T1 112008028 Full text
THE ROLE OF FIRST LANGUAGE IN A BILINGUAL
PRE SCHOOL: A STUDY IN LITTLE STAR SCHOOL
THESIS
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Sarjana Pendidikan
Ardian Krisprasetyama
112008028
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
SATYA WACANA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
SALATIGA
2013
THE ROLE OF FIRST LANGUAGE IN A BILINGUAL
PRE SCHOOL: A STUDY IN LITTLE STAR SCHOOL
THESIS
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Sarjana Pendidikan
Ardian Krisprasetyama
112008028
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
SATYA WACANA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
SALATIGA
2013
i
THE ROLE OF FIRST LANGUAGE IN A BILINGUAL
PRE SCHOOL: A STUDY IN LITTLE STAR SCHOOL
THESIS
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Sarjana Pendidikan
Ardian Krisprasetyama
112008028
Approved by:
Anne I. Timotius. M.Ed
Supervisor
Anita Kurniawati H. M. Hum
Examiner
ii
COPYRIGHT STATEMENT
This thesis contains no such material as has been submitted for examination in
any course or accepted for the fulfillment of any degree or diploma in any
university. To the best of my knowledge and my belief, this contains no material
previously published or written by any other person accept where due reference is
made in the text.
Copyright@ 2013. Ardian Krisprasetyama and Anne I. Timotius. M. Ed
All right reserved. No part of this thesis may be reproduced by any means without
the permission of at least one of the copyright owners or the English Department,
Faculty of Language and Literature, Satya Wacana Christian University, Salatiga.
Ardian Krisprasetyama
iii
PUBLICATION AGREEMENT DECLARATION
As a member of the (SWCU) Satya Wacana Christian University academic
community, I verify that:
Name
: Ardian Krisprasetyama
Student ID Number
: 112008028
Study Program
: English Department
Faculty
: Faculty of Language and Literature
Kind of Work
: Undergraduate Thesis
In developing my knowledge, I agree to provide SWCU with a non-exclusive
royalty free right for my intellectual property and the contents there in entitled:
THE ROLE OF FIRST LANGUAGE IN A BILINGUAL PRE
SCHOOL: A STUDY IN LITTLE STAR SCHOOL
along with any pertinent equipment.
With this non-exclusive royalty free right, SWCU maintains the right to copy,
reproduce, print, publish, post, display, incorporate, store in or scan into a
retrieval system or database, transmit, broadcast, barter or sell my intellectual
property, in whole or in part without express written permission, as long as my
name is still included as the writer.
This declaration is made according to the best of my knowledge.
Made in : Salatiga
Date
: June 20th, 2013
Verified by signee,
Ardian Krisprasetyama
Approved by
Thesis Supervisor
Thesis Examiner
Anne I. Timotius. M. Ed
Anita Kurniawati H. M. Hum
iv
THE ROLE OF FIRST LANGUAGE IN A BILINGUAL
PRE SCHOOL: A STUDY IN LITTLE STAR SCHOOL
Ardian Krisprasetyama
112008028
ABSTRACT
This study discusses the role of first language in a bilingual preschool. This study
uses qualitative data. Collecting qualitative data based on interviews and
observations. Interviews were conducted with two teachers as sample and
observations used is classroom observations. There are five roles of first language
that would be explored more in this study related to the literature review on the
use of first language. These five roles show that roles of the first language is very
useful for the students to understand the target language. The five roles are: 1)
explaining the differences between L1 and TL, 2) giving instruction, 3) classroom
management, 4) explain new words and 5) reduce student‟s language anxiety. The
results showed that the use of the first language, Indonesian, increases
understanding of the target learning English. Indonesian has a very important role
in the bilingual schools as the language of instruction for the students to
understand the English.
Keywords: The Role First Language, Bilingual Pre School
INTRODUCTION
We hear the word „bilingual‟ in everyday life in every social context of the
education aspect in Indonesia. According to Hamers and Blanc (2000), bilingual
is defined as having or using two languages especially as a spoken language with
the fluency characteristic of a native speaker. Furthermore, the target language of
the bilingual school in Indonesia is English. Now we can see that teaching and
learning process with concept of bilingual to young learners in Indonesia has been
increasing increased year by year, especially in a formal school, such as in
elementary, kindergarten, even preschools. Based on the government regulation
1
about bilingual education, teachers must use English or we can say target
language as their teaching method to teach the students.
The learner becomes a bilingual because of language learning. Besides
they have their native language (Indonesian), they also acquire a new language in
addition to their target language (English). By having two languages, they acquire
bilingualism. From this point, language learning within bilingualism brings two
types of outcomes. The first one is called linguistic outcomes where our language
proficiency including our competence, perception, and linguistic skill is increased
through language learning. Unconsciously, during the learning process, the
learners do not only learn about the linguistic things about their target language.
They also learn about its ideas, behavioral norm, and cultural value.
The use of English in Indonesia has significantly increased recently.
Moreover, this is the reason why there are bilingual schools in Indonesia.
Bilingualism is present in just about every country of the world, in all classes of
society, and in all age groups (Grosjean, 1982; McLaughlin, 1983). Children who
are in a target language learning situation have to be sufficiently motivated to start
learning a new language (Tabors, 1997, p.81). Teaching second language to
preschool student is not easy, because the preschool students are the beginner
level of English learner. The students may still need their first language in
learning target language. The use of students‟ first language in English classroom
has been debated for many years. Proponent for monolingual approach, Khrasen
(1989) argued that the use of mother tongue should be minimized in English
classroom, so that the English learners can acquire the target language like as their
2
mother tongue. However, an opponent for monolingual approach, Auerbach
(1993) views that using first language in English as Foreign Language classroom
give positive effects especially in teaching new English vocabulary. In my
opinion, teachers can use first language in order to help Indonesian students
understand about what the teacher said in teaching and learning process.
Therefore, the teacher can mix the use of them. Although Krashen‟s (1989)
theories have come under attack and most researchers and teachers now recognize
the interface between acquisition and learning, I think it cannot be denied that
learning target language is nearly automatic when learners are exposed to
comprehensible input and participate in real communication (the way people
acquire their mother tongue). In addition, Harmer (2001) suggests that “the use of
first language keep the social atmosphere of the English classroom in a good
repair”. Dajani (2002) states “the use of first language helps the teachers and
students in discussing the English topic”, the English topic means like the
conversation with the English context. First language in teaching and learning
education can be useful in order to make the students understand more about what
the teacher said. It is necessary for the teachers to use Indonesian as their medium
in teaching the students besides using English.
Now Indonesian children may face many obstacles when they cannot
speak English fluently, because all the courses and the future need English as the
requirements for them. So, they have to master English. Maybe this is the reason
why many parents prefer their children to enter schools, which use bilingual
instruction. However, Gower (2002) states that “bilingual education remains a
3
fantasy for Indonesian schools”. Fantasy here can be defined as the target for
every school to reach the highest standard of education.
Harmer (2001) states that the use of first language can be used in
explaining things, so that it will help the lower level English learners to get
understanding in the English materials. The teachers also must know the portion
of using first language in teaching English to young learner. Moreover, the study
on the use of first language will make the English teachers acknowledge the role
of first language in the English classroom.
There are five roles of first language that would be explored more in this
study related to the literature review on the use of first language. These five roles
of first language show that roles first language is very useful for the students to
understand about the target language.
a.
Explaining the differences between L1 and TL
If students have no knowledge of target language (English), the first
language (Indonesian) can be used to introduce the major differences between
target language (English) and first language (Indonesian). Besides, Deller
(2003) suggests that it is useful for the students to realize the differences
between their first language and target language when the first language is
used between themselves and the teacher.
b.
Giving Instruction
In the first level of English language teaching, the use first language
takes an important part in giving instruction to the students. When the
students do not understand English instruction, the teacher can use the
4
students‟ first language to give the instruction. Exploring the role of first
language in English language teaching classroom, Cook (2001) as cited by
Zacharias (2002) argued that the use of first language is useful to explain task
to the students, give instruction about activities, and individual comments to
the students including dealing with error.
In the Indonesian context, the use of Indonesian in English language
classroom also takes part as a medium to explain task or give instruction.
Based on Manara (2007) research conducted on the support of using first
language in English language teaching in Indonesian context, the use of first
language in English classroom is based on the nature and goal of the course,
the students‟ level of English proficiency, the goal of the task, and the
immediacy of response.
c.
Classroom Management
The use of first language also takes important part in managing the
classroom. As Richard (1990) states, classroom management refers to the
ways in which student behavior, movement and interaction during a lesson
are organized and controlled by the teacher. Related to the role of first
language in teaching English to young learner, Al-Hinai (2005) conducted a
study in his English language classroom in an Oman (Arabic) in the
elementary English language classroom. His results indicate that Arabic is
was also widely used for class management and control, and Arabic also
more effective for dealing with discipline problems than English.
5
d.
Explain New Words
In teaching English to young learners, the role of first language gives
benefit to explain new words or vocabularies. According to Zacharias (2002),
mother tongue can provide a quick and accurate translation and explanation
of English words. If it is explained in target language, there would be no
guarantee whether the students can grasp the explanation correctly or not.
