language.
Therefore, most ELTD students regarded English as a foreign language
because it is learned mainly in classroom and used in limited environment. It was
same with McCarty‟s statement. English was a foreign language because it
learned mainly in the classroom (McCarty, 2006).
In writer opinion, English is an additional language that very usefull to
communicate in social media. It means that people need to learn English because
it used in social media. Remember that English is not only as a foreign language,
but also as an additional language (Lauder, 2008). It will be better if people can
mastering English because it used to communicate with foreign people. It can
improve their skill in communication and hopefully it can help people to get a
better future. English as a global language which people feel the need to master
that language for their life (Rohmah, 2005).
CONCLUSION
This study aimed to investigate English Language Teaching Department
(ELTD) students perspective toward English. The study found that there were 3
perspectives toward English. First, ELTD students believed that English was a
global language. Second, ELTD students believed that English was an additional
The previous explanation showed that (ELTD) students had at least 3
thoughts toward English. It can impact the process of teaching and learning
English. If English was a global language, it can effect not only the number of
students who want to learn and master English, but also has impact the process of
teaching English. There were some modern materials and methods to make the
process of teaching and learning to be more fun and easy to understand. The
teachers need to be more creative to teach English.
The writer must highlight that all of the results in this study were limited
to ELTD students in UKSW as the participants. They answered the statements
based on their experiences and thoughts. It might be different if the participants
are other students from other universities. Related to the questionnaire, the
statement itself also was not balance in number. There were 4 statements for
additional language, 3 statements for foreign language, and 5 statements for
global language. Maybe if there is a further research, the researcher can distribute
the questionnaires to other faculty from other university or add some statements
on the questionnaire to make it balance. If it is needed, the researcher can
References
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Knapp, K. ,& Meierkord, C. (Eds.). (2002). Lingua franca communication. Frankfurt: Peter Lang.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to say thank you to Jesus Christ who is always
beside me and strengthens me in doing this thesis. This thesis would not have
been possible without the valuable guidance from my supervisor, Mrs. Anne I.
Timotius, M.Ed. Thank you so much for my thesis examiner, ... for the feedback
for my thesis improvement. To the ELTM lecturers, thank you to allow me to
distribute the questionnaires. Then, to all of my participants, thank you very much
for helping me in fullfilling the questionnaires.
My big gratitude also goes to my parents and family who never stop to
support and listen to all my problems in doing this thesis. I also express my
gratitude to my best friend, Ivana Amelia who always supported and gave me
advices and also to my boyfriend, Allen, for the spirit that he always gave and the
reminder for me to finish this thesis. Without you all, I surely could not finish this
Appendix A
QUESTIONNAIRE
This questionnaire is part of a study about English Language Teaching
Department Student‟s Perspective Toward English in Indonesia. Please answer the
following statements according to your personal beliefs. Answer each statement according to how much you agree or disagree with it by typing your answer on the right side.
NIM :
Sex : ( type M(male) / F (female) )
In my opinion...
1. most ELTD students in SWCU Salatiga used English only at campus/ classroom.
Strongly Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly Agree Answer:
2. most ELTD students in SWCU Salatiga found English on social media (Facebook, Twitter,etc).
Strongly Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly Agree Answer:
3. most ELTD students in SWCU Salatiga learn English as the major lesson in school.
Strongly Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly Agree Answer:
4. most ELTD students in SWCU Salatiga found English sign in public places (mall, hotel, restaurant, etc).
Strongly Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly Agree Answer:
5. most ELTD students in SWCU Salatiga start learning English in elementary school.
Strongly Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly Agree Answer:
6. most ELTD students in SWCU Salatiga found English advertisement on their society.
7. most ELTD students in SWCU Salatiga realize that mastering English can help them to get a better future.
Strongly Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly Agree Answer:
8. mastering English can help ELTD students get a better job.
Strongly Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly Agree Answer: 9. most ELTD students in SWCU Salatiga often listening English songs /
watching English movies.
Strongly Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly Agree Answer: 10.most ELTD students in SWCU comfortable to use English in daily
conversation.
Strongly Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly Agree Answer: 11.most ELTD students‟ environment ( family, neighbor, friends, social
media) is familiar with English.
Strongly Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly Agree Answer: 12.most ELTD students in SWCU regard English as a foreign language.
Strongly Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly Agree Answer:
75 112008019 M 4 4 5 4 4 4 4 5 5 3 3 3
76 112007096 F 4 2 4 4 5 3 5 5 5 4 5 5
Modus 4 4 4 4 5 4 5 5 5 4 3 4
