TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter III Research Methodology
Chapter IV Data Analysis and Discussion 4.1 Language learning Strategy Use by Student Respondents 32
4.1.1 The Learning Strategies Used by the Whole Respondents 33
4.3 Correlation Analysis on Students’ LLS and Their Achievement in Learning English 59
4.3.1 Correlation Analysis of Students from Each Class and the Whole Classes 60
4.4 Students’ LLS and Strategic Competence and Attitudes towards Learning English in the 2004 English Curriculum
for Junior High School 66
4.4.1 Students’ LLS and the Strategic Competence Proposed by 2004 English Curriculum 66
4.4.2 Students’ LLS and the Attitude towards Learning English Proposed by 2004 English Curriculum 68
Chapter V Conclusion and Suggestions 5.1 Conclusions 71
5.2 Suggestions 76
Bibliography 78
LISTS OF TABLES
Table 2.1: Strategic Competence Suggested by 2004 English Curriculum 20 Table 2.2: Attitudes towards Learning English Suggested by 2004 English
Curriculum 21
Table 3.1: Students’ LLS category 28
Table 3.2: Good Language learners’ Scores Range 29 Table 4.1: Junior High School Student’ LLS in Learning English 33 Table 4.2: Good Language learners’ LLS in Learning English 45 Table 4.3: Comparison of Most Frequent LLS use for Good Language Learners
and the Whole Respondents in Learning English 55 Table 4.4: The Strategy Use among Student Respondents 58 Table 4.5: Correlation Value and the Hypotheses Testing for All
Students of SMP A 60
Table 4.6: Correlation Value and the Hypotheses Testing for All
Students of SMP B 61
Table 4.7: Correlation Value and the Hypotheses Testing for All
Students of SMP C 61
Table 4.8: Correlation Value and the Hypotheses Testing for the Whole
Respondents 62
Table 4.9: Correlation Value and the Hypotheses Testing for Students
Categorized as Good Language Learners (GLS) of SMP-A 63 Table 4.10: Correlation Value and the Hypotheses Testing for Students
Categorized as Good Language Learners (GLS) of SMP-B 64 Table 4.11: Correlation Value and the Hypotheses Testing for Students
Table 4.12: Correlation Value and the Hypotheses Testing for Overall Students
Categorized as Good Language Learners (GLS) 65 Table 4.13: Comparison of Students’ LLS and Strategic Competence in
Proposed By the 2004 English Curriculum 67 Table 4.14: Comparison of Students’ LLS and Attitude towards Learning
LISTS OF APPENDICES
Appendix A: Kuesioner 80
Appendix B: Interview tentang Strategy Belajar Bahasa Inggris 82
Appendix C: Example of Interview with Respondents 83
Appendix D: Students’ Achievement Scores 89
Appendix E: Good learners’ Achievement Scores 90
Appendix F: Junior High School Students’ Strategies in Learning English 91
Appendix G: Good Language Learners’ Strategies in Learning English 93
Appendix H: Good language Learners’ LLS and Achievement Scores 95
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
English appears to be the language mostly used to transfer the development of almost all aspects of life especially science and technology. In this global era, mastering this language is considered very important to keep up with these developments. Hamied (2003:14) stated that English, in this information technology era which is growing very fast, plays very strategic and important roles in the whole society. He further noted that according to the NEC Research Institutes (2000), 86, 55% of the world information is transferred in English.
Seeing this phenomenon, the Indonesian government feels that its people need to have the competence in using this language. The States Policy (GBHN) 1999-2004 put foreign language in a very important position in national education context (Lengkanawati 2003:64). In consequence, the language is made one of the compulsory subjects taught at junior and senior high schools.