Indeed, the use of first language in English classroom involves saving class
time. Instead of going through long explanations in the target language, it
would sometimes be easier and more efficient to give a translation of a
vocabulary item or new words for the young learners.
e.
Reduce Students‟ Language Anxiety
Meyer (2008) views the use of first language can reduce the students‟
language anxiety. Language anxiety can be divided into three components,
those are (1) communication apprehension, it can be reduced by giving a
chance to the students to adequately express their thought and ideas, (2) fear
of negative social evaluation can be reduced, because students can
communicate directly in their first language to make a positive social
impression, and (3) test anxiety can be reduced if the teachers give instruction
in the first language during the evaluation. Besides, the use of first language
can increase comprehension of classroom interaction, decrease anxiety, and
increase motivation at beginner or low levels.
In Indonesia, there are pros and cons about the use of mother tongue when
the students learn English. Some expert feel that the use of mother tongue should
6
be minimized in English classroom in order to make the students can acquire
target language. On the other hand, some expert believes that the use of mother
tongue can help the students acquire English.
Based on my own experience when I taught English to the third grade of
elementary school students for two months, I had to be patient and used different
ways in explaining the English materials, such as using Indonesian in teaching
English. To teach I also used Indonesian when my students did not understand my
English instruction to make them understand the material easier. Regarding to my
experience, the use of first language was important in order to give clear
instruction for the students in English classroom such as, explaining concepts,
explaining some new vocabularies, and managing the classroom.
The study discussed about the role of first language in bilingual preschool
in Little Star. We also need to remember that not all the students can comprehend
and know about target language at all when they first enter the school. So the
teacher has to use the target language step by step and of course, teacher need, to
mix appropriately between the use of target language and first language.
The reason I conducted this study is to assess the role of first language in
teaching English to young learners in Little Star. Research has shown that the use
of first language by the teachers increase both comprehension and learning of
target language. The reason I chose preschool as my object was because some
children in Indonesia start learning English at this time. In addition, this is the
right place for children to begin to learn the about target language and also
preschool‟s teachers using use English to teach their students.
7
The study about the role of first language to young learner in bilingual
school was very the useful in order that the students can understand more about all
activities in and outside class spoken. Deller (2003) states that, the use of first
language has a positive effect on group dynamics, and allow the students to give
feedback about the English materials and their experiences of learning more
fluently than they only use English. But, we must take the important thing that,
teachers need to show respect for the learners‟ first language and need to avoid
doing things that make the first language seem inferior to English (Nation, 2003).
Therefore, it means that the teachers should be balanced in the using the
first language, but the teacher should use the first language and target language in
balance. Tang (2002) as cited by Morahan (2005) points out that first language
serves a supportive and facilitating role in the classroom, but not the primary
language of communication. Related to my learning target language history, my
English teachers in Junior and Senior High school used Indonesian when they
explained the complex concept of English, while they still used English in
balanced portion to Indonesian.
Based on the discussion above, this study is aimed to find out the role of
first language in a bilingual preschool in Little Star. The research question of this
study was that the role of the first language in a bilingual preschool in Little Star.
This study hopefully would provide information about the role of first language in
bilingual preschool.
8
THE STUDY
Context of the study
The setting of the study was a school named Little Star. Little Star is the
school which uses English as their daily conversation in their school. It is located
in a small town of Salatiga, Central Java, Indonesia. The location is at Jl. Merdeka
Utara A2 Soka Lembah Hijau. The reason I chose Little Star because it is a
bilingual school. I chose Little Star as the target subjects because in the teaching
and learning process, the students have to use English.
Participant
The participants were two people, they were two teachers who taugh
preschool in this school. The reason why I chose two teachers was to compare
between their way of teaching in Little Star using random sampling.
Instrument of data collection
In attempting to answer my research questions, the data was collected
through interviews and observation. The instruments of data collection that I used
were observation and interview. The purpose of the observation was to provide a
rich and complete data about description of what were happening in the classroom
in order to know the role of first language in a bilingual preschool. In one day, I
observed one teacher and two times for each teacher, so I conducted the
observation for 4 days. The first observation had been done on March 1st until 5th,
2013. Then, the second observation had been done on March 11th until 14th 2013.
Every observation had been done from 08.00 a.m. until 10.00 p.m. Since the
school prohibits video recording, so I only took pictures.
9
After that, based on the data from observation, I conducted interview to
explore more about the role of first language in a bilingual preschool. I did the
interview one by one after the last day of observation, so the interview had been
done for times in two days. For the interview, I have provided six main questions
such as what is your perception about the role Indonesian in bilingual preschool,
what are your difficulties in explaining the differences between Indonesian and
English, how to make student understand and execute your command, what
Indonesian can to help in the case of management classroom, how to make student
know and understand with new term or word in English, are there seen student to
worry in class, The length of each interview was around 15-20 minutes. In order
to analyze the data easily, I collected the interview data by using tape recorder.
Procedures of data collection
The study used of qualitative data. The qualitative data was taken from the
interview and observation. I used classroom observation because I wanted to
know what exactly happened in the classroom, especially for knowing when the
role of Indonesian used in. Then, I was planning to do two classroom observations
in the same class to get the fix data related to my topic. After I got the data of the
classroom observation, I am planning to transcribe and analyze the data.
Data Analysis Procedures
After I got all the data by interview and classroom observation, I
transcribed and analyzed the data. First I transcribed the interview result, after that
I transcribed the observation result. After that I analyzed the data based on my
interpretation and the literature review related to the use of first language in
10
bilingual classroom. At the end, I drew a conclusion based on the study I had
done.
DISCUSSION
The qualitative data was taken from the observation and the interview.
Based on the interview result, the teacher still use mother tongue, that is
Indonesian. In this stage, children gathered from different mother tongue‟s
background, to make it easier to learn target language, they use Indonesian as the
mother tongue. The role of first language in a bilingual preschool as the medium
of instruction. Below were the interview results with teachers and the class
observation. they were shown in the following excerpt:
“In preschool bilingual school, Indonesian has a big role as the medium of
instruction to learn English. ” ( Teacher 1)
The role of the mother tongue is to allow students to say what they really
want to say sometimes (surely a valuable „humanistic‟ element in the classroom).
Clearly once it is established what the learners want to say, the teacher can then
encourage them to find a way of expressing their meaning in English or, if
necessary, help out. It was supported by Harmer (2001) as states that the use of
first language can be used in explaining things, so that it will help the lower level
English learners to get understanding in the English materials. The teachers also
must know the portion of using first language in teaching English to young
learner. Moreover, the study on the use of first language will make the English
teachers acknowledge the role of first language in the English classroom. Based
11
on data collected, I found five roles of first language in a bilingual preschool in
Little Star. Those roles are explained below:
A. Explaining the differences between L1 and TL
The first language (Indonesian) can be used to introduce the major
differences between target language (English) and first language (Indonesian),
if students have no knowledge of target language. The material which is being
presented by the teachers in Little Stars to the preschool students was simple
material which can be found in the nature or things or pictures around them so
that student can explain the different meaning of words or, phrases or sentences
between Indonesian and English. It was stated in the interview result below:
“We use Indonesian to describe a difference between first language and
target language so that students are not confused about the concept of
subject matter “. (Teacher 2).
Material which is conducted to them is in Indonesian. And the teacher
used the picture of triangle to teach them. In English we say a triangle means
“sebuah” segitiga but sometimes we don‟t use the article “sebuah” in
Indonesian “karena memiliki tiga sisi” in Indonesian, in English we can not say
“because has three sides” but “because it (a triangle) has three sides”. The
observation result was shown in the following excerpt:
Lesson
: Triangle.
Alat peraga : Gambar Segitiga.
Teacher: “Look, I have a triangle.”
“A Triangle adalah segitiga.”
12
Students: “Kenapa disebut segitiga / triangle?”
Teacher: “Karena memiliki tiga sisi.”
“Because a triangle has three sides.”
“Juga memiliki tiga sudut.”
“It (a triangle) also has three angles.” (Teacher 1)
Indonesian serves to clarify the difference between Indonesian and
English. Teachers will be more easily explained and students will be more
receptive to the teacher's explanation. That as stated by Deller (2003) that first
language useful for the students to realize the differences between their first
language and target language when the first language is used between
themselves and the teacher.
B. Giving Instruction
In Litte Star, the instruction was conducted by English, the role of first
language is to translate the instruction. The instruction was conducted by
English; the role of first language is to translate the instruction. Although it is
true that explaining an activity in the target language is genuine
communication, at very low levels this advantage must be weighed against the
fact that for instance many communicative interaction activities for early level
students, while very useful in themselves, can be rather complicated to set up.
It was stated in the interview result below:
“Although we have taught them about words and sentences, they still
do not understand when we ask them to do something. Therefore, we
13
use Indonesian to make them understand and execute our instructions”.
(Teacher 2).
