T1 112007018 Full text
UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ AUTONOMY IN IMPROVING THEIR
ENGLISH OUTSIDE EFL CLASSROOM
THESIS
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Sarjana Pendidikan
Inneke Pradipta Respati
112007218
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
SATYA WACANA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
SALATIGA
2013
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UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ AUTONOMY IN IMPROVING THEIR
ENGLISH OUTSIDE EFL CLASSROOM
Inneke Pradipta Respati
ABTRACT
This study reveals how the university students learn English autonomously in EFL context.
Learning autonomously is related to the students' capacity in studying outside the classroom
(Benson,2001). University student has more responsibility to learn outside the classroom,
because their time to learn a language in the classroom is limited. Questionnaire was used to
collect the data from 40 participants. Using qualitative method of analysis, the data were
categorized into the three dimensions of autonomy; autonomy as a communicator (language
acquisition), autonomy as a learner (learning approach), and autonomy as a person (personal
development) (Litlewood, 1996; Benson, 2006). The findings were concluded that the student
of English Department, Satya Wacana Christian University utilized various media and
strategies in learning English language based on the three dimensions to improve their
English.
Keyword
: autonomy learning
INTRODUCTION
University students are different from students in the senior or junior high school in
terms of autonomy of learning. University students have more responsibility to themselves in
studying, doing the assessment, finding out the material, and developing their abilities or
knowledge. University students are required to be more independent, they cannot highly
depend entirely on their teacher like school students. Since the nature of learning at
University is different from that of at school, university students will spend most of their time
working on their own task and will be expected to organize, manage, and control their own
study space and time. Creme and Lea (1997) said in the university, the students will be asked
to complete many assignments which not only seem very different from school but also
appear to have very different criteria for assessment. University student has a great deal more
responsibility for their own success.
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University students have no fixed scheduled time to study in the class compared to
students in schools. Indonesian students in junior or senior high schools have an average of
six to seven hours a day of learning in the classroom. Their teachers guide them to do what
they should do. This condition is different from the condition in the university. University
students do not have as much time in the class as school students. They only have an average
three to four hours a day. They spend most of their time out of class and they must have an
ability to manage their time, particularly in the context of language learning process.
University students should have an initiative to increase their knowledge and ability by
managing their time to study out of the class by themselves. Learning in which the objectives,
progress and evaluation of learning are determined by the learners themselves is called
autonomous learning (Benson, 2001).
Especially for university students who learn English in EFL context, where language
learning takes a long process and the target language must be used regularly, it is essential if
the learners seek opportunities to learn English not only in the class, but also outside of the
class by themselves. This kind of learning requires students to take control their responsibility
to learn. The learners can learn English at any time, any place, and they can develop their
language proficiency. Because university students need to learn independently out of class, in
this study I explored the autonomy dimension where university students operate in EFL
contexts.
THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK
According to Benson (2001), there are a number of terms associated with autonomy.
The terms 'independent learning' and 'self-directed learning' refer to ways of learning by
yourself and these terms are often used as synonyms for autonomy. However, Autonomous
learning are not synonyms of 'self-instruction', 'self-access', 'self-study', 'self-education', 'outof-class learning' or 'distance learning'. These terms actually describe various ways and
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degrees of learning by yourself, whereas autonomy refers to abilities and attitudes (a capacity
to control your own learning). The learning by yourself is not the same thing as having the
capacity to learn by yourself. Benson (2001) also said that autonomous learners may well be
better than others at learning by themselves, but they do not necessarily have to learn by
themselves.
Benson (2001) prefers to define autonomy as the capacity to take control of one‟s own
learning, largely because the constructs of „control‟ appears to be more open to investigation
than the constructs of „charge‟ or „responsibility‟. As stated before, university students have
to organize, manage, and control their own space and time of their study. They have a great
responsibility for their learning because university students are different from school student
in terms of learning styles. With this situation, the university students should find the
strategies in their language learning out to achieve their goal. Benson (2001) also stated that
this condition becomes a natural product of self-directed learning, which means the learners
have a control of themselves to their objectives, progresses, and evaluations of learning.
