Assumption and Limitation of the Research
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d. Children are developing conceptually and they are also at an early stage
of their schooling. e.
Children are still developing literacy in their first language. f.
Children learn more slowly and they forget things quickly. g.
Children tend to be self-oriented and they preoccupied with they own world.
h. Children easily get bored.
i. Children are excellent mimics.
j. Children can concentrate for a surprisingly long time if they are
interested. k.
Children can be easily distracted but also very enthusiastic. Young learners have not only the different learning ways but also the
characteristics which can support the teachers to teach them easily. Some experts Halliwel, 1992; and Scott and Ytberg, 1990 mention the characteristics of young
learners. According to Halliwel 1992, there are some characteristics of children. First, children are already very good in interpreting meaning without necessarily
understanding the individual word. Second, children already have great skill in using limited language creativity. Third, children frequently learn indirectly rather
than directly. Fourth, children take good pleasure in finding and creating fun in what they do. Last, children words are full of imagination and fantasy, and it is
more than simply a matter of enjoyment. Scott and Ytreberg 1990 state the general characteristics of students in
elementary school. Firstly, they are competence users of mother tongue. Secondly, they cannot tell the difference between the fact and the fiction. Thirdly, they love
to play and learn best when they enjoy themselves, but they also take themselves seriously and like to think what they are doing is really worked. Fourthly, they are
enthusiastic and positive. Fifthly, they rely on the spoken word as well as the physical world to convey and understanding meaning. Next, they are able to work
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with others and learn from others. Then, their own understanding comes through eyes, hands, and ears. Last, they have very short attention and concentration span.
Moreover, other aspects of learner’s characteristics are attitude, motivation, and aims and expectations. All of them will be described below.
a. Learners’ attitude
Pinter 2006: 36 says that learners attitude to English is important. Positive attitudes should be developed for the children because children attitudes are
malleable. For example, children who are brought up in a monolingual environment may meet new cultures and new languages through the
experience of a primary foreign language programme. For these children this experience will be of crucial importance in establishing positive attitudes
about other cultures and language learning in general. b.
Learners’ motivation According to Pinter 2006: 36, “Motivation is crucial in learning other
languages”. There are some aspects that influence the learners’ motivation such as the activities, the teacher, and the atmosphere in the class. All of the
conditions can influence the learners’ motivation in the teaching and learning process. Besides, there are main stages of motivational teaching. The first
stage is to create motivating conditions for learning. The second stage is to introduce initial motivational technique. The next stage is to maintain and
protect the learners’ motivation. The last stage is to turn evaluation and feedback into positive experience.
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c. Learners’ aims and expectations
Pinter 2006: 38 states that there are some aims and objectives of foreign language learning for primary school children. They are developing
children’s basic communication abilities in English and encouraging enjoyment and motivation. The first aim is expected to teaching children to
talk about themselves and their environments, to understand and respond to basic English instructions, and to communicate about topics of interest with a
partner. The second main aim is related to the need to make English an attractive school subject to children so as to faster their motivation and
encourage them to want to learn languages in the future.
Based on the theories, it can be concluded that young learners are children who study in the elementary school and learn English as a foreign language. The
elementary school students are the children between 7 to 12. Young learners usually love to play and learn from everything around them. Besides, every
student has different characteristics. Teachers should create kinds of activities which are appropriate to the children. They also need to give interesting activities
in order to grab the students’ attention.