Students in Indonesia have English as their compulsory subject to learn in the formal schools starting from their first year of junior high school. However, in certain areas such as in big cities, many of them have even been familiar to this language since they are in their elementary schools. Those schools have included English in their curriculum as the local content to teach to the students.
school is to have the discourse competence; the ability to communicate both in oral or written language in a communication event (Depdiknas, 2004:8). The curriculum further elaborates that to reach this competence needs the support of several competences, namely: the socio-cultural competence, the linguistic competence, the actional competence, and the strategic competence. The socio-cultural competence refers to the ability to convey messages appropriately according to the cultural contexts where and when the communication happens. The linguistic competence refers to the ability to understand the language features and to apply them appropriately. The actional competence refers to the ability to use the language in the real communication both in oral and written and the strategic competence refers to the skills and abilities of the language user to apply many kinds of strategy in communication. In addition to these competences, the curriculum also includes positive attitudes towards learning English as one important aspect students should possess (Depdiknas, 2004:48).
However, the result of teaching and learning process for this subject in most Indonesian high schools, especially in junior high school level, is still far from being satisfactory. All of these efforts cannot largely improve the students’ achievement in learning the language. Students’ English mastery, after their study for three years or even more, is considered very low. Many junior high schools students failing in their National Examination (UAN) in this subject for the passing grade of 4.25 is one indication.
There are many factors believed to have contributed to this condition. One of them is the student factor. The students, as the subject who learn the language, hold very important keys for the success of learning their second language. Factors such as students’ learning strategies and their attitude towards learning a foreign language are thought to be beneficial to the second language learning. As the parts of student factor, students’ attitude towards learning and their strategies in learning English are considered to be essential to determine the success of learning the language. Having certain strategies and good attitudes towards learning a second language is believed to be advantageous for second language learners. Learners with those two features are assumed to be more successful in their language learning. Dansereau states (in Oxford 1993:10) that
some researches on learning foreign language come up with the results which show that some of the best learners use affective and social strategies to control their emotional state, to keep themselves motivated on-task, and to get help when they need it.
Language Learning Strategies (LLS) are believed to help learners to cope with the problems they face in learning a foreign language. Oxford (1990:17)
memory, cognitive, and compensation or indirect strategies i.e., metacognitive, affective, and social strategies. In line with this, O'Malley and Chamot (1984) in K.Orr (1999:132) explained that the most common finding is that the use of appropriate LLS leads to the improvement of proficiency or achievement in specific or overall skill areas. Some findings of relevant strategy research outside of the L2 field have also shown the powerful role of learning strategies in improving students' learning outcome.
The present study seeks to reveal the language learning strategies employed by students of junior high school especially those of students categorized as good language learners in learning English. It is also to find the relationship between the LLS they use with their achievement in learning the language. In relation with the 2004 English curriculum for junior high school, this study is also intended to uncover if students’ LLS are relevant to the strategic competence and good attitude towards learning English it proposes.
1.2 Statement of the Problems
This study mainly explores junior high school students’ language learning strategies (LLS) and their relationship with students’ achievement in learning English. It is also to investigate if students’ LLS relevant to the 2004 English curriculum for junior high school. Accordingly, the research problems are formulated in the following questions.
b) What learning strategies are applied by junior high school students categorized as good language learners in learning English?
c) Is there any relationship between the LLS the students apply and their achievement in learning English?
d) To what extent are students’ frequently used LLS related with the strategic competence and attitude toward learning English proposed by the 2004 English curriculum for junior high school?
1.3 Purpose of the Study
As the main purposes of other research in learning strategies, Huda (1999:53) put forward that it is to make learning strategies understandable to teachers in order that they can give strategy training to their students. The specific objectives of this study are formulated as follows:
a. to find the Language Learning Strategies (LLS) all student respondents employ in learning English,
b. to find the most frequent LLS good language learners employ in learning English,
c. to identify if there is a correlation between the LLS students employ and their achievement in learning the language and,
1.4 Significance of the Study
This study is mainly to show the actual LLS students of junior high school apply in learning English, to find if there is a correlation between the LLS they apply and their achievement in learning the language and to uncover if students’ frequently used LLS are related with the strategic competence and attitude toward learning English proposed by the 2004 English curriculum for junior high school. This study is significant due to some reasons.
The first is that this study is meant to show the language learning strategies mostly used and needed by students in learning English. The findings, later, will give perspectives to teachers to decide the right LLS to teach to their students to learn English effectively. Besides, it will hopefully help teachers as well as book writers to select and provide appropriate classroom teaching learning activities and materials that fit the language learning strategies students apply in learning the language.