Actually, autonomous learning is recognized as emanating from Western tertiary
educational contexts (Lamb, 2004). He said that it seems that the promotion of appropriate
forms of learner autonomy is essential if the majority of school pupils are not to be frustrated
in their struggle to learn English. His research found that autonomy learning is the effective
way to learn a foreign language. Therefore, based on Lamb‟s finding, it is essential if the
learners can learn English not only in the class, but also outside of the class by themselves,
because the learning process in the class is very limited. Lamb also stated that it is generally
believed that the language learning process must be performed frequently and students can do
the language learning process by themselves.
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Finding appropriate forms of autonomous learning is also applied to university
students who learn English (English as a Foreign Language). To acquire English, the English
language learning process is important. The successful learner is increasingly seen as a person
who is able to construct knowledge directly from experience of the world, rather than one
who responds well to instruction (Benson, 2001). Based on their experience, they will find it
easy to remember and recognize the knowledge rather than only hearing the teacher‟s
explanation.
University students do autonomy learning because of their awareness in their process
of language learning. Being aware that they need to learn English not only in the classroom,
they learn English out of the class as their struggle in language learning. Student‟s awareness
is one of the important aspects of language learning. Smith and Erdoğan‟s finding (2008)
stated that as a learner, you have to control your learning and make appropriate decisions of
your progress in learning, your priorities, and awareness of your learning which definitely
leads to better learning if all of these things are done.
Littlewood (1996) argues that autonomy is the independent capacity to make and
carry out the choices which govern his or her action and this capacity depends on two main
components; ability (knowledge and skill) and willingness (motivation and confidences). As a
basis for developing practical strategies, Littlewood has broken down autonomy into three
dimensions to get more specific areas and shows a framework for developing autonomy in
and through foreign language learning. Litlewood (1996) showed three-stage model of
autonomous learning: autonomy as a communicator, autonomy as a learner, and autonomy as
a person.
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Communication
strategies
Learning
strategies
Autonomy as a
communicator
Autonomy as a
learner
Motivation
Confidence
Knowledge
Skills
Linguistic
creativity
Expresssion of
personal meaning
Autonomy as a
person
Independent
work
Creation of personal
learning contexts
Figure 1: A framework for developing autonomy in foreign language learning (Littlewood
1996:432)
Figure 1 shows the relationship and the overlap of the domain areas of autonomy.
Linguistic creativity is clearly related to a person‟s autonomy as a communicator. Because of
its facility to express of personal meaning, it also contributes to person‟s autonomy as a
person. Communication strategies are closely related to person‟s autonomy as a
communicator, but it also contributes to a person‟s as a learner because they allow students to
deal more independently with text and social situation. On the other side, learning strategies
are related to person‟s autonomy as a learner, but it also contributes to autonomy as a
communicator, because it enables learners to increase their communicative repertoire. Lastly,
independent work belongs to creation of personal learning context. So, it contributes to
person‟s autonomy as a person. In other words, those stages have an interrelation to each
other. One stage influences another stage.
This finding is related to Benson‟s dimension of autonomous learning: language
acquisition, learning approach, and personal development (Benson, 2006). In the context of
language acquisition, autonomy involved an ability to use language creatively to
communicate personal meaning in real, unpredictable situations, and the ability to use
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appropriate strategies for communicating meanings in specific situations (autonomy as a
communicator) (Litlewood, 1996; Benson, 2006). In the context of classroom organization,
it involves the learner‟s ability to engage in independent work and take responsibility for their
own learning and to apply active and personally relevant strategies (autonomy as a learner).
In a broader context, it involved the learner's ability to express personal meaning and create a
personal learning context or autonomy as individuals (autonomy as a person).
