ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER IDENTITY AND INVESTMENT : THE CASE OF ESP LEARNER IN INDONESIA
Thesis
By:
WAHYU DWI YUNIARTI NPM 21902073017
UNIVERSITY OF ISLAM MALANG POST GRADUATE PROGRAM ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING
2022
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER IDENTITY AND INVESTMENT : THE CASE OF ESP LEARNER IN INDONESIA
THESIS Presented to
University of Islam Malang
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Magister in English Language Education
By:
WAHYU DWI YUNIARTI
NPM 21902073017
UNIVERSITY OF ISLAM MALANG POST GRADUATE PROGRAM ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING
2022
vii ABSTRACT
Yuniarti, Wahyu Dwi. 2022. English Language Learner Identity and Investment : The Case of ESP Learner in Indonesia. Thesis, English Language Education Study Program, Postgraduate Program, University of Islam Malang. Advisor: Dr.
Imam Wahyudi Karimullah, M.A.
Keywords: ESP, Language Identity, Language Investment
This study analyzes the language investment and identity towards company staffs while learning ESP program. It used qualitative methodology. The data was taken from direct and online interview. Direct interview has done by the teacher while the class in being progress. While online interview, the teacher has texted to the students by WhatsApp application in approaching the students. These two ways of analysis are important to achieve deeper answer from the students regarding their language investment and identity during the learning process.
Direct and online interview which has done by the teacher revealed the deeper analysis on how the students invest their motivation and also how they construct their identity while ESP material is given to them.
The findings of this study showed how the language investment and identity of ESP learners during the class. In language investment, the results presented the students motivation are really high in English learning. Supporting family one of the power of them in understanding English lesson. This is because they argued that this English understanding can be used to teach their children about English. Even they are a mother and wife, they keep on invest their time to prioritize in studying rather than their household chores duty as they believe it will smoothen their workflow since this is the work demand which must be acquired. Meanwhile, in terms of Language identity construction, the students constructed their identity on three points. They are as a mother, learner and also staff. This constructing identity can be seen on how they informed the teacher about some meetings that they had join the class together with the children and while cooking because their home duty should do even they are in learning activity. As a staff is proved from some question which have asked by them to the teacher related to the needs of their job activity.
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTIONS
In this chapter the researcher is going to describe theories related of background of the research, research problem, the objective of the research, scope and limitation, definitions of key terms, and significance of the research.
1.1 Background of the Study
In this present year, Indonesia is a developing country. It causes the citizen who want to continue their carriers should learn English to support them. Through education, hereditary succession of wealth and credentials are legitimately pass down (Lee : 2016). This makes many Indonesian people will do many things in order to acquire English in facing the world carrier. By acquiring English on their skills will smoothen to be registered in some factories. It can be seen on how English is really needed to show their potentials in communication and written.
Those two skills being the prominent abilities must be own by each employees.
Personal identity is constructed and negotiated by language performance in oral and literate practices and it is neither determined nor fixed by the attitudes of a society toward languages. This concept showed how language applied in communication skill. In a factory, the employees need to apply their good communication especially in English to smoothen their work. Therefore, while doing employee recruitment this has been the top priority to achieve the reputable staffs. Seeing this needs of English skills made many Indonesian people try to find some ways in order to having them.
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ESP (English for Specific Purposes) is one of the English program which has been done by many institutions to improve the learner’s skill. Seeing the phenomenon of the important of English skills above , some companies held English courses in order to help employees to have a good English proficiency.
This done so because some existed employees are lack of English skills who are really prominent to make study of this ESP. Therefore, this present company create an English course to support or improve the capability of employees.
During the course, it showed not all of employees could accept this additional work time with pleasure. It is since they are not only employees, but also mothers.
They have to do many household chores, yet they must learn after working. They must do this because this will influence their smoothen work because there is no other choice except learning. Surprisingly, during this ESP class most of them enjoy the learning process. Their enthusiasm are really high in every class meeting, showing their willing to acquire English skills are very passionate.
In short, this thesis reports the high motivation of employees to learn English in order to smoothen their work’s job. Besides, some struggles that have done by them in achieving the high score to show their improvement. While the result will show on the progress of applying ESP learning into their job. It will show the significance different before and after having this English course.
1.2 The focus of the study
Based on the background of the study, the problem in this research is formulated as follows:
1. In what ways do the learners invest in their ESP learning?
2. How do they construct their identity in learning?
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1.3 Objective of the Study
This research need to give a research objective as a follows:
1. To explore in some ways the learner invest in their ESP learning.
2. To explain how the learners construct their identity in learning.
1.4 Scope of the Study
This study will focus on two main framework. Firstly, on how the learner invest in their ESP learning process. It will revoke the strategies and ways which have done by them while the teaching and learning process.
The next focus on how the identity of employee in showing feeling during the progress of ESP learning. It will explore moods and emotions in English studying as their position as a learner and also a staff.
1.5 Definition of Key terms
In order to avoid any other misinterpretations, misunderstanding and to give clear concept about the research of the variable involved the following key term should be defined:
1. ESP (English For Specific Purposes)
ESP means the program which has arranged by the teacher in teaching the students based on their interest or field that they are focused on. ESP is designed and developed based on an assessment of purposes and needs and the activities for which English is needed. In ELT, ESP concerns the specific English language needs of the target learners/students. It refers to teaching a
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specific genre of English for students with specific goals which is oriented and focused on English teaching and learning.
