The influences of content-based instruction implementation in international class of SMAN 3 Yogyakarta towards the 11th grade students` english writing skill proficiency - USD Repository
THE INFLUENCES OF CONTENT-BASED INSTRUCTION
IMPLEMENTATION IN INTERNATIONAL CLASS th
OF SMAN 3 YOGYAKARTA TOWARDS THE 11 GRADE STUDENTS’
ENGLISH WRITING SKILL PROFICIENCY
A THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree in English Language Education
By Chrysogonus Siddha Malilang
041214025
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION
FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
The divine turtle may live long, But it is still mortal and finally gone.
The mythical snake may ride cloud and mist, Yet in the end it will turn to dust.
An old steed confined to his stable, To gallop a thousand miles he aspires to be able.
A man of ambition in twilight years, Extinguished not are his lofty ideals.
To meet calamity or fortune in the end, Not only on fate does this depend.
If one knows the art of keeping healthy, He will surely enjoy a long, long life.
Now I feel the greatest delight, I pen this poem to glorify my thought.
(Cao Cao – Three Kingdoms)
I dedicate this thesis to all scholars, teachers, and academicians For teaching is a way to an eternal life,
Where the parts of us will be transmitted to our students To the next generations
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to express my thanks to Lord God. Without His blessing, I would not have been able to complete my thesis and reach this point.
He gives me strength to stand firm on any circumstances and supports me anytime I’m down.
I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to my major sponsor, Paulus
Kuswandono, S.Pd., M.Ed., for his patience and guidance during my process of
completing this writing. I would also like to give my gratitude to all PBI
lecturers for their great contribution in my personal and social development, their
honest and critical sharing, and many unforgettable memories.I would also like to address my thanks to the teachers of SMAN 3 Yogyakarta who helped me during the research. Bu Teri, Bu Susilawati, Pak
Kusworo, Pak Ichwan Aryono, Bu Ninik Sutarsini, Pak Budi Setyawan, and
Bu Cherry. Without their kindness, it was impossible to gather all the required
data for this research. I will not forget all students of XI A 1 SMAN 3
Yogyakarta 2007-2008, for their cooperation during my research. Thus, I owe
them my deepest gratitude.My thanks also go to my father, Drs. Richardus Wisma Nugraha
Christianto, M.Hum., for all the times he spared for me. Anytime I need to
consult my thesis, he is always there. My mother, Maria Caecilia Fellyana
Junaedi, also played a significant role in supporting me, both physically and during the completion process of this thesis, especially for the emotional support and guidance. I would also like to express my appreciation to my aunt, Dr.
Marcelina Felicitas Sheelyana Junaedi, S.E., M.M., for giving me “morning
session” of consultation about the whole statistical things as well as providing the books and theories. My deepest gratitude also goes to my brother, Agal, who coloured my every single day with his jokes and anger. To my beautiful cousins,
Vindy and Sienna, who cheered me up and gave me their purest affection, I will
also thank them.My sincerest thanks go to my best friends as well as research
collaborators, Elizabeth Bara, Ratna Paramita, and Brigitta Andriani, as well
as my other best friends, Ronald, Panggih, Ruri, Andhi, and Eddy. I found precious friendship, even a bond of brethren with them. They have been providing a back up for me and warmth in time of great cold. Fransiska Novitasari, as the one helping me with the scoring sheet also get my special thanks. Last but not least, I would also like to thank Vina Andriani for her willingness to spare time and proofread my thesis.
.:Chrysogonus Siddha Malilang:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
TITLE PAGE........................................................................................................... i APPROVAL PAGES............................................................................................... ii
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY..................................................... iv
DEDICATION PAGE…......................................................................................... vSTATEMENT OF PUBLICITY............................................................................. vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................................................................................... vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS........................................................................................ ix
LIST OF TABLES................................................................................................... xiii
ABSTRACT..............................................................................................................xiv
ABSTRAK................................................................................................................. xv
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Research Background...............................................................
1 1.2 Problem Identification..............................................................
4 1.3 Problem Formulation................................................................
5 1.4 Problem Limitation...................................................................
6 1.5 Research Objectives..................................................................
6 1.6 Research Benefits......................................................................
7 1.7 Definition of Terms...................................................................
8 CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 2.1 Theoretical Description.............................................................
10 2.1.1 Content-Based Instruction.....................................................
10 2.1.1.1 The Definition of Language……………………………....
