CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW
A. Literature Review
1. The Characteristic of Children
Most children are naturally curious about their surroundings. They have an interest in exploring and investigating to see how things work and why things
happen. Children have an innate sense of wonder and awe and a natural desire for inquiry.
The nature of children wants to know and understand. In their effort to know and understand, they build their ideas about the world around them. They are
remarkable for their curiosity and their intelligence. There are many theories that relate with the characteristics of young
learners. Piaget stressed that children actively construct their own cognitive worlds; information is not just poured into their minds from the environment. He
sought to discover how children at different points in their development think about the world and how systematic changes in their thinking occur.
Harmer 2001: 37 says that children learn language faster than adults do. Further, Brewster and Ellis 2002: 27 propose some characteristics of young
learners or children. They state that young children have a lot of energy and often physically active. They also learn something more slowly and forget it more
quickly. Besides, they get bored easily towards to their activities. Therefore, the
teacher should prepare good materials which include interesting activities that can motivate them to learn.
There are also other characteristics of young learner. Brewster Ellis 2002:27 also state that most children are emotionally excitable. They have a
wide range of emotional needs. Furthermore, they tend to be self-oriented and pre- occupied with their own worlds. Therefore, they tend to have high ego.
Although there are many characteristics of young learners, the young learners are really different with the adults. Brewster Ellis 2002: 27 state that
the young children are not yet in control of their lives. They still have a great deal to learn in their own language, as well as learn another one. Furthermore, they do
not have special foreign language needs, although some may be under pressure, usually from their parents or school system, to pass English language
examinations. Teaching English for children is different with teaching adult or adolescence
which has longer concentration than them. They tend to get bored easily when teacher explains grammar. Children lose their interest quickly on difficult task
Cameron 2001: 1. He also states that children are often more enthusiastic and lively as
learners. They will have got an activity even when they do not quite understand why or how. He also states that children often seem less embarrassed than adults
at talking in a new language, and their lack of inhibition seems to help them get more native-like accent.
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