In some cases, a satisfactory compromise is perhaps to give the
instructions in the target language and to ask for their repetition in the students‟
language in order to ensure that everyone fully understands what to do. The
teacher asks the students to follow what her commanded to makes a triangle
with hand gestures. The observation result was shown in the following excerpt:
When the teacher ask the students to make a triangle in the air she said:
“Let’s make a triangle in the air!”
“Kita mau membuat segitiga di udara.”
“Show me your finger.”
“Mana jari telunjuknya.”
“Look at me.” (Teacher shows how to make triangle in the air.)
“Now your turn.”
“Sekarang giliran kalian buat segitiga di udara.” (Teacher 2)
Besides conducting material by explaining, another role of first
language to make students understood the material which is being conducted.
Exploring the role of first language in English language teaching classroom,
Cook (2001) as cited by Zacharias (2002) argued that the use of first language
is useful to explain task to the students, give instruction about activities, and
individual comments to the students including dealing with error. In the
Indonesian context, the use of Indonesian in English language classroom also
takes part as a medium to explain task or give instruction.
14
C. Classroom Management
Little Star used Indonesian for classroom management in a planned and
consistent way. It can afford a good opportunity for the students to learn
through meaning focused input. One way to give students a great deal of
comprehensible input is through classroom management. While the first few
classes (for novice students) may be conducted using the students‟ mother
tongue for administration, the students should be gradually weaned off of the
mother tongue. It was stated in the interview result below:
“Natural activities of students were exploring to fulfill their curiosity
about things around them. It is very difficult gathered them using
English, so to make them gave attention to the teacher, we must use
Indonesian to manage the classroom”. (Teacher 1).
To make a desirable start, an effort should be made to make the use of
various standard phrases, such as “repeat after me” (allowing for translation in
the first few classes). The teacher wants students to join hands and explain the
function of the hand to create intimacy in the classroom. The observation result
was shown in the following excerpt:
“Kita mau pergi ke taman, sekarang semuanya bergandengan tangan
berpasangan”. (Teacher 1)
When we warn them, the advice had more variation so they understood
what is being told.
(A student hit his friend)
“Kenapa kamu memukul temanmu?”
15
“Temanmu jadi menangis.”
“Tuhan menciptakan tangan kita tidak untuk memukul, tapi untuk
memberi, bergandengan tangan, juga untuk bersalaman.”
“Kalau yang buat memukul itu bukan tangan, tapi alatnya pak tukang,
palu namanya ”. (Teacher 2).
Usually preschool students prefer listening the advice which was
conducted by a story, of course, the way the teacher told them used Indonesian
to make it easier to be understood. As Richard (1990) states, classroom
management refers to the ways in which student behavior, movement and
interaction during a lesson organized and controlled by the teacher, related to
the role of first language in teaching English to young learner.
D. Explain New Words
Although Little Star was a bilingual school, the teacher still maintains
her student‟s language so they did not loose their mother tongue. In this stage,
the portion of using target language a little bit added. It was stated in the
interview result below:
“To increase the English proficiency of students, Indonesian holds a
very important role, that is to explain new words or terms so that
students understand, and the most importent thing is they do not
misunderstand about anything”. (Teacher 2).
In the classroom to emphasize the mastery of new vocabulary is very
important because students will be more confident to have a lot of vocabulary.
The teacher explained that the triangle has three sides and three angles. It is a
16
new word to add to their vocabulary. The observation result was shown in the
following excerpt:
Teacher: “Triangle has three sides.”
“Segitiga punya tiga sisi.”
Student: “Why only three sides”
Teacher: “Because they are connected with three dots, and we can call
it angle.
“Karena mereka disatukan masing-masing dalam tiga titik
yang kita sebut sudut.”
Student: “So, triangle has three sides and three angles.”
Teacher: “Iya... Segitiga memiliki tiga sisi dan tiga sudut.” (Teacher
1).
The role of Indonesian in bilingual preschool to explain new words, that
as Zacharias (2002) states mother tongue can provide a quick and accurate
translation and explanation of English words. If it is explained in target
language, there would be no guarantee whether the students can grasp the
explanation correctly or not.
E. Reduce Students’ Language Anxiety
In Little Star the teachers used Indonesian in learning process for the
students with low level of English proficiency in order that anxiety of the
students can be reduced. Although the best way to teach English is by giving
much exposure of English, in early age, young learners were still on the
17
process of acquiring their first language, so they were low level of English
proficiency. It was stated in the interview result below:
“Sometimes we get difficulties to teach aged three to four years old
students because the students sometimes did not understand the
meaning of the sentences in English at all. That is why we should
translate it into Indonesian to make them understand and do not worry
and fear them in the classroom”. (Teacher 1).
From the observation result seem that students of Little Star were active
and enjoy participating in the learning process. This case shows that by using
Indonesian makes student quiet and comfortable in following the lessons and
do not worry because the ability of students in English is not good.
The teachers in Little Star used translation method to reduce the
learners about language anxiety as stated by Meyer (2008) “the role of first
language can reduce the students‟ language anxiety.”
CONCLUSION
This study was conducted to know what the role of first language in
bilingual preschool. Based on research results as a whole can be drawn conclusion
that in Little Star inside the process of the learning in classroom using the two
languages, Indonesian and English. In the bilingual schools the role of Indonesian
is very important as language of instruction which helps the students to
understand the target language. Indonesian as a mother tongue helps students to
18
accept and understand the lesson easily so learning outcomes of student to be
optimal.
The role of first language in a bilingual preschool in Little star such as
explaining the differences between language first and target language, giving
instruction, classroom management, explaining new words and reducing student‟s
language anxiety. In class the students are easy to forget words, phrases or
sentences in English. Although the teachers had taught them about the words and
sentences. The students still did not understand when the teachers asked them to
speak in English, therefore, the teachers had to to translate the command into
Indonesian to make the students understand and eager to speak in English.
Hopefully, the findings from the study will be useful for preschool
teachers to use Indonesian so that students understand about submitted by
teachers. Besides, the findings are expected to give benefits for parents to guide
their children to master the target language without leaving mother tongue.
Finally, I would like to admit that this study has a limitation that is
concerned on the context of the study. The context of the study was limited only
at Little Star Preschool so the findings could not be generalized to any other
preschools. Not all preschools have same roles as Little Star Preschool such us
explaining the differences between first language and target language, giving
instruction, classroom management, explain new words and reduce students‟
language anxiety. Therefore, based on the limitation, I would like to suggest for
the further study, researchers could enlarge the context of the study in other pre
schools.
19
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This thesis would not have been possible without Jesus Christ‟s blesses and the
support of many people. I wish to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Mrs.
Anne I. Timotius , M.Ed and my examiner Anita Kurniawati, M.Hum for the great
feedback and for my thesis improvement. Deepest gratitude is also due to the
teachers of Little Star School who had given me permission to hold the interview
and the observation. My big gratitude also goes to my beloved parents, (alm)
Andreas Sunandar and Kharis Purwaningsih, for their valuable advice, pray,
understanding and endless love, through the duration of my study. Thank you to
my brother and sister Alwin and Joana to the spirit they give for me. And the last,
but not the least, many thanks to my beloved Maria Ratih for her care, love and
big support.
20
REFERENCES
Al-Hinai, M.K. (2005). The Use of the L1 in the Elementary English Language
Classroom. Retrieved October 9,2011 from http://www.moe.gov.om/
Auerbach. (1993). Re-examining English only in the ESL Classroom, TESOL
Quarterly, 27(1), 9-32.
Bialystok, E., Hakuta, K. (1994). In other words. New York: Basic Books.
Cole, S. (1998). The Use of L1 in Communicative English Classroom. The
Language
Teacher.
Retrieved
on
October
9,
2011
from
http://jaltpublications.org/oldtlt/files/98/dec/cole.html/
Dajani, S. (2002). Teaching English to Very Young Learners. English Adventure .
Retrieved
February
15,
2012
from
http://www.oomoto.or.jp/English/enNews/endajani.html
Deller, H. B. (2003). Worldwide Survey of Primary ELT. England: British Council
UK.
Gower, S. M. (2002, January 7). Bilingual education remains a fantasy for
Indonesian schools. Retrieved February 16, 2012, from The Jakarta Post:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2002/07/01/bilingual-educationremains-a-fantasy-indonesian-schools.html
Grosjean, F . (1982). Life with Two Languages. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press.
Gubrium, J. F., & Holstein, J. A. (Eds.). (2003). Handbook of interview research:
Context & method. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
21
Hamers, J. F., & Blanc. M. H. A. (2000). Bilinguality and Bilingualism (2nd ed.).
United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
Harmer, J. (2001).
The Practice of English Language Teaching . England:
Pearson Education Limited.
Khrasen. (1981). Language Two. New York: Oxford University Press.
Manara, C. (2007). The Use of L1 Support: Teachers‟ and Students‟ Opinions and
Practices in an Indonesian Context.The Journal of Asia TEFL.4(1),145178.
Meyer, H. (2008). The Pedagogical Implication of L1 Use in the L2 Classroom.
Retrieved on September 20,2011 from http://www.kyoai.ac.jp/
Morahan, M. (2005). The Use of Students’ First Language (L1) in the Second
Language (L2) Classroom. Retrieved on September 20,2011 from
http://www.teflbootcamp.com/
Nation, P. (2003). The Role of The First Language in Foreign Language Learning.