10 2.1.1.2 The Principles of Content-Based Instruction......................
12 2.1.1.3 Objectives of Content-Based Instruction............................
12 2.1.1.4 The Role of Teacher and Learners......................................
13
2.1.1.7 Advantages and Disadvantages of Content-Based Instruction
31 3.4 Data Gathering Technique........................................................
4.1.2 The Implemented Principles of Content-Based Instruction in the International Class……………...……………………….
43
41 4.1.1.3 The Emphasis of the Language Use..……………..............
41 4.1.1.2 The System of the Classes………………………..............
41 4.1.1.1 The Implementation of Content Based Instruction.............
4.1.1 Brief Overview of International Class in SMAN 3 Yogyakarta.............................................................................
40
4.1 The Content-Based Instruction Implementation in the International Class....................................................................
36 CHAPTER IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
35 3.6 Research Procedure...................................................................
34 3.5 Data Analysis Technique..........................................................
29 3.3 Research Instruments................................................................
16 2.1.2 International Class.................................................................
28 3.2 Research Participants................................................................
26 CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY 3.1 Research Method......................................................................
25 2.2 Theoretical Framework.............................................................
23 2.1.4.3 L1 Interference towards L2……….…….….......................
22 2.1.4.2 Discourse Analysis on Written Language….......................
22 2.1.4.1 Background of Discourse Analysis.…….….......................
22 2.1.4 Discourse Analysis.................................................................
21 2.1.3.4 Difficulty in Writing...………………….….......................
20 2.1.3.3 Criteria of Writing Proficiency……...….….......................
18 2.1.3.2 Principles of Teaching Writing…...…….….......................
18 2.1.3.1 Nature of Writing……………………….….......................
17 2.1.3 Writing Skill………..............................................................
44
4.1.4.1 The Material Delivery within the Teachers’ Class.............
47 4.1.4.2 The Material Delivery within the Lecturers’ Class.............
48 4.1.4.3 The Modules……………………………………...............
49 4.1.4.4 The Handouts Given in the Lecturers’ Class......................
50 4.1.5 Types of Content-Based Instruction Implemented................
50
4.2 The Influences of CBI towards Students’ Writing Proficiency
52 4.2.1 Learners’ General Writing Proficiency Development...........
53 4.2.2 Learners’ Awareness of the Audience and / or Purpose........
55 4.2.3 Idea Development…………………………………..............
58 4.2.4 Organization of the Composition……………………...........
60 4.2.5 Sentence Structure………………………………….............
62 4.2.6 Word Choice…………………………………………..........
65
4.3 The General Result of Content-Based Instruction Implementation
67 CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 5.1 Conclusions…........................................................................
69 5.2 Suggestions…........................................................................
72 5.2.1 Suggestions for Future Researchers.......................................
72 5.2.1 Suggestions for SMAN 3 Yogyakarta....................................
73 REFERENCES.........................................................................................................
75 APPENDICES..........................................................................................................
78 APPENDIX 1 Introduction Letter for the Head of Bapeda DIY………………...
79 APPENDIX 2 Permission Letter from the Head of Bapeda DIY………...……...
81 APPENDIX 3 Introduction Letter for the Mayor of Yogyakarta……………......
83 APPENDIX 4 Permission Letter from the Mayor of Yogyakarta…………….....
85 APPENDIX 5 Interview Checklist…………………………….………………...
87 APPENDIX 6 Task for Pre-Test……………………………….………………...
88 APPENDIX 7 The Sample of Student’s Work in Pre-test……………………….
89 APPENDIX 8 Field Notes of Lecturer’s Chemistry Class……………………....
91 APPENDIX 9 Field Notes of Teacher’s Physics Class ………………………....
95
APPENDIX 12 Task for Post-test ………………………...…………………….... 103 APPENDIX 13 The Sample of Student’s Work in Post-test……………………… 104 APPENDIX 14 The Result of Pre-test ………………………………………….... 106 APPENDIX 15 The Result of Post-test …………………...…………………....... 107 APPENDIX 16 The Calculation Result of SPSS 16.0.1 Full Version ………....... 108 APPENDIX 17 Table of t-value ………………………………………………..... 105
LIST OF TABLES
Page Table 3.1 Rubric of Writing Proficiency ………………………………....................