The term "specific" in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) refers to the specific purpose of learning English (Hans and Hans, 2015). The English for Specific Purposes (ESP) approach improves the relevance of what the students/learners are learning, then enables them to use English that they have known before. Almost every subject has its own "term" used in the course, such as business, medicine, and various scientific and technical fields. These terms can be both much more complicated and complex. Because English is widespread, it is becoming more and more important to learn English for Specific Purposes (ESP). The most important learner’s purpose for learning English is to communicate a set of professional skills and to perform specific job-related functions
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English for specific purposes (ESP) refers to the teaching and learning of English as a second or foreign language where the goal of the learners is to use English in a particular domain (Fitria, 2019). Hans and Hans (2015) state that English for Specific Purposes (ESP) more concentrates on language in context than on teaching grammar and language structures
2. Language Identity
Every person has their own way in practicing a language. It caused by some factors. They are where they was born, environment, area of living and also dialect. These difference on the way people speaking can be called as language identity. Languages symbolize identities and are used to signal identities by those who speak them. People are also categorized by other people according to the language they speak. As a social group of people, Each group has its own language or variety of a language e.g. a regional group will have a regional dialect (which is a language variety), or a football team supporters club will have its own jargon. Speaking that language/variety/jargon gives a sense of belonging to the group. This also happen
Languages and varieties of language (subtle variations or major differences of pronunciation and grammar) are ways of expressing and recognising the many social identities people have.
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In the educational field identity has not been given relevance as an indispensable aspect in the process of learning a foreign language. (Taylor et al., 2013. The construction of student’s identity as language learners were an aspect that we overlooked most of the time, and for that reason, our learning experiences turned out to be more difficult than we expected, both academically and personally. In this present research identity of the learner showed their 3 identity of them. They are as a mother, staff of company and also learner.
3. Language Investment
As a learner who study English, of course it is needed to struggle in doing the learning process. Most of English learner tried to invest such as time, energy and thought in learning. As much as they struggle in achieving their goals, more result that they can get. The way how they do many things in order to learn better can be called as language investment. In Inspired by the work of Bourdieu (1990, 1991) and Weedon (1997), investment recognizes the language learner as having complex, multiple identities, changing across time and space, and reproduced in social interaction.
Investment considered a significant explanatory construct in language education research (Cummins 2006; Douglas Fir Group 2016; Kramsch 2013), this construct serves as a sociological complement to the psychological construct of motivation and is an index of identity and power.
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If learners “invest” in the target language, they do so with the understanding that they will acquire a wider range of symbolic and material resources, which will increase the value of their cultural capital and social power.
Norton also made the case that an investment in the target language is an investment in the learner’s own identity.
1.6 Significance of the Research
The finding of this research is actually revoke some ways on how the learner identity into ESP learning. Even they are employees and learners, but their struggles in learning English are so high. Many tricks they do in reaching the time in order to continue their study, it means to reduce the absent numbers in the class. Besides, time management is the high priority of them on how they have to divide between study time and work time.
Constructing identity means that how their feeling in carrying out their duties as company employees and learners. It showed how their moods and emotion in doing those two activities in the same time. This kind of condition is really prominent to dig up in order to know how the employee hard working in having two situations between working and studying lives.
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CHAPTER VI
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
In this chapter, the researcher presents the conclusion and the suggestion about the result of this study.
6.1. Conclusion
Based on the description of the previous material, regarding the language investment and identity on ESP students , the researcher can conclude several things, which are :
1. Language investment done by ESP learners as the high motivation to learn English during ESP class program is being progress. The support here mostly from their family members Most of them really support their mother to study English in order to smoothen the work and can teach their children about it.
During the class, some students often doing their household chores such as cooking while the class is in progress. They keep on doing this because they didn’t want to miss the class even they have to do their main responsibility as wife. Their high willingness to study English can be showed by this action that they are more prioritize to English learning rather than their household chores in this case.
Before beginning the class, some of them often come earlier because they want to review the previous material in order to recall their memory about the ESP materials. This kind of investment is really good
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for them to stimulate their understanding about the previous material.
Also, it proves that their willing to acquire English skill is so high as they also noticed that the company forced them to have this skill to support their job.
2. Construction language identity on ESP students revealed on how they performed their character in studying English. There are three kinds of identity showed by them. They performed as a mother, learner and also staff.
As a mother, some meeting they often joining the class with their children because they can’t refuse the children willingness to join the same activity with their mother. Another case also happen while learning process, some of them often doing the household chores during the session. That is cooking activity. Their identity as a wife and mother forced them to do those two activities, they are learning and cooking at the same time because they don’t want to miss the class as they really need this English skills to support their job.
6.2. Suggestion
After completing the research, the researcher would like to suggest that:
1. For further research hoped that will be able to develop research related to the language investment and identity in ESP learning. It can choose the different subject of research. This present research subject is the company staffs then the next researcher could be observed another subject such as university student or Senior high school student in
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English learning matters. The next researcher also can be expanded by adding some participant for further research and also with new strategies to provide even better benefits.
2. For the reader hoped can more give criticism related to the language investment and identity in ESP learning.
3. For the ESP students hoped can train themselves for a better skills in English for the future by applying and practicing what have taught by the teacher in this class whether from online or offline learning process.
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