The Asian EFL Journal. 5(2). Retrieved on September 12,2011 from
http://www.asian-efl-journal.com/june_2003_PN.html
Shin, J.K. (2007). Teaching English to Young Learners. English Language
Center. Retrieved on October 7,2011 from http://www.nstru.ac.th/
Tabors, P. (1997). One Child, Two Languages. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
(ERIC Document No. ED405987)
Tang, J. (2002). Using L1 in the English classroom. English Teaching Forum. 40
(1), 36-43.
22
Quinn, G. (2001). Bahasa Indonesia: The Indonesian Language. The Learner's
Dictionary of Today's Indonesian . Retrieved on October 9,2011 from
http://www.hawaii.edu/indolang/malay.html/
Yuliana, Y. (2003). Teaching English to Young Learners through Songs. A
Biannual Publication on the study of Language and Literature . Retrieved
on October 9,2011 from http://www.doaj.org/
Zacharias, N.T. (2002). ”Come on In,Mother Tongue”: Evaluating the Role of
Mother Tongue in English Language Teaching in Indonesia. The English
Teacher: An International Journal. 5(4). Retrived on September 14, 2011
from https://sites.google.com/site/hennysblackboard/
23
APPENDIXES
APPENDIXES 1
Result of Interview With Teachers in Little Star Preschool
Date : February, 28th 2013
Menurut pendapat Bapak/Ibu apa peran Bahasa Indonesia dalam pra sekolah
bilingual?
Guru 1
: “Dalam sekolah bilingual pra sekolah, Bahasa Indonesia
memegang peranan yang sangat penting yaitu sebagai bahasa
pengantar dalam belajar Bahasa Inggris”.
Guru 2
: “Peran Bahasa Indonesia dalam sekolah bilingual seperti di Little
Star ini yaitu sebagai bahasa pengantar. Dengan Bahasa Indonesia
maka
siswa
akan
semakin
mudah
memahami
dan
mengaplikasikan Bahasa Inggris dalam pembelajaran maupun
dalam komunikasi sehari-hari.
Apa kesulitan Bapak/Ibu dalam menjelaskan perbedaan Bahasa Indonesia dan
Bahasa Inggris?
Guru 1
: “Memberi penjelasan terhadap siswa pra sekolah bukanlah suatu
hal yang mudah. Namun hal ini tidak menjadi hambatan buat
kami. Kami dapat menjelaskan perbedaan Bahasa Indonesia
dengan Bahasa Inggris. Disinilah peran Bahasa Indonesia sebagai
bahasa ibu terlihat nyata. Dengan adanya Bahasa Indonesia
24
mempermudah kami dalam memberi penjelasan sehingga siswa
menjadi lebih mengerti dan paham.
Guru 2
: “Kami menggunakan Bahasa Indonesia untuk menjelaskan
perbedaan bahasa pertama dan bahasa target sehingga siswa tidak
bingung terhadap konsep materi pelajaran”.
Bagaimana membuat siswa mengerti dan melaksanakan apa yang Bapak/Ibu
inginkan?
Guru 1
: “Terkadang siswa tidak bisa menangkap dengan baik apa yang
kami inginkan. Perintah dalam Bahasa Inggris membuat mereka
bingung sehingga kami menggunakan Bahasa Indonesia dalam
pemberian tugas dengan harapan mereka dapat mengerjakannya
sesuai apa yang kami maksudkan”.
Guru 2
: “Meskipun kami banyak mengajarkan kata dan kalimat, mereka
terkadang tidak mengerti ketika kami menyuruh mereka
melakukan sesuatu. Oleh karena itu kamu menggunakan Bahasa
Indonesia untuk membuat mereka mengerti dan melaksanakan
apa yang kami inginkan”.
Apa Bahasa Indonesia membantu Bapak/Ibu dalam hal penguasaan kelas?
Guru 1
:
“Iya penggunaan Bahasa Indonesia sangat membantu kami dalam
penguasaan kelas. Aktivitas alami dari siswa-siswa adalah
mengekploresi untuk memenuhi keingintahuan mereka tentang
25
hal-hal
di
sekitar
mereka.
Hal
ini
sangat
sulit
untuk
mengumpulkan mereka dengan menggunakan bahasa Inggris dan
untuk membuat mereka memperhatikan guru sehingga kami
menggunakan Bahasa Indonesia untuk penguasaan kelas”.
Guru 2
: “Seorang guru bisa dikatakan berhasil mempunyai penguasaan
kelas yang bagus. Terkadang siswa di dalam kelas sangat sulit
untuk diatur dan bahkan cenderung berbuat sesuatu yang bisa
mengganggu
konsentrasi
belajar.
Dengan
adanya
Bahasa
Indonesia kami merasa sangat terbantu dalam penanganan siswa
di dalam kelas”.
Bagaimana membuat siswa untuk bisa tahu dan mengerti dengan istilah atau katakata baru dalam Bahasa Inggris?
Guru 1
: “Peran Bahasa Indonesia sebagai bahasa ibu yang tidak kalah
penting yaitu membantu kami menjelaskan kata atau istilah baru.
Kata atau istilah baru ini sukar untuk diterima siswa mengingat
usia mereka masih dini. Setelah kami menjelaskan dengan
menggunakan Bahasa Indonesia mereka bisa lebih menerimanya
dari pada kami menjelaskannya dengan menggunakan Bahasa
Inggris”.
Guru 2
: “Untuk meningkatkan kemahiran berbahasa Inggris siswa, bahasa
Indonesia memegang peranan yang sangat penting yaitu
menjelaskan kata-kata atau istilah baru dan hal ini merupakan
26
suatu hal yang sangat penting agar mereka tidak salah
mengartikan sesuatu”.
Apakah terdapat siswa yang terlihat takut dan cemas dalam pembelajaran di kelas
Guru 1
: “Memang ada beberapa siswa kami yang terlihat gelisah dalam
proses pembelajaran di kelas. Namun hal ini masih dalam taraf
kewajaran. Terkadang kami mendapat kesulitan mengajar siswa
usia tiga sampai empat tahun karena mereka belum mengerti arti
kalimat Bahasa Inggris secara keseluruhan. Itu sebabnya kami
menterjemahkannya ke dalam bahasa Indonesia sehingga mereka
mengerti dan tidak takut dan khawatir di dalam kelas”.
Guru 2
: “Ada namun hal ini dapat kami atasi. Siswa pra sekolah
mempunyai tingkat kekhawatiran yang tinggi apabila tidak bisa
mengerjakan sesuatu. Seperti hal nya Bahasa Inggris, apabila
siswa tidak mengerti akan menjadikannya sebagai suatu hal yang
menakutkan dan mereka akan cenderung cemas. Dengan adanya
Bahasa Indonesia, kecemasan siswa akan menjadi berkurang dan
mereka bisa menikmati pembelajaran Bahasa Inggris di kelas
dengan nyaman”.
27
APPENDIXES 3
Result of Class Observations in Little Star Preschool
Date
:
Topic :
1
March, 1st 2013
Triangle
The Role of First
Language according to
Harmer (2001)
Explaining
the
differences between L1
and TL
Is it
used or
not?
V
2
Giving Instruction
V
3.
Classroom Management
V
28
Example
“Look, I have a triangle.”
“Triangle adalah segitiga.”
“Kenapa disebut segitiga/triangle?”
“Karena memiliki tiga sisi.”
“Triangle has three sides.”
“Juga memiliki tiga sudut.”
“Triangle has three angles.”
(Teacher 1)
“Let’s make a triangle in the air!”
“Kita mau membuat segitiga di
udara.”
“Show me your finger.”
“Mana jari telunjuknya.”
“Look at me.” (Teacher shows how
to make triangle in the air.)
“Now your turn.”
“Sekarang giliran kalian buat
segitiga di udara.” (Teacher 2)
“Kita mau pergi ke taman, sekarang
semuanya bergandengan tangan
berpasangan”. (Teacher 1)
When we warn them, the advice had
more variation so they understood
what is being told.
(A student hit his friend)
“Kenapa
kamu
memukul
temanmu?”
“Temanmu jadi menangis.”
“Tuhan menciptakan tangan kita
tidak untuk memukul, tapi buat
memberi, bergandengan tangan,
juga salaman.”
“Kalau yang buat memukul itu
3
Explain New Words
V
5
Reduce
Students‟
Language Anxiety
V
bukan tangan, tapi alatnya pak
tukang, palu namanya.” (Teacher
2).
“Triangle has three sides.”
“Segitiga punya tiga sisi.”
“They are connected with three dots,
and we can call it angle.
“Mereka disatukan masing-masing
dalam tiga titik yang kita sebut
sudut.”
“So, triangle has three sides and
three angles.”
“Jadi segitiga memiliki tiga sisi dan
tiga sudut.” (Teacher 1).
Seem that students of Little Star were
active and enjoy participating in the
learning process. This case shows
that by using Indonesian makes
student quiet and comfortable in
following the lessons and do not
worry because the ability of students
in English is not good.