32 Table 4.1 The Result of t-test for Pre-test – Post-test…………………....................
55 Table 4.2 The Result of t-test for Learners’ Awareness………………....................
56 Table 4.3 The Result of t-test for Idea Development.…………………....................
58 Table 4.4 The Result of t-test for Organization……..…………………....................
60 Table 4.5 The Result of t-test for Sentence Structure………………….....................
63 Table 4.6 The Result of t-test for Word Choice………...………………....................
65
ABSTRACT
Malilang, Chrysogonus S. 2008. The Influences of Content-Based Instruction
thImplementation in International Class of SMAN 3 Yogyakarta towards the 11
Grade Students’ English Writing Skill Proficiency. Yogyakarta: English
Language Education Study Program. Department of Language and Art
Education. Faculty of Teachers Training and Education. Sanata Dharma
UniversityThis study is about the relation between Content-Based Instruction and students’ English writing skill proficiency. It is interesting to discuss the phenomenon of the international class, since it is the major trend these recent days. This is supported by the claim that the international class uses English as the instructional language within the teaching-learning activity. However, there is also a doubt within the society about the implementation of this international class, whether this class is really used to answer the global challenge or merely to increase the prestige of some exemplary schools. To prove this claim, the researcher chose the writing skill as the object, since it is one of the most important skills in the global era.
Departing from those facts, this research was then conducted. It aimed to answer two problems, which are 1) how are the main principles of Content-Based Instruction implemented in the international class of SMAN 3 Yogyakarta? and 2) to what extent is the influence of the implementation of the Content-Based Instruction in the international class to the students’ proficiency of the English Writing skill?
The research is a descriptive study combining both qualitative and quantitative method. The population of this research is the eleventh grade students of the international class in SMAN 3 Yogyakarta taken randomly. In order to answer the first formulated problem, field notes of the observation and interview were conducted, while for the second formulated problem, rubric and interview were utilized along with descriptive statistic. The comparison between pre-test and post-test was also conducted for the second problem.
The result of this study showed that the implementation of the Content- Based Instruction in the international class of SMAN 3 Yogyakarta is still imperfect. Thus, this brought about a little influence towards English writing skill proficiency. The result of the t-test showed that there was no significant improvement in the directly-influenced criterion.
Keywords : International class, content-based instruction, immersion program, writing proficiency
ABSTRAK
Malilang, Chrysogonus S. 2008. The Influences of Content-Based Instruction
thImplementation in International Class of SMAN 3 Yogyakarta towards the 11
Grade Students’ English Writing Skill Proficiency. Yogyakarta: English
Language Education Study Program. Department of Language and Art
Education. Faculty of Teachers Training and Education. Sanata Dharma
UniversityKajian ini membahas mengenai hubungan antara penerapan Content-
Based Instruction dan kemampuan menulis bahasa inggris siswa-siswi kelas
internasional SMAN 3 Yogyakarta. Fenomena kelas internasional ini cukup menarik untuk dikaji karena hal ini telah menjadi tren tersendiri akhir-akhir ini. Hal ini semakin didukung pula dengan klaim bahwa kelas ini menggunakan bahasa Inggris sebagai bahasa pengantar dalam kegiatan belajar mengajar. Akan tetapi, ada sebuah keraguan pula di tengah-tengah masyarakat mengenai kesahihan dari kelas internasional ini, terutama berkaitan dengan tujuannya, antara menjawab tantangan dari era globalisasi atau hanya meningkatkan gengsi sekolah-sekolah unggulan. Untuk membuktikan klaim ini, peneliti memilih kemampuan menulis sebagai obyek kajian, karena kemampuan itu merupakan salah satu kemampuan yang penting di era global.
Berangkat dari fakta-fakta tersebut, maka dilakukanlah penelitian ini. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk menjawab dua masalah, 1) bagaimanakah prinsip- prinsip dasar dari Content-Based Instruction diterapkan dalam kelas internasional SMAN 3 Yogyakarta? dan 2) seberapa besar pengaruh dari penerapan Content-
Based Instruction di kelas internasional ini terhadap kemampuan menulis bahasa
Inggris siswa-siswi? Penelitian ini merupakan kajian deskriptif yang menggabungkan metode kualitatif dan kuantitatif. Populasi dari penelitian ini adalah siswa-siswi kelas sebelas di kelas internasional SMAN 3 Yogyakarta yang dipilih secara acak. Untuk menjawab masalah pertama, field notes dan interview digunakan. Sementara itu, guna menjawab masalah yang kedua, rubrik dan interview dilakukan bersamaan dengan statistik deskriptif. Perbandingan antara pre-test dan
post-test juga dilakukan berkaitan dengan masalah kedua.