In the first dimension, autonomy as a communicator (language acquisition), learners
have an ability to use the target language creatively and use appropriate strategies to
communicate. In the light of Autonomy as a communicator, the learner has the willingness to
communicate using English in order to develop their language acquisition. In other words, the
ability (knowledge and skill) and willingness (motivation and confidences) are the main
component in autonomous learning and the term of autonomy as a communicator is most
obviously associated with linguistic creativity and communication strategies (Littlewood,
1996). Besides that, learners need partners in this situation. Little (2000) stated that autonomy
implies both learner self-managements in language learning ad learner self-reliance their
second language learning using and he suggests that language learning and language use are
in two way relationships. However, in the communication, learners have to participate
actively in using a second language. As Graham in Zhang Ya-ni, (2007) stated, key factors
for communication strategies include the aim of decreasing anxiety and increasing
participation.
In the second dimension autonomy as a learner (learning approach), Littlewood
(1996) stated that it is the ability to use appropriate learning strategies, both inside and
outside the classroom and it is most obviously associated with learning strategies and
independent work. Within this dimension, the learner has the willingness to find out their own
strategies in finding learning approach outside the classroom to improve their English. In this
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case, they engage in independent work to find their own learning strategies to improve their
English outside the classroom and it can influence their learning in the classroom. In making
decision to use the learning strategy by own self is important. It can generate the language
learning process. Learners‟ strategies have been defined by Rubin in Woods (1997) that
learner strategies include any set of operations (software, media or tools in language learning
process), steps (some step to use the set of operation in language learning process), plans (the
planning of learning in language teaching process), routines used by the learner to facilitate
the obtaining, storage, retrieval and use information.
In the third dimension, autonomy as a person (personal development), as Littlewood
stated before, independent work includes the creation and expression of personal meaning in
context. He also gave a real example of autonomy as a person; the learners express their
autonomy with obtaining the foreign magazine or joining groups of the native speaker.
THE STUDY
Context of the study
The setting (of this study) is at Satya Wacana University, located in the small town of
Salatiga, Central Java, Indonesia. The subject was the students of the English Department.
They learn in the classroom on average four to five hours a day. 80% teaching and learning in
the class use English as a medium of instruction. So, English is actively used in the
classroom. This study focused on university students‟ autonomy language learning, so I
needed university student who focused learning English as a foreign language.
Participants
This study surveyed 40 university students in Satya Wacana Christian University
especially the English Department. The participants were chosen randomly by each year due
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to get rich data from participants in different years (first until fourth year university students
who still active learning in the campus). Mack et al. (2005) reviewed that in qualitative
research, only a sample (that is, a subset) of a population is selected for any given study, so
the number of the participants was not big. In this research were taken ten participants for
each year. All of the participants were Indonesian university students. They use Indonesian as
their first language to communicate in daily conversation.
Methodology
In this research, the qualitative method was used to describe data that were
categorized into three dimensions (emerging theme). Emerging themes and descriptive
method are the part of qualitative research. Moreover, the data were obtained by participants‟
words and stories and it is the requirements of qualitative research (McKay, 2006). A
qualitative approach is one in which the inquirer often makes knowledge claims based
primarily on constructivist perspectives (i.e. the multiple meanings of individual experiences,
meanings socially and historically constructed, with an intent of developing a theory or
pattern) or advocacy/ participatory perspectives (i.e. political, issue-oriented, collaborative or
change oriented) or both (Creswell, 2003). This research explained the university students‟
autonomy strategy in language learning based on participants‟ experiences in their own
learning.