29
PRE SCHOOL: A STUDY IN LITTLE STAR SCHOOL
THESIS
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Sarjana Pendidikan
Ardian Krisprasetyama
112008028
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
SATYA WACANA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
SALATIGA
2013
THE ROLE OF FIRST LANGUAGE IN A BILINGUAL
PRE SCHOOL: A STUDY IN LITTLE STAR SCHOOL
THESIS
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Sarjana Pendidikan
Ardian Krisprasetyama
112008028
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
SATYA WACANA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
SALATIGA
2013
i
THE ROLE OF FIRST LANGUAGE IN A BILINGUAL
PRE SCHOOL: A STUDY IN LITTLE STAR SCHOOL
THESIS
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Sarjana Pendidikan
Ardian Krisprasetyama
112008028
Approved by:
Anne I. Timotius. M.Ed
Supervisor
Anita Kurniawati H. M. Hum
Examiner
ii
COPYRIGHT STATEMENT
This thesis contains no such material as has been submitted for examination in
any course or accepted for the fulfillment of any degree or diploma in any
university. To the best of my knowledge and my belief, this contains no material
previously published or written by any other person accept where due reference is
made in the text.
Copyright@ 2013. Ardian Krisprasetyama and Anne I. Timotius. M. Ed
All right reserved. No part of this thesis may be reproduced by any means without
the permission of at least one of the copyright owners or the English Department,
Faculty of Language and Literature, Satya Wacana Christian University, Salatiga.
Ardian Krisprasetyama
iii
PUBLICATION AGREEMENT DECLARATION
As a member of the (SWCU) Satya Wacana Christian University academic
community, I verify that:
Name
: Ardian Krisprasetyama
Student ID Number
: 112008028
Study Program
: English Department
Faculty
: Faculty of Language and Literature
Kind of Work
: Undergraduate Thesis
In developing my knowledge, I agree to provide SWCU with a non-exclusive
royalty free right for my intellectual property and the contents there in entitled:
THE ROLE OF FIRST LANGUAGE IN A BILINGUAL PRE
SCHOOL: A STUDY IN LITTLE STAR SCHOOL
along with any pertinent equipment.
With this non-exclusive royalty free right, SWCU maintains the right to copy,
reproduce, print, publish, post, display, incorporate, store in or scan into a
retrieval system or database, transmit, broadcast, barter or sell my intellectual
property, in whole or in part without express written permission, as long as my
name is still included as the writer.
This declaration is made according to the best of my knowledge.
Made in : Salatiga
Date
: June 20th, 2013
Verified by signee,
Ardian Krisprasetyama
Approved by
Thesis Supervisor
Thesis Examiner
Anne I. Timotius. M. Ed
Anita Kurniawati H. M. Hum
iv
THE ROLE OF FIRST LANGUAGE IN A BILINGUAL
PRE SCHOOL: A STUDY IN LITTLE STAR SCHOOL
Ardian Krisprasetyama
112008028
ABSTRACT
This study discusses the role of first language in a bilingual preschool. This study
uses qualitative data. Collecting qualitative data based on interviews and
observations. Interviews were conducted with two teachers as sample and
observations used is classroom observations. There are five roles of first language
that would be explored more in this study related to the literature review on the
use of first language. These five roles show that roles of the first language is very
useful for the students to understand the target language. The five roles are: 1)
explaining the differences between L1 and TL, 2) giving instruction, 3) classroom
management, 4) explain new words and 5) reduce student‟s language anxiety. The
results showed that the use of the first language, Indonesian, increases
understanding of the target learning English. Indonesian has a very important role
in the bilingual schools as the language of instruction for the students to
understand the English.
Keywords: The Role First Language, Bilingual Pre School
INTRODUCTION
We hear the word „bilingual‟ in everyday life in every social context of the
education aspect in Indonesia. According to Hamers and Blanc (2000), bilingual
is defined as having or using two languages especially as a spoken language with
the fluency characteristic of a native speaker. Furthermore, the target language of
the bilingual school in Indonesia is English. Now we can see that teaching and
learning process with concept of bilingual to young learners in Indonesia has been
increasing increased year by year, especially in a formal school, such as in
elementary, kindergarten, even preschools. Based on the government regulation
1
about bilingual education, teachers must use English or we can say target
language as their teaching method to teach the students.
The learner becomes a bilingual because of language learning. Besides
they have their native language (Indonesian), they also acquire a new language in
addition to their target language (English). By having two languages, they acquire
bilingualism. From this point, language learning within bilingualism brings two
types of outcomes. The first one is called linguistic outcomes where our language
proficiency including our competence, perception, and linguistic skill is increased
through language learning. Unconsciously, during the learning process, the
learners do not only learn about the linguistic things about their target language.
They also learn about its ideas, behavioral norm, and cultural value.
The use of English in Indonesia has significantly increased recently.
Moreover, this is the reason why there are bilingual schools in Indonesia.
Bilingualism is present in just about every country of the world, in all classes of
society, and in all age groups (Grosjean, 1982; McLaughlin, 1983). Children who
are in a target language learning situation have to be sufficiently motivated to start
learning a new language (Tabors, 1997, p.81). Teaching second language to
preschool student is not easy, because the preschool students are the beginner
level of English learner. The students may still need their first language in
learning target language. The use of students‟ first language in English classroom
has been debated for many years. Proponent for monolingual approach, Khrasen
(1989) argued that the use of mother tongue should be minimized in English
classroom, so that the English learners can acquire the target language like as their
2
mother tongue. However, an opponent for monolingual approach, Auerbach
(1993) views that using first language in English as Foreign Language classroom
give positive effects especially in teaching new English vocabulary. In my
opinion, teachers can use first language in order to help Indonesian students
understand about what the teacher said in teaching and learning process.
Therefore, the teacher can mix the use of them. Although Krashen‟s (1989)
theories have come under attack and most researchers and teachers now recognize
the interface between acquisition and learning, I think it cannot be denied that
learning target language is nearly automatic when learners are exposed to
comprehensible input and participate in real communication (the way people
acquire their mother tongue). In addition, Harmer (2001) suggests that “the use of
first language keep the social atmosphere of the English classroom in a good
repair”. Dajani (2002) states “the use of first language helps the teachers and
students in discussing the English topic”, the English topic means like the
conversation with the English context. First language in teaching and learning
education can be useful in order to make the students understand more about what
the teacher said. It is necessary for the teachers to use Indonesian as their medium
in teaching the students besides using English.
Now Indonesian children may face many obstacles when they cannot
speak English fluently, because all the courses and the future need English as the
requirements for them. So, they have to master English. Maybe this is the reason
why many parents prefer their children to enter schools, which use bilingual
instruction. However, Gower (2002) states that “bilingual education remains a
3
fantasy for Indonesian schools”. Fantasy here can be defined as the target for
every school to reach the highest standard of education.
Harmer (2001) states that the use of first language can be used in
explaining things, so that it will help the lower level English learners to get
understanding in the English materials. The teachers also must know the portion
of using first language in teaching English to young learner. Moreover, the study
on the use of first language will make the English teachers acknowledge the role
of first language in the English classroom.
There are five roles of first language that would be explored more in this
study related to the literature review on the use of first language. These five roles
of first language show that roles first language is very useful for the students to
understand about the target language.
a.
Explaining the differences between L1 and TL
If students have no knowledge of target language (English), the first
language (Indonesian) can be used to introduce the major differences between
target language (English) and first language (Indonesian). Besides, Deller
(2003) suggests that it is useful for the students to realize the differences
between their first language and target language when the first language is
used between themselves and the teacher.
b.
Giving Instruction
In the first level of English language teaching, the use first language
takes an important part in giving instruction to the students. When the
students do not understand English instruction, the teacher can use the
4
students‟ first language to give the instruction. Exploring the role of first
language in English language teaching classroom, Cook (2001) as cited by
Zacharias (2002) argued that the use of first language is useful to explain task
to the students, give instruction about activities, and individual comments to
the students including dealing with error.
In the Indonesian context, the use of Indonesian in English language
classroom also takes part as a medium to explain task or give instruction.
Based on Manara (2007) research conducted on the support of using first
language in English language teaching in Indonesian context, the use of first
language in English classroom is based on the nature and goal of the course,
the students‟ level of English proficiency, the goal of the task, and the
immediacy of response.
c.
Classroom Management
The use of first language also takes important part in managing the
classroom. As Richard (1990) states, classroom management refers to the
ways in which student behavior, movement and interaction during a lesson
are organized and controlled by the teacher. Related to the role of first
language in teaching English to young learner, Al-Hinai (2005) conducted a
study in his English language classroom in an Oman (Arabic) in the
elementary English language classroom. His results indicate that Arabic is
was also widely used for class management and control, and Arabic also
more effective for dealing with discipline problems than English.
5
d.
Explain New Words
In teaching English to young learners, the role of first language gives
benefit to explain new words or vocabularies. According to Zacharias (2002),
mother tongue can provide a quick and accurate translation and explanation
of English words. If it is explained in target language, there would be no
guarantee whether the students can grasp the explanation correctly or not.