Hasil dari penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa penerapan Content-Based
Instruction dalam kelas internasional di SMAN 3 Yogyakarta masih belum
sempurna. Hal ini tidak membawa banyak pengaruh terhadap kemajuan kemampuan menulis bahasa Inggris siswa. Hasil dari t-test juga menunjukkan bahwa tidak ada kemajuan yang berarti dalam criteria yang mendapatkan pengaruh secara langsung.
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION This chapter is divided into seven sections. The first section is the research
background which explains the background knowledge of the study. The second section, problem identification, provides the identification of the specific problem in the study. Problem formulation, as the third section in this chapter, presents two research questions to answer as the focus of the study. The next section is Problem Limitation, which places the boundaries and limits the study to make it more focus. In the fifth section is the Research Objectives. The Benefits of the Study is in the sixth section, discusses the advantages of this study. The last section of this chapter is the Definition of Terms, which explains the terms used in this study to enable the reader reaching better understanding of this research.
1.1 Research Background
The needs and demands of English Language Mastery has surely become an inevitable requirement which every individual should have for facing the upcoming globalization era. This fact is closely related to the position of English as the first International Language, which will be used in many aspects, such as social, politic, commerce, and trading. Hence, the human resources with no good ability of English will be left behind in this era and rendered useless.
Regarding this problem, the Minister of Education in Indonesia has tried to proficiency level and mastery in Indonesia. Some were counted failed. Whereas some others were not able to fulfil the deepest hope and objectives.
Responding to such challenge, based on the discussion with several headmasters in Yogya, some schools in Indonesia has tried to implement the immersion class. This immersion class is taking form of the international class where all the subjects are taught in English and told to be standardized by the so- called international curriculum. This programme is expected to result in the competitive human resources ready for the coming globalization era.
This programme, in turn, stirred up some confusion lingering in the discussion among international class and the immersion class. The real nature of international class is the class where the students came from the different countries, and thus learning the subject by making use of the international language, which is English. So, English serves as the uniting language. It does not become the main goal of the teaching-learning process.
The immersion class itself possesses the nature of learning the second or foreign language by utilizing that language in learning subject matter (Krashen, 1982). Thus, the immersion class is actually focusing on learning the language by providing more exposure towards target language. This exposure means that language will be the by product of this method.
By considering these natures of both international class and the immersion class, we can see that there is a slight misunderstanding and the confusion among the calling of international class towards the so-called international class held in sharing the same first language. Therefore, the use of English in this class serves as one of the goals rather than a uniting language.
Regardless of the effort and strategy used by the Minister of Education, there are always some controversies. One of the problematic problems lies in the aspect of the feasibility of the implementation of this class. Many people said that this class would bring no benefit at all, and no difference between this class and the regular class. Some people even think that the existence of the immersion class in certain schools is not more than the schools’ way to maintain or gain prestige in public, thus they will be famous and get the title of exemplary school (sekolah unggulan).
This assumption is strengthened through the researcher’s discussion with some teachers in some state schools in Yogyakarta as well as with some parents whose children study in the international class. Most of them see the effort of constructing the international class is just another way to justify and assume the title of exemplary school. These opinions are based on their observation that the international classes exist in some school are just merely a name. However, whether or not the international class is really making use of English language in delivering the materials to the students in all subjects, the decision of using the name international or immersion class brings about consequences that the implementation of Content-Based Instruction is of important.
The implementation of Content-Based Instruction implies its most crucial characteristic, the teaching of other subjects by using the second or foreign objective, but rather a by-product. The main goal of Content-Based Instruction is the mastery of the subject matter (Richards & Rodgers, 2001).
Content-Based Instruction itself is based on the principle of not teaching the formal aspects of language directly, but giving a lot of exposure through the authentic material instead. By giving more exposure, then logically the students will have better environment to facilitate his language learning and acquisition.
Thus, this method, in one way or another must have connection with students’ language skills proficiency, such as reading, listening, speaking, and writing.
Among all of those skills, writing skill is the hardest to learn and acquire. This happens because writing is a productive skill, like speaking. However, unlike speaking, which can be acquired naturally as a result of being exposed to the language, writing has to be consciously learnt (Harmer, 2004). Nevertheless, writing skill plays an important role in the education and the globalization era.
The role it plays is in the informational and formal aspects. These include giving written direction, making report, or even composing the proposal for something, as well as to help the transfer of information or knowledge. In a broader and wider sense, writing is needed in a larger and industrialised society in order for bureaucratic organization to be successful (Harmer, 2004).
1.2 Problem Identification
The fact stated in the previous section becomes the basis of putting the emphasis on the writing skill in the research. Relating the formal purpose of the graduates in globalization era and the importance and urgency of English Skills mastery, so hereby the researcher started the study of the relation between the implementation of Content-Based Instruction in immersion class in Indonesia and this skill. Besides, by relating the nature of writing as the tacit knowledge to the implementation of Content-Based Instruction in the immersion class, the researcher really hopes to find the significances of this method, and thus at the same time also gives a clear illustration and portrayal of the International class itself.
There is no preceding research conducted on this topic, especially the implementation of Content-Based Instruction and the English Writing Skill mastery. So, this research will be expected to serve as the groundbreaker and the pioneer of this field. It is also expected to continue the study in the future.
1.3 Problem Formulation
In this thesis, the writer proposes some questions to answer, and thus being the guidelines of the process of writing and the research. Those questions are :
1. How are the main principles of Content-Based Instruction implemented in the international class of SMAN 3 Yogyakarta?
2. To what extent is the influence of the implementation of the Content- Based Instruction in the international class to the students’ proficiency of the English Writing skill?
1.4 Problem Limitation
The research is limited to the English Writing skill proficiency, not covering the other skills, such as Speaking, Reading, and Listening. The limitation is also placed in the approach used, which is Content-Based Instruction, though in the later development, it may discuss a bit of Natural Approach since both of the approaches share the similar principles and nature. To achieve better result in the research itself, the subject will also be limited to the 2
nd
year students of the International Class in the SMAN 3 Yogyakarta. This part about the participants will be elaborated later on in the Chapter III.
1.5 Research Objectives
The objectives of conducting this research are related to the problem identification. They are :
1. To provide a clear and critical analysis of the implementation of the main principle of the Content-Based Instruction in the international class. This will also expose the practical level of teaching learning activity in the international class itself.
2. To unveil the influence of the implementation of the Content-Based Instruction in the teaching-learning activity in the immersion class to the students’ English Writing skill proficiency. This objective seeks to prove that the exposure to English continuously, not only in the English class, will bring a greater impact on the students’ English Writing Skill
1.6 Research Benefits
The researcher expects that this research will bring benefits to the readers, to the English teachers, and will bring insight on the implementation of the Content-Based Instruction in the immersion class, especially to the policy makers, and thus it is expected also to be helpful for everyone needing it.
For the students, especially the English Education Study Programme students, the researcher expects that this thesis will give clearer information on the Content-Based Instruction, by giving the clearer and feasible case. Thus, the students know not only the main principles of the Content-Based Instruction, but also how to apply and the problem facing the implementation of the approach in the further development.
For the policy makers, the researcher expects that this thesis will give a suggestion and guidelines for the evaluation of the policy, and hence will lead into the policy betterment, thus increasing the quality of Education in Indonesia.
For the English teacher, the researcher expect to give a clear evaluation on the Content-Based Instruction, and its implementation, so that the English teachers will be able to cope up with both the weaknesses and the strength of the application of this approach in the teaching-learning activity, and thus lead into the betterment of the approach, or even give birth to the new and better approach.
This thesis is also expected to give at least basic insights into the Content- Based Instruction, and so it will be helpful for the future researchers who want to conduct a study on the similar topic.
1.7 Definition of Terms
In order to clarify the concept used in the research, avoid the misinterpretation, and thus give clearer boundaries of the discussion in the research, the researcher provides the definition of the key-terms used in the research.
1. Content-Based Instruction According to Krahnke, Content-Based Instruction is the teaching of content or information in the language being learned with little or no direct or explicit effort to teach the language itself separately from the content being taught (Krahnke, 1987).
2. Immersion Class / Programme In the revised book of How Languages are Learned, Lightbown and Spada provided a clear definition of the immersion class, which is an educational programme in which a second language is taught via content- based instruction. That is, students study subjects such as mathematics and social studies in their target language. In this programme, the emphasis is on the subject matter learning, and little time is spent focusing on the formal aspects of the target language. Typically, students in immersion class all share the same first language (Lightbown & Spada, 2000).