Data Collection Procedure and Analysis
This research used questionnaire in collecting data. The questionnaire that contains
open and closed ended questions was used to uncover each autonomy dimension that
university students use. Closed ended questions were to guide the participants in answering
the question and open ended questions were to allow the participants to write their own point
of view to enrich the data. From the questionnaire, all of the participants‟ responses are
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categorized as autonomy as a communicator (language acquisition), autonomy as a learner
(learning approach), and autonomy as a person (personal development) based on Littlewood‟s
theory (1996). The analysis was also done for each category.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
I will discuss and present how the university student especially English Department
students learn autonomously in EFL context based on the data obtained. The data is
categorized based on the three dimensions of autonomy learning by Littlewood‟s and
Benson‟s theory: autonomy as a communicator (language acquisition), autonomy as a learner
(learning approach), and autonomy as a person (personal development).
Autonomy As Communicator (Language Acquisition)
In this part I will discuss about how the students learn English outside the classroom
by communicating with their friends based on my data. The data reveal that in this dimension,
learners have the ability to use the language creatively and appropriate communication
strategies to communicate to develop the learner‟s language acquisition. Littlewood (1996)
stated that knowledge and skill are part of ability. From the data, participants used their
knowledge of English and practice their skills in communicating using the English out of
class. They use their knowledge as a basis to practice their skill to communicate with others
outside the classroom. They have efforts to use the language creatively and find the
appropriate communication strategies to solve their problem in communicating using the
English outside the classroom. The data that is taken from questionnaire number one part one
show that the participants communicate using English outside the classroom to achieve that.
In their communication using the English out of class, they said that they can practice how to
pronounce, enrich the vocabulary, use various idioms, and improve their bravery using
English. The data from questionnaire number two part one also show that most of the
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participants use the language creatively to communicate in many ways: having conversations
with others, chatting, texting (SMS), and using social media like Facebook, twitter, Google+
and etc. In the context of conversation, the participants try to communicate using English out
of class to improve their English (they want to speak English fluently). It is proven when I
asked (in the question number two part one) about their way in trying to communicate using
English outside the classroom and participant number five (5) gives his/her point of view
about that.
“Saya mencoba untuk menggunakan bahasa Inggris lebih sering untuk
memperlancar speaking dan penggunaan bahasa Inggris saya selain itu
melalui percakapan saya juga dapat melatih pronunciation saya (I try to use
English more often to improve my ability to speak in English, besides it
through conversation I can practice my pronunciation)”.
It also shows that the participants have a willingness to use the language creatively outside
the classroom.
The willingness is also other important components. Motivation and confidences are
parts of willingness. Motivation to learn English outside the classroom can be seen when they
choose their own strategy outside the classroom. They choose their favourite strategies and
they think that the chosen strategy can make them enjoy learning English outside the
classroom. Littlewood (1996) also stated that autonomy is the independent capacity to make
and carry out the choices which govern his or her action. Their confidence can also motivate
their performance in learning English outside the classroom.
The result of the data shows that some students are more confident to communicate in
written text such as: chatting, texting, and using media social (Facebook, Twitter, Google +,
and the other media social). The participants feel more confident and comfortable because
they think it is easier to use English in writing text rather they communicate impromptu
speech. The participants do not have to meet the interlocutor directly and they have the time
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to think what they will say. Participants number forty (40) shows his/her feeling about using
writing text.
“Saya merasa lebih nyaman menggunakan bahasa Inggris dalam bentuk
tulisan karena bentuk tertulis lebih mudah diaplikasikan dan ada waktu untuk
berpikir jadi bisa membentuk sebuah kalimat yang baik (I feel more
comfortable using English in writing text, because writing text is easy to
apply and there is time to think so I can make a good sentence)”.
Easy to apply the written text seems to mean that the participant is more confident to use
English as their foreign language when the participant do not directly face his / her
interlocutor, because it can decrease their pressure and the participant have time to think
before she/he say something. With written form of communication they have more time to
think and learn about the grammar and the vocabulary. It can give them time to think more
and they can check their sentence before they send the written text. David Crystal (2005)
stated that speech and written have some difference: the spontaneity and speed of most
speech exchanges make it difficult to engage in complex advance planning, the pressure to
think while talking promotes looser construction, repetition, and rephrasing. The comment
clauses ('you know', 'mind you', 'as it were') and units of discourse (sentences, paragraphs) are
usually easy to identify through punctuation and layout. It boosts their confidence to learn
English outside the classroom by communicating. It also shows that the participants have an
ability to choose their own strategies that make them confidence to do it.