Indeed, the use of first language in English classroom involves saving class
time. Instead of going through long explanations in the target language, it
would sometimes be easier and more efficient to give a translation of a
vocabulary item or new words for the young learners.
e.
Reduce Students‟ Language Anxiety
Meyer (2008) views the use of first language can reduce the students‟
language anxiety. Language anxiety can be divided into three components,
those are (1) communication apprehension, it can be reduced by giving a
chance to the students to adequately express their thought and ideas, (2) fear
of negative social evaluation can be reduced, because students can
communicate directly in their first language to make a positive social
impression, and (3) test anxiety can be reduced if the teachers give instruction
in the first language during the evaluation. Besides, the use of first language
can increase comprehension of classroom interaction, decrease anxiety, and
increase motivation at beginner or low levels.
In Indonesia, there are pros and cons about the use of mother tongue when
the students learn English. Some expert feel that the use of mother tongue should
6
be minimized in English classroom in order to make the students can acquire
target language. On the other hand, some expert believes that the use of mother
tongue can help the students acquire English.
Based on my own experience when I taught English to the third grade of
elementary school students for two months, I had to be patient and used different
ways in explaining the English materials, such as using Indonesian in teaching
English. To teach I also used Indonesian when my students did not understand my
English instruction to make them understand the material easier. Regarding to my
experience, the use of first language was important in order to give clear
instruction for the students in English classroom such as, explaining concepts,
explaining some new vocabularies, and managing the classroom.
The study discussed about the role of first language in bilingual preschool
in Little Star. We also need to remember that not all the students can comprehend
and know about target language at all when they first enter the school. So the
teacher has to use the target language step by step and of course, teacher need, to
mix appropriately between the use of target language and first language.
The reason I conducted this study is to assess the role of first language in
teaching English to young learners in Little Star. Research has shown that the use
of first language by the teachers increase both comprehension and learning of
target language. The reason I chose preschool as my object was because some
children in Indonesia start learning English at this time. In addition, this is the
right place for children to begin to learn the about target language and also
preschool‟s teachers using use English to teach their students.
7
The study about the role of first language to young learner in bilingual
school was very the useful in order that the students can understand more about all
activities in and outside class spoken. Deller (2003) states that, the use of first
language has a positive effect on group dynamics, and allow the students to give
feedback about the English materials and their experiences of learning more
fluently than they only use English. But, we must take the important thing that,
teachers need to show respect for the learners‟ first language and need to avoid
doing things that make the first language seem inferior to English (Nation, 2003).
Therefore, it means that the teachers should be balanced in the using the
first language, but the teacher should use the first language and target language in
balance. Tang (2002) as cited by Morahan (2005) points out that first language
serves a supportive and facilitating role in the classroom, but not the primary
language of communication. Related to my learning target language history, my
English teachers in Junior and Senior High school used Indonesian when they
explained the complex concept of English, while they still used English in
balanced portion to Indonesian.
Based on the discussion above, this study is aimed to find out the role of
first language in a bilingual preschool in Little Star. The research question of this
study was that the role of the first language in a bilingual preschool in Little Star.
This study hopefully would provide information about the role of first language in
bilingual preschool.
8
THE STUDY
Context of the study
The setting of the study was a school named Little Star. Little Star is the
school which uses English as their daily conversation in their school. It is located
in a small town of Salatiga, Central Java, Indonesia. The location is at Jl. Merdeka
Utara A2 Soka Lembah Hijau. The reason I chose Little Star because it is a
bilingual school. I chose Little Star as the target subjects because in the teaching
and learning process, the students have to use English.
Participant
The participants were two people, they were two teachers who taugh
preschool in this school. The reason why I chose two teachers was to compare
between their way of teaching in Little Star using random sampling.
Instrument of data collection
In attempting to answer my research questions, the data was collected
through interviews and observation. The instruments of data collection that I used
were observation and interview. The purpose of the observation was to provide a
rich and complete data about description of what were happening in the classroom
in order to know the role of first language in a bilingual preschool. In one day, I
observed one teacher and two times for each teacher, so I conducted the
observation for 4 days. The first observation had been done on March 1st until 5th,
2013. Then, the second observation had been done on March 11th until 14th 2013.
Every observation had been done from 08.00 a.m. until 10.00 p.m. Since the
school prohibits video recording, so I only took pictures.
9
After that, based on the data from observation, I conducted interview to
explore more about the role of first language in a bilingual preschool. I did the
interview one by one after the last day of observation, so the interview had been
done for times in two days. For the interview, I have provided six main questions
such as what is your perception about the role Indonesian in bilingual preschool,
what are your difficulties in explaining the differences between Indonesian and
English, how to make student understand and execute your command, what
Indonesian can to help in the case of management classroom, how to make student
know and understand with new term or word in English, are there seen student to
worry in class, The length of each interview was around 15-20 minutes. In order
to analyze the data easily, I collected the interview data by using tape recorder.
Procedures of data collection
The study used of qualitative data. The qualitative data was taken from the
interview and observation. I used classroom observation because I wanted to
know what exactly happened in the classroom, especially for knowing when the
role of Indonesian used in. Then, I was planning to do two classroom observations
in the same class to get the fix data related to my topic. After I got the data of the
classroom observation, I am planning to transcribe and analyze the data.
Data Analysis Procedures
After I got all the data by interview and classroom observation, I
transcribed and analyzed the data. First I transcribed the interview result, after that
I transcribed the observation result. After that I analyzed the data based on my
interpretation and the literature review related to the use of first language in
10
bilingual classroom. At the end, I drew a conclusion based on the study I had
done.
DISCUSSION
The qualitative data was taken from the observation and the interview.
Based on the interview result, the teacher still use mother tongue, that is
Indonesian. In this stage, children gathered from different mother tongue‟s
background, to make it easier to learn target language, they use Indonesian as the
mother tongue. The role of first language in a bilingual preschool as the medium
of instruction. Below were the interview results with teachers and the class
observation. they were shown in the following excerpt:
“In preschool bilingual school, Indonesian has a big role as the medium of
instruction to learn English. ” ( Teacher 1)
The role of the mother tongue is to allow students to say what they really
want to say sometimes (surely a valuable „humanistic‟ element in the classroom).
Clearly once it is established what the learners want to say, the teacher can then
encourage them to find a way of expressing their meaning in English or, if
necessary, help out. It was supported by Harmer (2001) as states that the use of
first language can be used in explaining things, so that it will help the lower level
English learners to get understanding in the English materials. The teachers also
must know the portion of using first language in teaching English to young
learner. Moreover, the study on the use of first language will make the English
teachers acknowledge the role of first language in the English classroom. Based
11
on data collected, I found five roles of first language in a bilingual preschool in
Little Star. Those roles are explained below:
A. Explaining the differences between L1 and TL
The first language (Indonesian) can be used to introduce the major
differences between target language (English) and first language (Indonesian),
if students have no knowledge of target language. The material which is being
presented by the teachers in Little Stars to the preschool students was simple
material which can be found in the nature or things or pictures around them so
that student can explain the different meaning of words or, phrases or sentences
between Indonesian and English. It was stated in the interview result below:
“We use Indonesian to describe a difference between first language and
target language so that students are not confused about the concept of
subject matter “. (Teacher 2).
Material which is conducted to them is in Indonesian. And the teacher
used the picture of triangle to teach them. In English we say a triangle means
“sebuah” segitiga but sometimes we don‟t use the article “sebuah” in
Indonesian “karena memiliki tiga sisi” in Indonesian, in English we can not say
“because has three sides” but “because it (a triangle) has three sides”. The
observation result was shown in the following excerpt:
Lesson
: Triangle.
Alat peraga : Gambar Segitiga.
Teacher: “Look, I have a triangle.”
“A Triangle adalah segitiga.”
12
Students: “Kenapa disebut segitiga / triangle?”
Teacher: “Karena memiliki tiga sisi.”
“Because a triangle has three sides.”
“Juga memiliki tiga sudut.”
“It (a triangle) also has three angles.” (Teacher 1)
Indonesian serves to clarify the difference between Indonesian and
English. Teachers will be more easily explained and students will be more
receptive to the teacher's explanation. That as stated by Deller (2003) that first
language useful for the students to realize the differences between their first
language and target language when the first language is used between
themselves and the teacher.
B. Giving Instruction
In Litte Star, the instruction was conducted by English, the role of first
language is to translate the instruction. The instruction was conducted by
English; the role of first language is to translate the instruction. Although it is
true that explaining an activity in the target language is genuine
communication, at very low levels this advantage must be weighed against the
fact that for instance many communicative interaction activities for early level
students, while very useful in themselves, can be rather complicated to set up.
It was stated in the interview result below:
“Although we have taught them about words and sentences, they still
do not understand when we ask them to do something. Therefore, we
13
use Indonesian to make them understand and execute our instructions”.
(Teacher 2).
In some cases, a satisfactory compromise is perhaps to give the
instructions in the target language and to ask for their repetition in the students‟
language in order to ensure that everyone fully understands what to do. The
teacher asks the students to follow what her commanded to makes a triangle
with hand gestures. The observation result was shown in the following excerpt:
When the teacher ask the students to make a triangle in the air she said:
“Let’s make a triangle in the air!”