The third reason is, in relation to the 2004 English curriculum for junior high school, this study is directed to uncover if the frequently used LLS students apply are relevant to the strategic competence and attitude toward learning the language it proposes. Hopefully, the result of this study will help teachers to select the proper strategic competence from the curriculum to teach to their students. It is also hoped that teachers will find better ways to encourage their students to have better attitudes towards learning English. By applying appropriate language learning strategies and strategic competence and having a good attitude toward learning English, hopefully, students will be able to learn English better. Brown (1991:70) suggested that by adopting an effective set of personal strategies and having self-defines goals, someone can approach language learning with confidence and with the assurance that she/he will have at least some measure of success.
The findings of this study may also be used by textbook writers as well as the curriculum makers to design textbooks and curriculums that meet the students’ LLS to boost their language learning outcome.
1.5 Scope of the Study
positive attitude toward learning English proposed by 2004 English curriculum for the junior high school.
Since one purpose of this study is to find good language learners’ LLS, the study is carried out in three classes in three best junior high schools based on their achievement in the National Examination (UN) in Cirebon. The schools are coded as SMP A, SMP B and SMP C. The participants involved are the students of the class 3E of SMP A, those of the class 3A of SMP B and those of the class 3E of SMP C.
1.6 Research Methodology
of relationship between two variables. The data is then analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) version 12.0.
The data in this study were collected through (1) questionnaire adapted from Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) developed by Oxford (1990) to
investigate students’ learning strategies in learning English, (2) document analysis to find the students’ achievement in learning English, and (3) interviews to get further information on the LLS students apply and to crosscheck the information obtained from the questionnaire. The methodology will be further discussed in chapter III.
1.7 Thesis Organization
CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter discusses the research methodology applied in this study. It describes the research problems, method of study, data collection method, and data analysis.
3.1 Research Problems
This study mainly explores and documents junior high school students’ language learning strategies (LLS) as an attempt to find their relationship with students’ achievement in learning English. It is also intended to investigate the students’ LLS that are relevant to the strategic competence and attitudes towards learning English proposed by the English curriculum 2004. The problems of study are formulated in the following research questions.
a. What learning strategies are applied by junior high school students in learning English?
b. What learning strategies are applied by junior high school students categorized as good language learners in learning English?
c. Is there any relationship between the LLS the students apply and their achievement in learning English?
3.2 The Method of Study
Since this study is intended to explore the most LLS the whole students and good language learners apply in learning English, the students’ strategic competence and attitude towards learning English as proposed by the 2004 English curriculum and the correlation between students’ LLS and their achievement, it applies the descriptive and correlative quantitative procedures.
The descriptive procedure is to describe the most frequent LLS whole students and good language learners apply in learning English. They are selected based on the 10 most frequently used strategies students apply in learning English. Their intensity of use or frequency is presented in the form of percentage. The descriptive procedure is also applied to describe the students’ LLS that are relevant to the strategic competence and attitude towards learning English proposed by the 2004 English curriculum. The criteria are selected based on the LLS of the overall respondents and good language learners with their frequency or intensity of use 50% or above. Further, the LLS are compared with the strategic competence and attitude towards learning English proposed by the 2004 English curriculum to find their similarities. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation with Ex-post facto design is used to examine if students’ achievement is correlated with the LLS they apply in learning the language. It is based on what is put forward by Hatch and Farhady (1982:26):
The data obtained is then analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) version 12.0.
3.3 Data Collection Method
This section discusses the participants involved and the research procedures including the questionnaire, document analysis and interviews employed in this study.
3.3.1 Subject
This study was conducted in three classes of three best government junior high schools with national standard (SSN) coded as SMP A, SMP B and SMP C in Cirebon municipality. SMP A is the oldest and the most favorite junior English school in this city. It is also considered the best school because it always gets the best score in national final examination (UAN) every year. SMP B is the second favorite junior high school for its second position in UAN achievement and SMP C is the third favorite junior high school for its third position in UAN achievement.
learners as well as those of the average ones, the three classes of the three schools are considered suitable for this study. The three schools in Cirebon are also chosen for the reasons of practicality and good access. As the researcher belongs to a community of teachers and his close relationship with his fellow teachers in this city, he has a good access to get detailed information and data needed in doing the research.