In the process of using English in communication outside the classroom, many
learners face some problems. The question number three part one explore more about the
participants‟ problem. In autonomous learning, learners as a communicator are exercising
communication strategies in a real context of communication. The main problem that my
participants face in a real communication is they often forget the word that they want to say in
English because of lack of vocabularies. The data reveals that the participants‟ strategies to
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face this problem is by finding out the word from the dictionary, internet, and asking someone
else. Participant number thirty four (34) told about his/her experience to face this problem.
“Sometimes, I forget how to use the correct tenses or grammar and even
forget the vocabulary just looking for the words in a dictionary or browsing
using Google (original utterance by the participant)”
Sometimes, some participants do code switching and code mixing with L1, which is
Indonesian in this unpredictable moment, like the participant number thirteen (13) does.
“Saya biasanya menggunakan metode switch code atau code mixing pada
waktu saya menemukan masalah ketika berkomunikasi dengan bahasa
Inggris (I usually use code switching or code mixing when I find a problem in
communicating using English)”.
Bokamba as cited in Ayeomoni, M (2006) defines code switching and code mixing concept:
Code-switching is the mixing of words, phrases and sentences from two different
grammatical and code-mixing is the embedding of various linguistic units such as affixes,
words, phrases and clauses. Code switching and code mixing can help learner in their
language learning because of this unpredictable situation, the learner has to find another word
to continue the communication, so that the communication using English is not stagnant or
stopping. Besides that, it can help the interlocutor understand what the learner mean. It can
occur because the participants do the code switching or code mixing also with non-native
speaker. Although it is important to learn English with native speaker, as Andreou and
Galantomos (2009) stated that the native speaker‟s language use stand as the only appropriate
model for a foreign language learner and it can give practices in listening to native speech.
The participants is difficult to find native speaker outside the classroom. The further
explanation in the next paragraph.
Another problem is the participants find it difficult to find partners (non-native
speaker) to communicate outside the classroom. In communicating, the role of interlocutor is
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important. Two way relationship or interrelationship and feedback given will make
communication run well. Little (2000) suggests that language learning and language use are
in two way relationship. From the data, almost half of students said that communicating
actively out of class depends on their interlocutors. English is not a second language in
Indonesia, so it is difficult to find Indonesians who speak English regularly, especially in
Salatiga, where the participants live. Participant number thirty three (33) told about this
problem.
“Karena di luar kelas saya jarang menemukan orang lain yang menggunakan
bahasa Inggris (I rarely find others who use English outside the classroom)”.
This situation limits the participants‟ autonomy as a communicator to communicate using
English widespread. Participants communicate using English outside the classroom only with
their friend in the English Department.
Autonomy As A Learner (Learning Approach)
In this part, data indicate that the participants are trying to find their own appropriate
learning strategy in learning outside classroom. It is important to find their own strategy,
because the learners know about their own interest that can improve their motivation in
language learning outside the classroom. Motivation is needed in the autonomy learning,
because it is one of the main components in autonomous learning (Littlewood, 1996).
Therefore, they can continually learn English as their routines.
In learning a language outside classroom, learners perform it in many ways. They find
their own strategies. Rubin cited in Woods (1997) defined that learner strategies include any
set of operations, steps, plans, routines used by the learner to facilitate the obtaining, storage,
retrieval and use information. In setting the operation, the participants mentioned that they
use certain software to help them in learning English. Some participants mentioned that they
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use dictionary software in learning English outside the class (in answering question number
three part two). They install dictionary software to help them find the meanings of the new
vocabulary and how to pronounce that. Participant number six (6) used dictionary to help
him/her learn English outside the classroom.
“Saya menggunakan software, khususnya kamus, karena bisa membantu
dalam mencari arti vocab (kata) yang sulit dan bagaimana pengucapan yang
benar (I use software especially dictionary, because it can help me to find the
meaning of difficult vocabularies and how the correct pronunciation)”.
Besides using some software the participants also use some media to facilitate their
own learning. In answering question number four part two, they said that they use song,
movie, newspaper, magazine, book, game, novel, article and television as their media of
learning. The favourite media are movie and song. They use movie and song to enrich their
vocabularies and improve pronunciations. Some of them also mention that it can train their
listening skill too. They study through songs and movies because they thought these media
are more fun and enjoyable. After they know what makes them interested, they will
continually learn from these media. This way can increase their motivation in language
learning, as stated before that motivation is one of the main points in autonomous learning. It
also happens with participant number thirty six (36).
“Lagu dan film lebih menyenangkan, karena dengan media tersebut saya
dapat belajar bahasa Inggris dengan enjoy dan menyenangkan, dan saya
sangat terbantu sekali dengan media tersebut (song and film are more fun,
because with those media, I can learn English in enjoyable and fun way, and I
am really helped by those media)”.
Other media like magazine, newspaper, novel, and article are also used by some participants
in their language learning. They choose these media because it can be read more than once to
know the meaning of the sentences. Besides enriching the vocabulary, with this media they
also practice their reading skill. Participant number twenty four (24) improves his/her reading
skill and enrichs the vocabulary by reading newspaper and magazines.
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“Dengan membaca koran, kita bisa mengasah kemampuan membaca kita,
seperti critical reading begitu dan dari majalah kita bisa tahu tentang bahasa
sehari-hari yang digunakan (By reading the newspaper, we can improve our
reading skill, like critical reading and from a magazine we can recognize the
daily language or informal language (in English))”.
The other media are game and television. The participants who use these media think
that is an effective way in learning English. Participant number four (4) argues that it is easier
to understand if the learning related to something that he/she is interested in.
“Saya lebih suka melalui game, karena lebih mudah mengerti kalau proses
belajar berkaitan dengan hal yg kita suka (I prefer using game, because it is
easier to understand if learning process related to something that we like)”.
The second learning strategy is deciding the steps how the learners study English
outside the classroom. After deciding the media, they make some steps to study English using
those media. In answering the question number five part two, the participants explained more
about the steps. They can learn new vocabulary and how to pronounce it, by listening the
song or the movie carefully. Participant number twenty four (24) explains about his/her step
using song and movie.
“Ketika ada lagu atau film bahasa Inggris didengarkan, dinyanyikan, atau
diucapkan, saya bisa tahu pengucapan dan arti dari vocab itu (tahu arti dari
penggunaan di lagu atau film) (when there is a song or a movie in English
that is listened, sang, or pronounced, I will able to know how to pronounce
and the meaning of the vocabulary)”.
Especially from the song, the learners also practice their listening skill by listening and then
writing the lyric, after that they find out the original lyric in the internet and check it.
Participant number thirty three describes his/her steps how he/she learns from the song.
“Saya mendengarkan lagu kemudian saya mencatat liriknya yang sudah
saya dengarkan setelah itu saya memeriksanya dengan lirik yang asli apakah
sama atau tidak hasilnya, dan itu meningkatkan kemampuan saya dalam
mendengarkan kata-kata dalam bahasa Inggris (I listened to the song then I
noted the lyric that I have listened to, after that I checked it with the original
lyric, I found out whether the result is the same or not. It improves my
listening skill to hear English words)”.
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Another participant (number thirty three) also said about using song in his/her language
learning.
“I am listening to English song and trying to write the lyric and it helps me a
lot in listening class and enriches my vocabulary”.