“Kita mau membuat segitiga di udara.”
“Show me your finger.”
“Mana jari telunjuknya.”
“Look at me.” (Teacher shows how to make triangle in the air.)
“Now your turn.”
“Sekarang giliran kalian buat segitiga di udara.” (Teacher 2)
Besides conducting material by explaining, another role of first
language to make students understood the material which is being conducted.
Exploring the role of first language in English language teaching classroom,
Cook (2001) as cited by Zacharias (2002) argued that the use of first language
is useful to explain task to the students, give instruction about activities, and
individual comments to the students including dealing with error. In the
Indonesian context, the use of Indonesian in English language classroom also
takes part as a medium to explain task or give instruction.
14
C. Classroom Management
Little Star used Indonesian for classroom management in a planned and
consistent way. It can afford a good opportunity for the students to learn
through meaning focused input. One way to give students a great deal of
comprehensible input is through classroom management. While the first few
classes (for novice students) may be conducted using the students‟ mother
tongue for administration, the students should be gradually weaned off of the
mother tongue. It was stated in the interview result below:
“Natural activities of students were exploring to fulfill their curiosity
about things around them. It is very difficult gathered them using
English, so to make them gave attention to the teacher, we must use
Indonesian to manage the classroom”. (Teacher 1).
To make a desirable start, an effort should be made to make the use of
various standard phrases, such as “repeat after me” (allowing for translation in
the first few classes). The teacher wants students to join hands and explain the
function of the hand to create intimacy in the classroom. The observation result
was shown in the following excerpt:
“Kita mau pergi ke taman, sekarang semuanya bergandengan tangan
berpasangan”. (Teacher 1)
When we warn them, the advice had more variation so they understood
what is being told.
(A student hit his friend)
“Kenapa kamu memukul temanmu?”
15
“Temanmu jadi menangis.”
“Tuhan menciptakan tangan kita tidak untuk memukul, tapi untuk
memberi, bergandengan tangan, juga untuk bersalaman.”
“Kalau yang buat memukul itu bukan tangan, tapi alatnya pak tukang,
palu namanya ”. (Teacher 2).
Usually preschool students prefer listening the advice which was
conducted by a story, of course, the way the teacher told them used Indonesian
to make it easier to be understood. As Richard (1990) states, classroom
management refers to the ways in which student behavior, movement and
interaction during a lesson organized and controlled by the teacher, related to
the role of first language in teaching English to young learner.
D. Explain New Words
Although Little Star was a bilingual school, the teacher still maintains
her student‟s language so they did not loose their mother tongue. In this stage,
the portion of using target language a little bit added. It was stated in the
interview result below:
“To increase the English proficiency of students, Indonesian holds a
very important role, that is to explain new words or terms so that
students understand, and the most importent thing is they do not
misunderstand about anything”. (Teacher 2).
In the classroom to emphasize the mastery of new vocabulary is very
important because students will be more confident to have a lot of vocabulary.
The teacher explained that the triangle has three sides and three angles. It is a
16
new word to add to their vocabulary. The observation result was shown in the
following excerpt:
Teacher: “Triangle has three sides.”
“Segitiga punya tiga sisi.”
Student: “Why only three sides”
Teacher: “Because they are connected with three dots, and we can call
it angle.
“Karena mereka disatukan masing-masing dalam tiga titik
yang kita sebut sudut.”
Student: “So, triangle has three sides and three angles.”
Teacher: “Iya... Segitiga memiliki tiga sisi dan tiga sudut.” (Teacher
1).
The role of Indonesian in bilingual preschool to explain new words, that
as Zacharias (2002) states mother tongue can provide a quick and accurate
translation and explanation of English words. If it is explained in target
language, there would be no guarantee whether the students can grasp the
explanation correctly or not.
E. Reduce Students’ Language Anxiety
In Little Star the teachers used Indonesian in learning process for the
students with low level of English proficiency in order that anxiety of the
students can be reduced. Although the best way to teach English is by giving
much exposure of English, in early age, young learners were still on the
17
process of acquiring their first language, so they were low level of English
proficiency. It was stated in the interview result below:
“Sometimes we get difficulties to teach aged three to four years old
students because the students sometimes did not understand the
meaning of the sentences in English at all. That is why we should
translate it into Indonesian to make them understand and do not worry
and fear them in the classroom”. (Teacher 1).
From the observation result seem that students of Little Star were active
and enjoy participating in the learning process. This case shows that by using
Indonesian makes student quiet and comfortable in following the lessons and
do not worry because the ability of students in English is not good.
The teachers in Little Star used translation method to reduce the
learners about language anxiety as stated by Meyer (2008) “the role of first
language can reduce the students‟ language anxiety.”
CONCLUSION
This study was conducted to know what the role of first language in
bilingual preschool. Based on research results as a whole can be drawn conclusion
that in Little Star inside the process of the learning in classroom using the two
languages, Indonesian and English. In the bilingual schools the role of Indonesian
is very important as language of instruction which helps the students to
understand the target language. Indonesian as a mother tongue helps students to
18
accept and understand the lesson easily so learning outcomes of student to be
optimal.
The role of first language in a bilingual preschool in Little star such as
explaining the differences between language first and target language, giving
instruction, classroom management, explaining new words and reducing student‟s
language anxiety. In class the students are easy to forget words, phrases or
sentences in English. Although the teachers had taught them about the words and
sentences. The students still did not understand when the teachers asked them to
speak in English, therefore, the teachers had to to translate the command into
Indonesian to make the students understand and eager to speak in English.
Hopefully, the findings from the study will be useful for preschool
teachers to use Indonesian so that students understand about submitted by
teachers. Besides, the findings are expected to give benefits for parents to guide
their children to master the target language without leaving mother tongue.
Finally, I would like to admit that this study has a limitation that is
concerned on the context of the study. The context of the study was limited only
at Little Star Preschool so the findings could not be generalized to any other
preschools. Not all preschools have same roles as Little Star Preschool such us
explaining the differences between first language and target language, giving
instruction, classroom management, explain new words and reduce students‟
language anxiety. Therefore, based on the limitation, I would like to suggest for
the further study, researchers could enlarge the context of the study in other pre
schools.
19
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This thesis would not have been possible without Jesus Christ‟s blesses and the
support of many people. I wish to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Mrs.
Anne I. Timotius , M.Ed and my examiner Anita Kurniawati, M.Hum for the great
feedback and for my thesis improvement. Deepest gratitude is also due to the
teachers of Little Star School who had given me permission to hold the interview
and the observation. My big gratitude also goes to my beloved parents, (alm)
Andreas Sunandar and Kharis Purwaningsih, for their valuable advice, pray,
understanding and endless love, through the duration of my study. Thank you to
my brother and sister Alwin and Joana to the spirit they give for me. And the last,
but not the least, many thanks to my beloved Maria Ratih for her care, love and
big support.
20
REFERENCES
Al-Hinai, M.K. (2005). The Use of the L1 in the Elementary English Language
Classroom. Retrieved October 9,2011 from http://www.moe.gov.om/
Auerbach. (1993). Re-examining English only in the ESL Classroom, TESOL
Quarterly, 27(1), 9-32.
Bialystok, E., Hakuta, K. (1994). In other words. New York: Basic Books.
Cole, S. (1998). The Use of L1 in Communicative English Classroom. The
Language
Teacher.
Retrieved
on
October
9,
2011
from
http://jaltpublications.org/oldtlt/files/98/dec/cole.html/
Dajani, S. (2002). Teaching English to Very Young Learners. English Adventure .
Retrieved
February
15,
2012
from
http://www.oomoto.or.jp/English/enNews/endajani.html
Deller, H. B. (2003). Worldwide Survey of Primary ELT. England: British Council
UK.
Gower, S. M. (2002, January 7). Bilingual education remains a fantasy for
Indonesian schools. Retrieved February 16, 2012, from The Jakarta Post:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2002/07/01/bilingual-educationremains-a-fantasy-indonesian-schools.html
Grosjean, F . (1982). Life with Two Languages. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press.
Gubrium, J. F., & Holstein, J. A. (Eds.). (2003). Handbook of interview research:
Context & method. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
21
Hamers, J. F., & Blanc. M. H. A. (2000). Bilinguality and Bilingualism (2nd ed.).
United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
Harmer, J. (2001).
The Practice of English Language Teaching . England:
Pearson Education Limited.
Khrasen. (1981). Language Two. New York: Oxford University Press.
Manara, C. (2007). The Use of L1 Support: Teachers‟ and Students‟ Opinions and
Practices in an Indonesian Context.The Journal of Asia TEFL.4(1),145178.
Meyer, H. (2008). The Pedagogical Implication of L1 Use in the L2 Classroom.
Retrieved on September 20,2011 from http://www.kyoai.ac.jp/
Morahan, M. (2005). The Use of Students’ First Language (L1) in the Second
Language (L2) Classroom. Retrieved on September 20,2011 from
http://www.teflbootcamp.com/
Nation, P. (2003). The Role of The First Language in Foreign Language Learning.
The Asian EFL Journal. 5(2). Retrieved on September 12,2011 from
http://www.asian-efl-journal.com/june_2003_PN.html
Shin, J.K. (2007). Teaching English to Young Learners. English Language
Center. Retrieved on October 7,2011 from http://www.nstru.ac.th/
Tabors, P. (1997). One Child, Two Languages. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
(ERIC Document No. ED405987)
Tang, J. (2002). Using L1 in the English classroom. English Teaching Forum. 40
(1), 36-43.
22
Quinn, G. (2001). Bahasa Indonesia: The Indonesian Language. The Learner's
Dictionary of Today's Indonesian . Retrieved on October 9,2011 from
http://www.hawaii.edu/indolang/malay.html/
Yuliana, Y. (2003). Teaching English to Young Learners through Songs. A
Biannual Publication on the study of Language and Literature . Retrieved
on October 9,2011 from http://www.doaj.org/
Zacharias, N.T. (2002). ”Come on In,Mother Tongue”: Evaluating the Role of
Mother Tongue in English Language Teaching in Indonesia. The English
Teacher: An International Journal. 5(4). Retrived on September 14, 2011
from https://sites.google.com/site/hennysblackboard/
23
APPENDIXES
APPENDIXES 1
Result of Interview With Teachers in Little Star Preschool
Date : February, 28th 2013
Menurut pendapat Bapak/Ibu apa peran Bahasa Indonesia dalam pra sekolah
bilingual?
Guru 1
: “Dalam sekolah bilingual pra sekolah, Bahasa Indonesia
memegang peranan yang sangat penting yaitu sebagai bahasa
pengantar dalam belajar Bahasa Inggris”.
Guru 2
: “Peran Bahasa Indonesia dalam sekolah bilingual seperti di Little
Star ini yaitu sebagai bahasa pengantar. Dengan Bahasa Indonesia
maka
siswa
akan
semakin
mudah
memahami
dan
mengaplikasikan Bahasa Inggris dalam pembelajaran maupun
dalam komunikasi sehari-hari.
Apa kesulitan Bapak/Ibu dalam menjelaskan perbedaan Bahasa Indonesia dan
Bahasa Inggris?
Guru 1
: “Memberi penjelasan terhadap siswa pra sekolah bukanlah suatu
hal yang mudah. Namun hal ini tidak menjadi hambatan buat
kami. Kami dapat menjelaskan perbedaan Bahasa Indonesia
dengan Bahasa Inggris. Disinilah peran Bahasa Indonesia sebagai
bahasa ibu terlihat nyata. Dengan adanya Bahasa Indonesia
24
mempermudah kami dalam memberi penjelasan sehingga siswa
menjadi lebih mengerti dan paham.
Guru 2
: “Kami menggunakan Bahasa Indonesia untuk menjelaskan
perbedaan bahasa pertama dan bahasa target sehingga siswa tidak
bingung terhadap konsep materi pelajaran”.
Bagaimana membuat siswa mengerti dan melaksanakan apa yang Bapak/Ibu
inginkan?
Guru 1
: “Terkadang siswa tidak bisa menangkap dengan baik apa yang
kami inginkan. Perintah dalam Bahasa Inggris membuat mereka
bingung sehingga kami menggunakan Bahasa Indonesia dalam
pemberian tugas dengan harapan mereka dapat mengerjakannya
sesuai apa yang kami maksudkan”.
Guru 2
: “Meskipun kami banyak mengajarkan kata dan kalimat, mereka
terkadang tidak mengerti ketika kami menyuruh mereka
melakukan sesuatu. Oleh karena itu kamu menggunakan Bahasa
Indonesia untuk membuat mereka mengerti dan melaksanakan
apa yang kami inginkan”.
Apa Bahasa Indonesia membantu Bapak/Ibu dalam hal penguasaan kelas?
Guru 1
:
“Iya penggunaan Bahasa Indonesia sangat membantu kami dalam
penguasaan kelas. Aktivitas alami dari siswa-siswa adalah
mengekploresi untuk memenuhi keingintahuan mereka tentang
25
hal-hal
di
sekitar
mereka.
Hal
ini
sangat
sulit
untuk
mengumpulkan mereka dengan menggunakan bahasa Inggris dan
untuk membuat mereka memperhatikan guru sehingga kami
menggunakan Bahasa Indonesia untuk penguasaan kelas”.
Guru 2
: “Seorang guru bisa dikatakan berhasil mempunyai penguasaan
kelas yang bagus. Terkadang siswa di dalam kelas sangat sulit
untuk diatur dan bahkan cenderung berbuat sesuatu yang bisa
mengganggu
konsentrasi
belajar.
Dengan
adanya
Bahasa
Indonesia kami merasa sangat terbantu dalam penanganan siswa
di dalam kelas”.
Bagaimana membuat siswa untuk bisa tahu dan mengerti dengan istilah atau katakata baru dalam Bahasa Inggris?
Guru 1
: “Peran Bahasa Indonesia sebagai bahasa ibu yang tidak kalah
penting yaitu membantu kami menjelaskan kata atau istilah baru.
Kata atau istilah baru ini sukar untuk diterima siswa mengingat
usia mereka masih dini. Setelah kami menjelaskan dengan
menggunakan Bahasa Indonesia mereka bisa lebih menerimanya
dari pada kami menjelaskannya dengan menggunakan Bahasa
Inggris”.
Guru 2
: “Untuk meningkatkan kemahiran berbahasa Inggris siswa, bahasa
Indonesia memegang peranan yang sangat penting yaitu
menjelaskan kata-kata atau istilah baru dan hal ini merupakan
26
suatu hal yang sangat penting agar mereka tidak salah
mengartikan sesuatu”.
Apakah terdapat siswa yang terlihat takut dan cemas dalam pembelajaran di kelas
Guru 1
: “Memang ada beberapa siswa kami yang terlihat gelisah dalam
proses pembelajaran di kelas. Namun hal ini masih dalam taraf
kewajaran. Terkadang kami mendapat kesulitan mengajar siswa
usia tiga sampai empat tahun karena mereka belum mengerti arti
kalimat Bahasa Inggris secara keseluruhan. Itu sebabnya kami
menterjemahkannya ke dalam bahasa Indonesia sehingga mereka
mengerti dan tidak takut dan khawatir di dalam kelas”.
Guru 2
: “Ada namun hal ini dapat kami atasi. Siswa pra sekolah
mempunyai tingkat kekhawatiran yang tinggi apabila tidak bisa
mengerjakan sesuatu. Seperti hal nya Bahasa Inggris, apabila
siswa tidak mengerti akan menjadikannya sebagai suatu hal yang
menakutkan dan mereka akan cenderung cemas. Dengan adanya
Bahasa Indonesia, kecemasan siswa akan menjadi berkurang dan
mereka bisa menikmati pembelajaran Bahasa Inggris di kelas
dengan nyaman”.
27
APPENDIXES 3
Result of Class Observations in Little Star Preschool
Date
:
Topic :
1
March, 1st 2013
Triangle
The Role of First
Language according to
Harmer (2001)
Explaining
the
differences between L1
and TL
Is it
used or
not?
V
2
Giving Instruction
V
3.
Classroom Management
V
28
Example
“Look, I have a triangle.”
“Triangle adalah segitiga.”
“Kenapa disebut segitiga/triangle?”
“Karena memiliki tiga sisi.”
“Triangle has three sides.”
“Juga memiliki tiga sudut.”
“Triangle has three angles.”
(Teacher 1)
“Let’s make a triangle in the air!”
“Kita mau membuat segitiga di
udara.”
“Show me your finger.”
“Mana jari telunjuknya.”
“Look at me.” (Teacher shows how
to make triangle in the air.)
“Now your turn.”
“Sekarang giliran kalian buat
segitiga di udara.” (Teacher 2)
“Kita mau pergi ke taman, sekarang
semuanya bergandengan tangan
berpasangan”. (Teacher 1)
When we warn them, the advice had
more variation so they understood
what is being told.
(A student hit his friend)
“Kenapa
kamu
memukul
temanmu?”
“Temanmu jadi menangis.”
“Tuhan menciptakan tangan kita
tidak untuk memukul, tapi buat
memberi, bergandengan tangan,
juga salaman.”
“Kalau yang buat memukul itu
3
Explain New Words
V
5
Reduce
Students‟
Language Anxiety
V
bukan tangan, tapi alatnya pak
tukang, palu namanya.” (Teacher
2).
“Triangle has three sides.”
“Segitiga punya tiga sisi.”
“They are connected with three dots,
and we can call it angle.
“Mereka disatukan masing-masing
dalam tiga titik yang kita sebut
sudut.”
“So, triangle has three sides and
three angles.”
“Jadi segitiga memiliki tiga sisi dan
tiga sudut.” (Teacher 1).
Seem that students of Little Star were
active and enjoy participating in the
learning process. This case shows
that by using Indonesian makes
student quiet and comfortable in
following the lessons and do not
worry because the ability of students
in English is not good.
29