CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION - Analyzing the problems encountered by second grade students of SMUK Mgr. Soegijapranata Pasuruan in listening to pop songs - Widya Mandala Catholic University Surabaya Repository
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
CIL{PTER I
NTRODT]CTION
1.1
Backgroundofthe Studl
All of us know that languageservesas an instnrmentof communicationto
achieve our purposes.Language is used to express thoughts, feelings or
perceptions.Peopleare interpretrngother people'slanguageand expectingothers
to interprettheir own. Every utterancethat someonesayshasa meaningthat is to
be transfenedto other people. Languagedirects how and what people will
communicatein different circumstances.Moreover, since there is a simple fact
that English is an internationallanguage,so most peoplein the world leam and
us€it.
English is an intemational languagein that it is the most widespread
mediumof internationalcommunication,both becauseof the numberand
geographicalspreadof its speaker,and becauseof the large number of
non-native speakerswho use it for part at least of their international
contactGrumfit. 1982:l).
Languageconsistsof languageskills, namelylistening,speaking,reading
and writing and language components, namely, vocabulary, grammar, and
pronurciation.Thoseskills and componentsare relatedto eachother when they
areusedin communication.
Among thoselanguageskills, listeningis one of the skills which plays an
importantrole in communicationand also plays an importantrole leadingto the
masteryof the other languageskills. Accordingto Underwood(1989:l) listening
is the activity of paying attention to and trying to get meaningfrom somethingwe
hear. To listen successfully,we need to be able to work out what the speakers
mean when they use particularwords in particularways on particularoccasions
and not simply to understandthe words themselves.In this case,we do not just
listen to what one saysin communication,but we have to processit in our mind
until we get the meanhg of the message.
Bott (1982:I ) statesthat listeningis tied to the essentialcogritive elements
of comprehensionand urderstanding,so all languageskills are involved. The
relationshipbetweenlisteningand readingis when a teacherreadsa passageand
the students will listen carefrrlly. Many instructions given by a teacher are
expressedorally, so the studentsshould be able to listen and understandthe
instructions,which is the example of the relationshipbetween listening and
speaking.The relationshipbetweenlistening and writing happensin dictation
class,wherethe studentslistento the teacherandthenwrite the text.
Lundsteen(1971.3-4)claims that languagein terms of its development,
chronologically,childrenlistenbeforethey speak,speakbeforethey readandread
that the developmentoflanguage
beforethey wdte. Lundsteenalsoacknowledges
skills proceedsfrom listeningto speakingto readingandto writing.
Although listeningplays an importantrole in learninga language,it seems
to be neglectedin the ELT at the post-primarylevel in Indonesia.In schoolwe
learn to read and write and sometimesto give speech,but seldomdo we get any
formal training in how to listen. Widdowson(1978:60)regardedlisteningas an
ignoredskill in the learningofforeign languages.
From the experiencesthat the writer had during her Teaching Practice
Program,shefound out that the studentsremarkedas havingmuch lesslistentng
tralnmgthan other ianguageskiils. \\.hen shedid her teachingpracticelbr ain1ost
only had an opportuniq;to haveiisteningclasslor one
tu'o trtonths'the stuclents
an
INTRODUCTION
CIL{PTER I
NTRODT]CTION
1.1
Backgroundofthe Studl
All of us know that languageservesas an instnrmentof communicationto
achieve our purposes.Language is used to express thoughts, feelings or
perceptions.Peopleare interpretrngother people'slanguageand expectingothers
to interprettheir own. Every utterancethat someonesayshasa meaningthat is to
be transfenedto other people. Languagedirects how and what people will
communicatein different circumstances.Moreover, since there is a simple fact
that English is an internationallanguage,so most peoplein the world leam and
us€it.
English is an intemational languagein that it is the most widespread
mediumof internationalcommunication,both becauseof the numberand
geographicalspreadof its speaker,and becauseof the large number of
non-native speakerswho use it for part at least of their international
contactGrumfit. 1982:l).
Languageconsistsof languageskills, namelylistening,speaking,reading
and writing and language components, namely, vocabulary, grammar, and
pronurciation.Thoseskills and componentsare relatedto eachother when they
areusedin communication.
Among thoselanguageskills, listeningis one of the skills which plays an
importantrole in communicationand also plays an importantrole leadingto the
masteryof the other languageskills. Accordingto Underwood(1989:l) listening
is the activity of paying attention to and trying to get meaningfrom somethingwe
hear. To listen successfully,we need to be able to work out what the speakers
mean when they use particularwords in particularways on particularoccasions
and not simply to understandthe words themselves.In this case,we do not just
listen to what one saysin communication,but we have to processit in our mind
until we get the meanhg of the message.
Bott (1982:I ) statesthat listeningis tied to the essentialcogritive elements
of comprehensionand urderstanding,so all languageskills are involved. The
relationshipbetweenlisteningand readingis when a teacherreadsa passageand
the students will listen carefrrlly. Many instructions given by a teacher are
expressedorally, so the studentsshould be able to listen and understandthe
instructions,which is the example of the relationshipbetween listening and
speaking.The relationshipbetweenlistening and writing happensin dictation
class,wherethe studentslistento the teacherandthenwrite the text.
Lundsteen(1971.3-4)claims that languagein terms of its development,
chronologically,childrenlistenbeforethey speak,speakbeforethey readandread
that the developmentoflanguage
beforethey wdte. Lundsteenalsoacknowledges
skills proceedsfrom listeningto speakingto readingandto writing.
Although listeningplays an importantrole in learninga language,it seems
to be neglectedin the ELT at the post-primarylevel in Indonesia.In schoolwe
learn to read and write and sometimesto give speech,but seldomdo we get any
formal training in how to listen. Widdowson(1978:60)regardedlisteningas an
ignoredskill in the learningofforeign languages.
From the experiencesthat the writer had during her Teaching Practice
Program,shefound out that the studentsremarkedas havingmuch lesslistentng
tralnmgthan other ianguageskiils. \\.hen shedid her teachingpracticelbr ain1ost
only had an opportuniq;to haveiisteningclasslor one
tu'o trtonths'the stuclents
an