3.3.2 Procedures
This part discusses the procedures to collect the data applied in this study. In this study, the data were gathered through questionnaires, document analysis and semi-structured interviews.
3.3.2.1 Questionnaire
The questionnaire was used as the main instrument to collect the data. It was used to collect the information about students’ learning strategies and the information on the students’ strategic competence and attitudes towards learning English. The questionnaire was adapted from the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) Version for Speakers of Other Language Learning English developed by
items), compensation strategy (5 items), metacognitive strategy (6 items), affective strategy (5 items) and social strategy (5 items).
Since many LLS indicators are similar with those of the indicators of strategic competence and positive attitudes towards learning English proposed by the 2004 English curriculum for junior high school, and in many cases they overlap each other, the questionnaire was used to investigate these two aspects. The questionnaire is presented in Appendix A. The data were described in the form of simple quantitative description; therefore, the Likert Scale was used with the criteria shown in Table 3.1.
Table 3.1
Student’s LLS score category
CATEGORY SCORE
Never 1
Seldom 2
Often 3
Always/Very often 4
The scores from students’ LLS are calculated to find the intensity of use or the frequency of every indicator in the questionnaire. Regarding to negative and positive responses, the scores of Never and Seldom are combined to be the score of N+S and the scores of Often and Always are combined to be the score of O+A. The scores, later, are presented in the form of percentage.
3.3.2.2 Document Analysis
academic year 2005/2006. The score included their daily performance and their formative and summative test results for the whole semester.
From the whole 118 students involved in this study, 30 out of 118 students are categorized as good language learners. This categorization is based on students’ achievement in learning English in their class. They are 10 students with the highest English scores from each class. Since they are from different classes of different schools, the ranges of their achievement scores vary as shown in Table 3.2.
Table 3.2
Good language learners’ scores range
Student Respondents Range of Score
SMP A Class 3E 8,20 – 8,72
SMP B Class 3A 7,17 – 8,73
SMP C Class 3E 8,12 - 8,80
3.3.2.3 Interview
There were 18 student respondents invited for the interviews. They were six students from every class involved in the study who were chosen based on their achievements in learning English. From the six students interviewed, two students represented the best students, two students represented the average ones and the other two represented the low achievers.
3.4 Data Analysis
As previously mentioned, this study is largely quantitative. Firstly, to find the LLS that the students mostly use in learning English, the data from the questionnaires were analyzed using simple computation. The data is presented in the form of the percentage which is taken based on the frequency or intensity of use of the LLS. Secondly, to find the correlation between students’ achievement and students’ LLS, the data is interpreted in the form of scores. The students’ LLS scores were correlated with the students’ achievement scores using Pearson’s coefficient correlation formula. Since both the LLS and the achievement scores in this study were given in the interval scales, the parametrical analysis was applied.
The formula used to calculate correlation value between LLS (X) variable
rxy : Coefficient Correlation between X variable and Y variable.
n : number of students
x : the score of Language Learning Strategy
y : Students’ achievement scores
The significance of the correlation value is determined statistically by the hypothesis testing in which null hypothesis is chosen.
Ho : ρ = 0 (There is no correlation between the two variables)
To explore whether the students’ frequently used LLS are relevant to the strategic competence and attitude towards learning English proposed by the 2004 English curriculum, the data from the questionnaire were compared with the strategic competence and attitude towards learning English proposed by the curriculum. The criteria are selected based on the LLS of overall respondents and good language learners with their frequency or intensity of use 50% or above. Further, they are compared with the indicators of the strategic competence and attitude towards learning English proposed by the curriculum to find their similarities.
The functions of the three research instruments in seeking the answers to the research questions were described below.
a. Questionnaire was distributed to students to find the answers to the questions number 1, 2 and 4. Some of the answers to the questionnaire were to be confirmed in the interview as a crosscheck. The data from the questionnaire were also used as the supporting data in answering question number 3.