3. International Class To avoid having the confusion and misinterpretation between
International Class and the Immersion Class, therefore the researcher
By referring to the nature of the international school, thus the researcher proposes the definition of International class as the class which use the same introductory language, as the students came from different countries. Hence, there is the fact that there is a great possibility that the students do not share the same first language. Thus, in this international class, the second language is served as the unifying language among those students coming from different countries. However, in this thesis, both terms are used interchangeably.
nd
4. 2 Year Students of Senior High School
nd
Seeing from the average age of 2 year students of Senior High School, we can see that they are mostly teenagers in the age of 15 – 17. At this age, their motivation to study is based by their choice of future occupation and skills related to it. (Hurlock, 2004) Therefore, it is safe to
nd
conclude that the 2 year students of senior high school refer to those teenagers with the average age of 15 – 17, equipped with enough background knowledge from their ten years studying in school.
5. Writing Skill The writing skill is defined by Sokolik as both a physical and mental act, both to express and impress, and both a product and process (Sokolik, 2003, in Nunan, 2003). Basing the definition on Sokolik’s, this research would define writing as the physical and mental act to express something and give impression, which can be seen both as a product and also a
CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE In this chapter, the researcher provides the theoretical description serving
as the basis and ground for the whole research itself. Beside the theoretical description, the researcher also provides the theoretical framework which will link and give the logical order of the theories used in the research as a whole.
2.1 Theoretical Description
The theoretical description includes the basic theory of Content-Based Instruction, which is one of the main emphases in this research. The next theory provided is the nature of the international class itself, to give a clear insight of the object of the research. After explaining the nature of the international class, the researcher also provides a theoretical description of the nature of English Writing skill and its teaching. The next theoretical description will deal with the theory of discourse analysis and the L1 interference which will be employed in the analysis.
2.1.1 Content-Based Instruction
2.1.1.1 The Definition of Language In the implementation of certain method or approach, the first thing to do is to define the language, so that it will help reaching the goal of the method.
Therefore, it also provides a clear basis of the method’s direction. This thing is
In this approach, the language is defined as text and discourse based, which is considered as a vehicle for learning content. Thus learning the language is considered as a by product of learning the content or subject matter. The focus of the teaching itself is in how meaning and information are communicated and constructed through texts and discourse. The central linguistic unit is not limited to the level of the sentence, but also to the discourse in form of authentic material.
The second definition of language in content-based instruction is the combination of several skills. This in turn makes language as a single integrated skill. In the flow of the programme, the students are often involved in activities that link the skills, according to how the skills are generally involved in the real context.
In the third definition, language is regarded as something purposeful, and may be used for specific purpose. The purpose may be academic, social, recreational, but it gives direction, shape, and ultimately meaning to discourse and text. In order to receive maximum benefits from Content-Based Instruction, the learners need to be clearly in tune with its purposes and the language codes that signal and link these expressions of purpose (Richards & Rodgers, 2001).
From the definition of the language used in formulating Content-Based Instruction, we can get a clear illustration of the method. This illustration also involves insight on the main principles of Content-Based Instruction. These principles will be elaborated in the next part.
2.1.1.2 The Principles of Content-Based Instruction As defined before in the previous chapter, content-based instruction mainly deals with the subject matter and the content, and thus it is not organized around the formal aspects of the language or the linguistic fields.
According to Richards and Rodgers (2001), there are two central principles in Content-Based Instruction, namely : a. People learn a second language more successfully when they use the language as a means of acquiring information, rather than as an end in itself.
b. Content-Based Instruction better reflects learners’ needs for leaning a second language. This implied the fact that many content-based programme serves to prepare ESL students for academic purpose or for mainstreaming, therefore the main emphasis of this case is the effectiveness and the speed of learning and mastering the content. Considering the two central principles in Content-Based Instruction, we can really see that it deals mainly with the content, not the language used in delivering the course. Thus, language will be the by-product of this method, not the main focus. On the other hand, the effectiveness and the learning pace will also be increased.
2.1.1.3 Objectives of Content-Based Instruction As an approach in language teaching, Content-Based Instruction possessed
Wesche (1989) in their book, Content-Based Second Language Instruction. They are : a. To activate and develop existing English language skills
b. To acquire learning skills and strategies that could be applied in future language development opportunities c. To develop general academic skills applicable to university studies in all subject areas d. To broaden students’ understanding of English-speaking people
Seeing the stated objectives, we can clearly see that content-based instruction aims to excel both the content mastery and language mastery.
