Background of the Study

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

E. Background of the Study

Language is a means we use to communicate with each other. It helps people to learn about and share the experiences of others. It is also used as a medium to apply all of the knowledge that people have gained from one moment to the next. With the aid of language, people are able to learn culture and then enter the life of the society. Without language they would only in a very limited way be able to deal with our environment. Language learning is important for human’s social development. As a language which is used by more than a half of population in the world, English holds the key as an international language. English is a tool of communication among peoples of the world to get trade, social-cultural, science, and technology goals. Moreover, English competence is important in career development. Therefore students need to understand and use English to improve their confidence to face global competition. Many factors affect the student’s English achievement. Intelligence is not the only determinant of academic achievement. The other factors such as motivation, teacher, learning style, environment, and parents’ involvement can influence the achievement. Environment is an educational component, which has big influence on instructional process and instructional product 1 . It is a place where students live and interact to each other in social life. It gives environmental input for gaining the students language –first language, second language or foreign language. As a unit of society, family is the primary social system for children, because parents are the children’s first teachers who become most influential teachers. They naturally become teachers for their children. Lester D. Crow and Alice Crow said 2 , “The child in the home is the recipient of whatever constructive or destructive influences may result from the interrelations of his home with the social order into which he or she has been born”. Many things children learn first from his parent. Children spontaneously imitate their parents’ language. In this way they acquire their first language. 1 Madyo Ekosusilo and R. B. Kasihadi, Dasar-dasar Pendidikan, Jakarta: Rineka Cipta,1992 p.51 2 Lester D. Crow and Alice Crow, Introduction to Education Fundamental Principles and Modern Practices, New York: American Book Company, 1960 p.453 After acquiring the first language, children learn second language and foreign language at home or outside. In Indonesia, Indonesian language is as second language and English is considered the first foreign language. They are taught as a timetabled subject in school. Since Indonesia is as a non-English environment, many people cannot speak English. Children can speak it outside of school only in limited way. It can limit the students’ input to gain their English skills and their competences. In TEFL Teaching English as Foreign Language parents can help teacher. Parents can advocate their children in learning a new language, can be a model for their children for mastering of the language, can join in the fun and can learn with their children to learn the language, or can show their interest in their children’s language lessons and their development. Related to English language proficiency, Sri Astuti 3 explained that it is not enough to preach to children to like their language lessons at school. Parents have to display their interest in their children’s language lessons and their development. If their children are learning a new language, parents can join in the fun and learn with him or her. Parents can also be a model for their children to be a master of a language. No one would be more ideal for this role of setting the standard for the type and sophistication level of the learned language than children’s own parents. If parents want their children to be able to speak English well, parents should speak correct English themselves because a child can be a very adept imitator of it surroundings. Parents can inspire their children sense of love and respect toward a language by showing the language plays an important part in their life or applying it in their environment. They can immerse themselves and their environment with things such as reading a book and watching a movie that use language at its best. Good books, high quality movies or TV programs, engaging and relevant conversation, bed-time stories, songs and poetry sung to both entertain and educate children are some of the things that parents can provide for their children to develop this love and respect for the role of language. More importantly, parents need to show that they are fond of these things. 4 When parents do aforementioned things, it serves more than just as an inspiration of love for language, but also as a stimulus for their children’s language development. In order for children to be proficient in any language, they have to be immersed with the language as much as possible, from as early an age as possible. It is necessary for them to be spoken to, sung to, read to, for them to be given as much interesting, meaningful and relevant input as possible. 5 3 Sri Astuti., “Language Proficiency Starts at Home,” Jakarta Post, 27 Jan. 2008. p.29, col. 1 4 Sri Astuti., “Language Proficiency Starts at Home,”….p.29, col. 1 5 Sri Astuti., “Language Proficiency Starts at Home,”…. p.29, col. 1 In addition they can support their children in learning new language by giving informal English language instruction such as English language course, private course, or other institution. Sending their children to informal English language instruction, parents have expectation that their children get English skills and competences. Attending informal institution, children can improve their language skills and can develop their ability. Many informal institutions offer various program to learn new language for their students from basic to advanced level. However, it is not enough because the children also need their parents to help their education. Parents need to be involved in their children’s education not only during early childhood, but also throughout the school years. Parents are also essential in supporting learning at home, at school, and in the community. According to Evaries Rosita’s opinion 6 , “It is important for parents to know that education takes place not only in school but also at home.” Educational responsibility is on parents. Nowadays parents have misinterpretation about education Parent’s responsibility to educate their children is mostly taken by formal and non-formal educational institution or it may be taken all. It makes parent’s control weaken and schools lessen parent’s authority on their children. Most of them thought their responsibility has been given to the school. They do not realize that education takes place at home, in school, and in the community. Moreover, Evaries Rosita wrote: Parents’ role in their children academic success cannot be underestimated. Parental help should be seen as a powerful force that can assist children in knowing and then developing their potential. Lamentably, parental involvement in the education of children seems not to be considered a top priority. This is especially true when parents are engaged in their everyday business. Being preoccupied with daily routine, parents often don’t have sufficient time to spend on regularly monitoring their children’s academic achievement. Based on the above background, the writer is eager to hold a research under the title “PARENTS’ INVOLVEMENT AND ITS INFLUENCE ON STUDENT ENGLISH ACHIEVEMENT A Correlation Study at Madrasah Tsanawiyah Negeri Tangerang II Pamulang”.

F. Limitation and Formulation of the Problem