CHAPTER V
CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
This chapter is divided into two parts. The first part discusses the conclusions of the research conducted based on the research questions which are raised and elaborated in the first chapter. The second part is some suggestions intended for teachers, curriculum makers and other researchers that are interested in doing research in the same area.
5.1 Conclusions
It is firstly mentioned that the present research has been completed considering that all the research questions raised and elaborated in the first chapter have been answered.
to pronounce English words and practicing to use English words in different ways. Meanwhile, the affective strategy includes doing the English tasks seriously.
In regard to the second research question concerning the most frequently used LLS by the good language learners, it is revealed that the 10 most frequently used LLS by the language learners include three social strategies, two cognitive strategies, four metacognitive strategies and one affective strategy. The social strategies include asking for help from other people when having difficulties, asking other speakers to speak slowly or repeat his/her words, and asking other people to correct his/her pronunciation. The cognitive strategies include practicing to pronounce the English words, and practicing to use English words in different ways. The metacognitive strategies include trying not to repeat the same mistakes, having controls on his/her own progress in learning, always looking for opportunities to use English spoken or written, and learning how to pronounce English words from the ways someone pronounce them, and the affective strategy includes doing the English tasks seriously.
Concerning the third research question on whether there is a correlation between students’ LLS and their achievement in learning English, it is found that there is a positive correlation between the use of LLS by the overall students and their achievement in learning English. Meanwhile, there is no correlation between the use of LLS by the students categorized as good language learners and their achievement in learning the language.
always finish the English tasks on time, telling the Western (English) film he/she saw to other people, and reading English literatures for pleasure.
The answer to the first and second research questions indicates that there is a difference in the order of the overall strategy use by the whole respondents and the good language learners. Despite the different order of their strategy use, the metacognitive strategy is in the first most frequent strategy applied by the whole respondents and good language learners in learning English. It is in accordance with what stated by Skehan (1989 cited in Lessard-Clouston 1997:3) that there is always the possibility that bad language learners can also use the same good language learning strategies while becoming unsuccessful because of many factors and reasons. It is also found that the memory and compensation strategies are not included in the most frequently strategies applied by both overall students and students categorized as good language learners in learning English. It is perhaps due to the factors indicated by Oxford (1990) such as cultural background, attitudes and belief, type of tasks, age and L2 stage, and learning style.
English) in learning the language” that the good language learners did not include in their ten most frequent strategies they apply as the whole respondents did. This perhaps related to students’ different self-confidence in learning and using the language. The good language learners are believed to have good self confident in the way or strategy they apply in learning and use English. Meanwhile, the unsuccessful learners are assumed not to have this confidence and try to imitate other people’s strategy in learning the language.
The positive correlation between overall students’ learning strategies and their achievement in learning English revealed in this study indicates that the better learning strategies students apply the better their achievement will be. O'Malley and Chamot (1984) in K.Orr (1999:132) explained that the most common finding is that the use of appropriate LLS leads to the improvement of proficiency or achievement in specific or overall skill areas.
The fact that there is no correlation between the LLS of good learners and their achievement scores may be related to the evidence found by Vann and Abraham (1990:192) that suggests that both ‘good’ and ‘unsuccessful’ language learners can be active users of similar LLS. It may also related to the finding of Huda (1999) who discovered that good learners tended to use fewer learning strategies, but they selected and combined strategies efficiently to fit their own personal needs and dispositions.
It can, therefore, be said that the curriculum makers may have included the concept of language learning strategies in the curriculum.
5.2 Suggestions
Based on the research findings, there are some ideas intended for other researchers that are interested in doing research in the same area, teachers, and curriculum makers.
The ideas for teachers, book writers as well as the curriculum makers are:
♦ Teachers should know students’ language learning strategies so they can
provide and create materials as well as opportunities that fit the students’ language learning strategies.
♦ Students need to be taught language learning strategies to be able to learn
English more effectively.
♦ Teacher should help students to set up their purpose in learning English and
keep them motivated in learning the language.
♦ English teachers should develop their English proficiency to be a good model
as students may imitate them in some ways.
♦ Many students learn from their peers in learning the language so teachers
should provide activities that enable them to interact and learn from one another.
♦ Curriculum should accommodate students’ language learning strategies for
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