1
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
This chapter covers introductory parts about this research such as background of the study, problem limitation, problem formulation, research goals,
and the benefit of the study
.
A
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Background of the study
Exposure is one way, either naturally or given, which will affect human’s brain or mental condition to recognize, comprehend, and be more aware about the
discussion being exposed. Related to the language learning as the focus of the study, exposure becomes a significant aspect on how someone can acquire the
language. There are several experiences or studies in the past that show how substantial exposure to language is in language learning or acquisition. One of
them is about Akbar, a 16
th
century Mogul emperor of India, as told in an article in New York Times online Galliot, 2007. He desired to learn whether language
was innate or acquired through exposure to the speech of adults. He had a belief that people learn language by listening to each other and therefore a child could
not develop language alone. He then ordered a house built for two infants and stationed a mute nurse to care for them. The result was obvious. The children did
not acquire speech, which seemed to verify Akbar’s hypothesis that language is acquired and does not simply emerge spontaneously in the absence of exposure to
speech.
2 The article also tells another experience about exposure in the more recent
era. The online newspaper shows the importance of exposure in language acquisition by covering a news about Ana Gabriella Rodriguez, a 23 year-old
graduate student at the Institut dÉtudes Politiques in Paris, who had an impressive ability to effortlessly switch among five languages; English, French, Spanish,
Portuguese, and Hungarian. It is related to her parents’ job as Venezuelan diplomats since she moved frequently following them in several countries with
different languages including Caracas, Washington, Lisbon, and Budapest, in addition to Paris. This demonstrates how someone can acquire a language with the
help of exposure, in this case from the place they live. Provided with the language they are unfamiliar with yet, they are required to hear and practice the language
they have in contact every day, making them receive maximum amount of exposure. As a result, language acquisition is inevitable.
In that article, Fred Genesee, a professor of psycholinguistics at McGill University in Montreal, provides a scientific foundation for it that a child simply
needs to be exposed to a different language for at least 30 percent of his or her waking time to acquire it. He also signifies the importance of immersion in an
environment where the new language is needed for adults who are in the process of learning additional language. This suits Krashen’s theory of second language
acquisition that concludes several studies stating that more exposure to a second language results in increased proficiency 1985: 14.
The events above signify the importance of exposure in language learning or acquisition. However, the condition might differ in the classroom context as the
3 setting of this study. Since English becomes the focus in this study, it is quite
necessary to see the position of English nowadays in language learning. Hasman 2004:21 suggests that “English has been an international language for only 50
years
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If the pattern follows the previous language trends, we still have about 100 years before a new language dominates the world”. It is one reason why English is
learnt world-wide intensively even in the EFL context. Learning a foreign language in the classroom obviously has several differences in its application if
compared to the story life of Rodriguez above in acquiring the language. Firstly, there is a pattern that must be followed by the learners so that they can learn such
a language accordingly to their level of comprehension. This pattern is what is called curriculum. Secondly, a figure is needed to guide the learners in learning
the language. This figure is the one who will direct the learner in the learning process, provide them with the knowledge needed, and verify their understanding.
This important figure is the teacher. It must be noted too that EFL students learn English mostly in the
classroom. It’s also related to the role of English as the foreign language where the language is not used as a daily basis or regularly as a means of communication
by the students. Then, most students treat English as one subject at school only, meaning that they learn English with quite limited intensity and mark-oriented
instead of proficiency construction
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Moreover, their primary source of English as the input is received when they are at school, specifically from English lesson
only
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Considering the story about how Rodriguez acquired the languages above, the teacher must be aware about the role of exposure in teaching the language as
4 Nation 2003 emphasizes that it is very important that L2 use is maximized in the
classroom where learners have little opportunity to meet and use the L2 outside the classroom. These arguments then function as the essential starting point to see
the teacher’s beliefs about language exposure in teaching English in the classroom context.
Looking on the other side of such matters, the exposure of English is also strongly related to the use of first language in the classroom practice, which in fact
is still in question whether it will help learners in acquiring the knowledge about language or even become an obstacle for them to achieve the goal of language
learning
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How the use of first language is scientifically debatable is confirmed by Jadallah’s unknown year research that shows a number of studies having been
conducted, which either support or oppose the use of first language in EFL classroom, showing that each side has their own reason in the promotion or
restriction of first language based on the findings from those research
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Meanwhile, teachers, no matter if they care or not, realize this fact and it, either direct or
indirectly, affects their performance in the classroom mainly in how they use either English or first language in the classroom
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Therefore, seeing those realities above, it is quite a meaningful interest to see what teachers, who hold an essential
position in education process, have in mind about exposing English to maximize the input for the students while considering the role and part of the first language
in the classroom especially in the place where this research was conducted with its distinctive geographical and sociological characteristics
.
