Based on the discussion above, the writer implies that language laboratory is a special room with booth and computer which is designed to learn language. In
order to improve student‘s capability in listening, language laboratory has a very important role in helping learners acquiring the language. Furthermore, language
laboratory provides textual, aural, and visual for students. It is fine learning medium for learner, especially if the learners are visual type learners.
2. Models of Language Laboratory
As a tool to enhance listening skills, language laboratory allows integration of text, audio, and motion video in a range of combinations. Students can practice
listening with textual, aural, and visual media in a wide range of formats. There are main four main models of language laboratory system from the
beginning it appears: Audio Passive, Audio Active, Audio Active Comparative, and Audio Active Distributive.
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a. Audio Passive. The teacher equipped with few tape recorders and switchboard, and the students each equipped with
‗headphone‘, but not a microphone. All of the students can listen to teacher broadcast whether
individually or in groups. The students practice in essentially the same way as they do in the classroom, but there is a difference: because of the
headphone they cannot hear their classmates, and they can only hear a distorted version of their own speech utterances. Learner activity is
restricted to listening in isolation during the presentation phrase, and to non-interactive production or reproduction during the explanation phase.
b. Audio Active. In this model of language laboratory students have headphones with microphone, which mean that they can hear their own
voices undistorted. This also makes it possible for the teacher to lay back the voices of each individual student.
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The instructor console contains an
33
A. G. Sciarone, ―Language Laboratory‖, in Bernard Spolsky, Concise Encyclopedia of Educational Linguistics, Edinburgh: Cambridge University Press, 1999, p. 363.
34
Theo Van Els and Charles Van Os, Applied Linguistic and the Learning and Teaching of Foreign Langugae, London: Hodder and Soughton Inc, 1991, p. 283
—285.
integrated tape player which can be used to convert analog tape to digital format to achieve and use for quick access to lessons.
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This model of language laboratory supplements the possibilities for the recording of the
utterances of individual students with some facilities for self-correction on the part of the students, correction of the utterances produced by
individual students by the teacher. A simple Audio Active lab without booths is better for students in the early stages of learning than the fully
equipped audio-active comparative installation in terms economy. Audio active much cheaper and that it is therefore feasible to equip many more
classrooms with this bargain-basement article. c. Audio Active Comparative. In the Audio Active Comparative Systems,
the students can do all activities as those of audio system and Audio Active System. The system provides tape recorders and head-sets
headphone and microphone in each student booth. The system, therefore, allows the students to record their voice and then reply the
exercise. They can also listen to their own performance compare them with the model, erase them or record as necessary. The Audio Active
Comparative System is better instrument for remedial work for learners at the intermediate to advance levels. Remedial practice is aided if the
students can hear his response and the master track again immediately after each unit of exercise.
d. Audio Active Distributive. There is one tape recorder available for a small group of students but which in other respect has all the
characteristics of the Audio Active Comparative laboratory, there are such laboratories as the open access and dial-access laboratories. The late
model allows the students to gain access to learning program in a central storage system by dialing a number, thus allowing individual use of
language laboratory facilities to be extended. This model of language laboratory, however, is not only very expensive, but also requires a
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Michael Millilo, ―Language Laboratory System” WWW.language
laboratory.Com, Desember, 21
st
2012.
model of software which for ordinary foreign language teaching in school still hardly available.
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The technology now days inevitably has permeated in various forms of language laboratory models and systems. Many programs have been designed to
improve language teaching field.
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3. Function of Language Laboratory