Some other participants also practice it with the movie. They turn off the subtitle and
concentrate on the storyline and then search the meaning of the vocabularies like participant
number thirty eight (38) does.
“Saya mematikan subtitlenya, sehingga mau tidak mau saya harus
berkonsentrasi untuk mencari tau maksud dari percakapan itu (I turn off the
subtitle so I have to concentrate to know the meaning of the conversation)”.
Another participant‟s (participant number thirty four) strategy is set the subtitle into English
so he/she can observe more the vocabulary and grammar.
“I make the subtitle in English so I can learn more about the vocabulary and
grammar”.
From games, they learn from the English instruction in their games and from the chat box to
communicate with other users using English. As for television, they can find new vocabulary
in the utterance in the advertisement that is easy to remember and they hear it many times or
TV show or news that uses English. The participants clearly chose by themselves which
media that is suitable for them in their language learning process. Participants can sort out
which media they like, so they can do it continually. Learners decide some media and the
steps to use those media to their own learning activities outside the classroom which is
suitable to their need and interest. Learners use it in various ways, most of them want to
enrich their English vocabularies by watching films, listening to a song, reading a magazine,
newspaper, English book, and a novel, playing games and watching television shows.
Participant number seven (7) stated about it.
“I try to learn the new vocabulary that I found in that media then look up the
meaning of it in the dictionary, internet, or ask someone else”.
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The third strategy is planning. In the context of planning, learners make some plan to
their learning. In answering the question number two part two, the participants tell more
about their plan in their language learning. They have set what they want to do first, like
register themselves to a club or private course to increase their ability in English, search or
buy some book to increase their knowledge (about grammar, speaking, TOEFL, writing and
etc.), or search some certain websites that related to their needs before they do autonomy
learning outside the classroom. In this strategy they could perform their autonomy learning
by joining English course, joining an English club, browsing in the internet, and reading
some books. Most of the participants choose to use the internet in order to search information
about grammar, tenses, vocabularies, pronunciation, the meaning of the word, and etc.
Participant number thirty six (36) explains why he/she choose learning outside the classroom
by internet.
“Saya belajar bahasa Inggris dengan rutin di luar kelas dengan mencari
informasi dari internet karena browsing lewat internet itu lebih
menyenangkan dan wawasan saya semakin banyak serta informasi yang
didapat juga luas (I study English out of class routinely by searching the
information using internet, because browsing in the internet is more fun and I
can get many knowledge and broad information)”.
The participants thought that they could access the internet every time and everywhere, they
have their own space and learn everything what they want to know. Agarwal (2010) wrote in
his journal that internet for language learning has some advantages; IBLL (Internet Based
Language Learning) provides a lot of genuine educational materials or program, games,
simulations, dictionaries, and etc, and a possibility to use online references allowing them to
consult electronic resources of grammar-check, dictionary, and thesaurus. IBLL can lead the
learner to autonomy, as learner control exercises regarding the learning process and depend
less on teacher. Language learning can be individualized, because they can use internet
everytime and everywhere outside the classroom. Learners study materials to relate to their
individual goals and to what they need or are interested in with the appropriate difficulty level
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and at their own pace. The internet gives an opportunity for shy students to have a forum for
expressing themselves and asking questions in a certain web without meeting or talking face
to face. Only a few participants thought that it was important to go to English course and
English club, they said that it will be difficult to arrange the time between going to a course or
English club and university. It has happened to participant number twenty four (24).
“Dengan mencari informasi di internet, saya mendapat banyak informasi
dengan gratis, tidak membuang waktu, dan lebih mudah mengatur waktunya,
tidak seperti ketika saya harus mengatur waktu les dan kuliah (by searching
information on the internet, I got a lot of information for free (without
charge), do not waste my time, and more easily to manage my time, it is not
like when I have to set the time for course and college)”.