5 To clarify the stance of this research, several studies with related topics are
considered worth to discuss in this part
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There have been numerous research in the past related to teachers’ belief
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Borg 2003 explains how teachers’ belief has been majorly discussed in its relationship with curricular aspect of language
teaching such as grammar teaching and literacy instruction in foreign and second language context
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Apart from biological factors, exposure is clearly of crucial importance in enhancing language acquisition as well as learning
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The significance of language exposure has been discussed in previous discussions and studies in the same field
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Lubega 1979, for instance, conducted a research which took Uganda as its object of research where people there speak English as a second language
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He found that language exposure is “vital to language learning and the type and level of
language proficiency that emanates from the language learning process is almost entirely determined by language exposure”
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It shows how exposure takes a significant value even if the language has the function as a secondary language
.
It implies that even they already have people around them speaking the language,
they still need to maintain close contact to the language in their learning process
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Another study by Solcova 2011 on teaching speaking skills, also brings the indirect discussion about the importance of the way teacher interacts in the
class as the form of language exposure
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In some part, he explains that the teachers’ role in the exposure of learners to language should not be
underestimated because not only it is a clear fact that some aspects of language
6 are acquired subconsciously, teachers are a source of input for learners and even
more so in an EFL context where the language lessons might be the only opportunity for some learners to listen to English being studied
.
This kind of study tries to view that the language exposure is described to be substantial
moreover in the area where English is not a primary language spoken in the society
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Ajileye 1998 in her research sees the effect of exposure to English language activities outside the classroom in students’ writing
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It was observed that there exists a significant mutual relationship between the degree of exposure to
English language use outside the classroom and performance in written English
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She makes sure that an exploitation of opportunities for English language activities would definitely enhance proficiency in English language
.
All of those studies indicate the same conclusion that language exposure becomes one of many significant language learning aspects that can improve
learners’ proficiency in English
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This research then is made to see how teachers construct this fact as their belief which might or can affect or is reflected in their
experience and way of teaching in the classroom, especially in the place where the object of the study performs her professional line of work
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B
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Problem limitation
There is a time constraint in carrying out this research
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Therefore, I limit this study in several aspects
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It is stated in the title of this study that the teachers’
7 belief about language exposure is the focus area of the research
.
Exposure in this study refers to the total amount of contacts with the target language in the
classroom
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Thus, the teachers’ belief’s limitation covers several objects related to things connected to the input the learners acquired in the classroom whenever the
lesson is performed such as teacher talk, teaching material, and classroom interaction
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It also considers the first language the teachers would likely use and would obviously confront to the exposure of English
.
C
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Problem formulation
This research is conducted to provide the answer for the following research question: What beliefs does the teacher hold about English language
exposure?
D
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Research goals
This research is brought up with a purpose as framed previously
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The aim of this research is to identify and describe the teacher’s beliefs about language
exposure the students acquire in the classroom from several aspects covering it like materials, teacher talk, classroom interaction, and the one that influence them
as done by the use of the first language
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By having this goal, it is expected that the readers will see and understand how the teacher’s beliefs in the setting of the
study are reflected and later on can have the benefits as stated in the following sub-chapter
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8
E
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Benefit of the study
As any other research done in the area of English language teaching, this study also has its own significance in its accomplishment
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Such importance is partitioned into two kinds
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The first one is the practical benefit
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This study was done in an educational institution that had certain kind of demographical and
sociological characteristics
.
Because of that, this research hopefully could provide some insight for other educational practitioners in such institution with similar
characteristics to construct, deconstruct, or even reflect their own belief about language exposure which might affect them in their way of teaching
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This research is also beneficial for the teachers, mainly who teach in the same level of
education as the participant, to evaluate their use of English in the classroom for maximum result of their students’ output or proficiency
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The second one is scientific benefit
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This research gives advantages in providing valuable information related to the teachers’ beliefs about language
exposure which can also operate as a reference for further studies
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CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW