Learning English Concept of Learning English

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2. Text-Based Approach

This part is firstly started with the definition of approach. In approach, there are two sub themes discussed. They are theory of language and language learning. After that, it is continued by text based-approach, which becomes the leading theme of this research. Then, language teaching approach transformation and text-based approach for learners are presented.

a. Approach

Anthony 1963 in Richard and Rodgers 1986, p. 15 clearly describes that, “….An approach is a set of correlative assumptions dealing with the nature of language teaching and learning. An approach is an axiomatic. It describes the nature of the subject matter to be taught…….” Following Anthony 1963, approach is the practice and principle about nature of language and language learning. According to Richard and Rodgers 1986, p. 17, there are several different theoretical views of approach which are examined linguistically based on language and language learning. Language teaching have been advanced from time to time. Richard and Rodgers 1986 suggest that there are numbers of approaches and methods that can be applied in the classroom. As one of the most traditional methods, Grammar Translation Method GTM is still conducted in the classroom nowadays. Stern 1983, p. 455 in Richard and Rodgers 1986, p. 3 says that “Grammar Translation is a way of studying a language that approaches the language first through detailed analysis of its grammar rules, followed by application of this knowledge to the task of translating sentence and text into and out of the target language”. 16 1 Theory of language Richard and Rodgers 1986, p. 17 indicate that there are three components of theory of language. They can be perceived as follows: structural view, functional view, and interactional view. The first, structural view, is the view that “language is a system of structurally related elements for the coding and meaning” Richard and Rodgers 1986, p. 17. It refers to the included items such as phonological, grammatical, grammatical operations, and lexical items. The second is functional view. In this part, Richard and Rodgers 1986, p. 17 see the language as which has general function, that is as a mean of communication. This theory highlights the communicative and semantic dimension rather than the grammatical one. This view leads to the meaning of what people say about. Robinson 1980 in Richard and Rodgers 1986, p. 17 suggests that English for Specific Purposes ESP belongs to functional account because it deals with learners needs. The third one is interactional view. Richard and Rodgers 1986, p. 17 consider that language has a role as realization of communication among people. It is related to the act of interpersonal relation which needs social transactions among people. 2 Theory of language learning Following Richard and Rodgers 1986, p. 18, it is considered that there are two dimensions of learning theories associated with a method at the level of approach. They are process-oriented and conditional-oriented. In process —oriented 17 theories, learning process which are involved are habit formation, induction, inference, hypothesis test, and generalization. While, the condition-oriented theories shapes on the human and physical context in which language learning takes place. For instance, the teachers who teach English in elementary school have to be more active than the teachers who teach in senior high school level.

b. Text-Based Approach