15 processes. The learner will take conscious actions when interacting to others,
including learning language as a means of communication. The essence of this concept of consciousness to the research questions is that from their lived
experiences it can be seen whether or not the learners take conscious action to put themselves into interaction and communicative process of language learning.
d. English Acquisition
In this discussion, the researcher would like to define the English acquisition based on its connection to communicative approach of English
learning. According to Krashen in Terrel 2004, the terms ―acquisition‖ and
―learning‖ are used to refer to these two sorts of linguistic knowledge. Acquisition is the process which is said to lead to subconscious knowledge about language, a
―feel‖ for correctness, while the product of learning is said to result from conscious attention to some part of the target language.
A distinction is sometimes made between ‗acquisition‘ and ‗learning‘ Krashen in Ellis, 2008. The statement refers to the subconscious process of
‗picking up‘ a language through exposure and the latter to the conscious process of studying it. According to this view, it is possible for learners to ‗acquire‘ or to
‗learn‘ L2 features independently and at separate times. Although such a distinction can have strong face validity, particularly for teachers, it is
problematic, not least because of the difficulty of demonstrating whether the processes involved are or are not conscious McLaughlin in Ellis, 2008. The
terms ‗acquisition‘ and ‗learning‘ will be used interchangeably. The idea of distinction in this term is particularly related to conscious and
unconscious process of learning language. Those are considered as dependable
16 processes because in the process of learning it is believed that both conscious and
unconscious process always take certain part, and on many occassions they complete each other in building the language acquisition. Haynes 2005 stated
that there is clearer distinction between language acquisition and language learning, in this term language acquisition process is more to subconscious
process in which language learners may be unaware of the grammatical rules of language because they acquire the target language through natural communication
and interaction. Haynes 2005 added that this process is similar to the first language acquisition process. Meanwhile the language learning process is
explained to be more to conscious process in which the learners will pay attention to the structure of the target language rather than to its functional use of language
as communication means. In addition to that, similar to language learning, the process of language
acquisition is affected by some factors. McCain 2000 states that there are four factors: motivation, opportunity, environment, and personality which are more
relevant to second language acquisition. Below are some explanations on the factors stated by McCain 2000:
The first one is motivation. Motivation is differentiated along a continuum, integrative at one end and instrumental at the other.
Integrative motivation is seen in language learners whose desire to learn is rooted in wanting to become part of the L2-speaking
community, wants more contact with it, or is genuinely interested in it. On the other end of the spectrum is instrumental motivation. A
student who sees language as a means to obtain some rewards good grades, employment, a diploma or for mere appreciation would
reflect instrumental motivation.
The statement above shows that integrative motivation is more helpful in SLA and proficiency because there is more desire for interaction with the
17 community and the language that helps acquisition. Those students with mainly
instrumental motivation are less likely to seek out situations where language skills will be needed and will be improved, like social occasions in the L2 community,
readings in the L2, or friends in the L2 community. Furthermore, students with low views of the L2 community are likely not to see benefits in learning the
language. If a language community is associated with poverty, crime or other negative characteristics, there is less motivation for students to be associated with
that community. Regarding with McCain‘s explanation, the researcher can find
that target language acquisition process can be slowed down under the influence of socioeconomic disruption.
The second one will be opportunity. Opportunity and motivation work together to affect language acquisition. Motivated students are more likely to seek
out more opportunities that utilize language skills when he or she receives second language input that is one step beyond hisher current stage of linguistic
competence McCain, 2000. In other words, the researcher can conclude that the motivation is considered as kind of booster on learners‘ process of target language
learning and acquisition. The higher the motivation means better opportunity for the learners to acquire the target language.
Environment is on the third factor. Dulay and Burt in McCain 2000 proposed that people use an affective filter that regulates how much input
is received by a language processing mechanism. If the affective filter is over- used, a person tries to compose grammatically perfect sentences every times she
speaks, and if it is underused she speaks without regard to the rules she is aware of. The optimal user of the affective filter speaks naturally and often and
18 eventually incorporates more rules into her speech. In this way, the brain is
provided with more experience and input while also progressing toward more fluent speech.
The fourth factor explained by McCain 2000 is personality. Personality can also affect second language acquisition SLA. In combination with
environment it can act to inhibit learners or to encourage increased opportunity. Introversion has the greatest chance of negatively affecting SLA. Students that are
afraid of embarrassing themselves by speaking incorrectly or by not being able to speak at all may try to avoid opportunities that would otherwise aid their learning.
If teachers correct mistakes and further embarrass shy students, it may isolate students even more. Instead, repeating back the corrected statement allows
feedback without damaging students ego. The conclusion to the concept of English acquisition therefore is that
acquisition is similar to English language learning as it is also affected by factors such as motivation or learners‘ environment. From the discussion, it can also be
seen that in acquisition the process of learning the language is also considered to be communicative. This finding will highlight the assumption that language
learning or acquisition process is tend to be communicative rather than more structural.
2. Language Learning Factors
