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description of the research subject. Therefore, the writer discusses the characteristics of children, the principle of children language learning and how they learn in order to
have appropriate knowledge on the fourth grade students of elementary school.
a. Fourth Grade Students
According to Piaget as stated by Lefrancois 1986: 52, the two fundamental characteristics of a child cognitive development are organization and adaptation.
Organization is the systemizing of information into meaningful patterns or structures. Adaptation is a process through which a person copes with the integration of new
information into existing pattern and prescription. Piaget’s stage theory postulates that children progress through four stages. They
are the sensorimotor period, the pre-operational period, concrete operational period and formal operational period Vasta, Haith and Miller, 1995: 35. The sensorimotor
period represents the first two years of life, the pre-operational period typically spans from the age of 2 to the age of 6 and 7, the concrete operational period extends from
about 6 or 7 to 11 or 12, and the formal operational period continues from approximately 11 to 12 through adulthood or old age.
Based on the stage above, elementary students especially in the fourth grade are about 9 years old. This means that they are in the concrete period. They are in the
stage where their mental operations make logical problem solving with concrete objects possible Vasta, Haith and Miller, 1995: 35. Therefore, the use of activities in
learning English is suitable for the fourth grade students of elementary school. According to Anderson 1980: 394, there is a critical period and it is easier to
learn a language from 2 to about 11 years of age. It is based on informal observation of children of various ages and adults in new linguistic communities. When families
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move to a foreign country, the children are said to acquire a facility to get along in the new language more quickly than adults.
According to Cole 1956: 124, children in the elementary school grow and develop during their six years in school. They are divided into two: the primary grade
during the first three years and the intermediate grade during the last three years. The study includes the fourth grade students of elementary school. It means these
students are in the intermediate grade during the last three years. Children in this period show characteristic development: physical, intellectual, emotional, and social
aspect. Moreover, curiosity is an indicator of their cognitive development. They are
interested in learning all kinds of things and they want to know as many facts as possible in many different things Cole, 1956: 133. Caswell has the same opinion as
Cole. She states that children are interested in what they want to know 1957: 175. It means that children learn something because they like it and not because it is
important for them. Children in the middle childhood are very active and dynamic. Something that is moving will attract their attention very much Kartono, 1982: 141.
They are curious to find out how things work, gain competence and control over himself. Therefore, they are interested in learning all things, including learning a
second language.
b. The Principle of Children Language Learning