Furthermore, there is also the objective to help the further improvement. The additional aim is also related to the cross-cultural understanding, as seen in the last stated objective.
2.1.1.4 The Role of Teacher and Learners The ideal role of teacher in the implementation of the Content-Based
Instruction is to be the facilitators. They need to keep context and comprehensibility especially in their planning and presentation, analyze the students’ needs, and responsible to create a truly-learner centred class.
The learners themselves should also assume their role as the autonomous beings responsible for their own learning process. The real nature of Content- Based Instruction is “learning by doing”, and thus most Content-Based Instruction Therefore, the learners are also expected to be active learners. They may become the source of content and joint participants in the selection of topics and activities.
2.1.1.5 Comprehensible Input and the Material Design According to Krashen (1985), the material for the immersion class should be constructed by considering the comprehensible input hypothesis.
Comprehensible input itself will give significant impact towards students’ language acquisition, especially in the immersion program such as the international class. Enough exposure of the comprehensible input itself will give higher guarantee of achieving success in acquiring the language for the students.
To place material as the comprehensible input does not necessarily mean that the difficulty level should be downgraded, but placing the difficulty level at least a level higher than students’ proficiency (i + 1). Other than posing challenge towards students, they will actually be able to decode the message, by utilizing extra linguistic context, knowledge of the world, and the previous linguistic competence. Thus, by utilizing previous competence to decode higher level message, students will subconsciously tap into a higher level of language proficiency.
In the case of immersion program, the speech taking place around the students is considered as the comprehensible input. So, by the constant trial of using second language in class, students are having a larger exposure. And since most of them are in the same proficiency level, then the input is comprehensible for them. Therefore, students’ proficiency is allowed to develop on its own, with little emphasis on error correction and grammatical accuracy.
One interesting point from the comprehensible input hypothesis in immersion class (Krashen, 1985) is the fact that students are allowed to give respond in their first language during the early years of studying, simultaneously with their silent period in second language to gather enough grammatical rule and vocabulary items. This will increase their communication and chances of getting enough comprehensible input.
2.1.1.6 Prototypes of Content-Based Instruction In order to provide a clearer illustration of the content-based instruction, there are three different prototypes given by Brinton (2003), such as :
1. Theme-based language instruction In this kind of instruction, the teacher uses a certain theme as a point of departure for instruction in teaching all the language skills. The thematic content stretches over several meetings of instruction, providing rich input for lesson that are either language-based or skill-based.
2. Sheltered content instruction In this type of instruction, the subject-matter teacher has already had special training in working with second language. Since the students are still in the process of acquiring the second or additional language, then the teacher will modify the presentation style to help the students comprehend the matter, but at the same time, the teacher also spends more time helping students with language-related issues.
3. Adjunct instruction In using the adjunct instruction, there must be more than two instructors.
These two instructors will make use of the same material to teach the class, but from different point of emphasis. One instructor will use the material to teach the content matter, whereas the other will use it to teach the language skills.
The different types of Content-Based Instruction carry with themselves a number of implications concerning the matter of appropriateness for particular teaching-learning setting and proficiency level. Furthermore in this matter, Brinton et al. (1989) also pointed out that sheltered and adjunct instruction are not suggested for lower level of second language proficiency, for their insufficient language competence and the conceptual complexity of subject matter.
2.1.1.7 Advantages and Disadvantages of Content-Based Instruction The use of subject matter and content in this approach provides certain advantages. The first one is the raising motivation of the students, because they will get the desire material, which sometimes can be so interesting as well. The second advantage is the indirect process of learning the language, or can also be regarded as the acquisition process. The third advantage lies to the fact that the students are sometimes having the greater background knowledge towards some efficient, for the teacher only needs to activate prior knowledge (schemata). The next advantage lies in the fact that the learners will acquire the language in the context of its use, eliminating the problem of transfer from instruction to use. (Krahnke, 1987).
However, besides having those advantages, the Content-Based Instruction also has some drawbacks, such as the problem of the adult learners in learning the language as explained also by Krahnke (1987: 70). It happened because of the adult needs’ of analytical and formal instruction in language. This analytical and formal instruction will help them to overcome their affective resistance and to equip them with limited formal and metalinguistic skill needed to refine their second language ability. This problem is rarely encountered in the children learners, most possibly because of the existence of the brain lateralization process, following the critical period theory.