Most of the participants think that going to English course is much less important than
learning from the internet to learn English outside the classroom. So, in this case participants
choose to study English by using internet routinely. In the language learning process internet
can help participants to get information independently. They can get the information directly
to what they want to know by browsing on the certain website.
The last strategy is routine learning. Studying English routinely is important, because
they can practice English more often. From the data it can be concluded the participant study
English routinely from some media that is discussed before and it is proven when all of the
participants answer the question number one part two that most of them study English
routinely.
The data reveal that the participants learning more about vocabulary. From many
media, most of them want to enrich their vocabulary. It shows that their study outside of the
classroom is more about enriching the vocabulary. Jacobson (2007) said that vocabulary was
the knowledge of a word meaning. In addition, based on Ghazal (2007), vocabulary is central
to language and is of great significance to language learners. It shows that vocabulary is
important in language learning, because if they have a rich vocabulary, they will understand
18
the meaning of the sentences and for a broader context in paragraphs or long conversation. So
the participants think that enriching vocabulary is important as the foundation in learning
English.
Although the data show that the participants want to enrich their vocabulary, their
final goal is to use their knowledge in vocabularies to communicate. They want to enrich their
vocabulary to support their performance to communicate with others in English. Participant
number twelve (12) tells more about it.
“Saya menonton film untuk mendapat kosakata dan idiom yang baru,
kemudian saya mengaplikasikan kosata tersebut dengan cara
menggunakannya dalam kalimat bahasa Inggris dan kemudian dipraktekan
dalam percakapan (I watch the movie to get a new vocabulary and idiom,
then I apply the vocabulary to make an English sentence and then I practice it
in the conversation)”.
Beside to enrich the vocabulary and know the pronunciation, they also imitate the language
which is used in the movie. Participant number thirty six (36) also stated about it.
“Untuk meningkatkan kemampuan listening, saya mendengarkan lagu-lagu
berlirik bahasa Inggris, sedangkan untuk (mempelajari) pronounciation dan
vocabulary saya belajar dengan menonton film, bahkan saya belajar cara
mereka berdialog dalam bahasa Inggris atau speaking dengan bahasa yang
sering mereka gunakan sehari-hari, kemudian bisa saya tirukan dalam
berkomunikasi (To improve my listening skill, I listen to music which has
English lyric, while for pronunciation and vocabulary, I learn by watching
movie, I even learn how the way they communicate in English or their
speaking style in a language that they often use every day, then I can imitate
it in communication)”.
In this case, the learners try to use native‟s daily language; slang, idiom, or some utterance
that they do not get in the classroom. Another participant (participant number thirty six)
explains about his/her experience.
“Dengan semakin sering melihat film dan mendengarkan percakapan atau
dialog yang mereka (native speaker) gunakan, semakin banyak pula
vocabulary yang akan saya dapatkan terutama yang sering mereka gunakan
dalam percakapan dan saya bisa menggunakannya untuk berkomunikasi
(More often I watch movie and listen their (native speaker) conversation or
19
dialogue, the more vocabulary that I can get especially vocabulary which they
often use in the conversation and I can use it to communicate)”.
Autonomy as a Person (Personal Development)
The learner's ability to express personal meaning and create a personal learning
context is autonomy as individuals‟ (autonomy as a person) (Litlewood, 1996; Benson, 2006).
In this dimension learners improve their English by expressing and creating their personal
learning out of class, because autonomy as a learner is most obviously associated with
learning strategies and independent work expression of personal meaning and creation of
personal learning context. The learners have the ability and willingness to express their
personal meaning by creating some products of language (literary work, article, brochure,
advertisement, motto or slogan) outside the classroom.
The data from question number one part three reveal that the participants make some
products of language to express their personal meaning. They can learn English and improve
their skill to make a good sentence. Participant number thirty three (33) shows it.
“Dengan membuat karya tulis memakai bahasa inggris dapat membantu
saya untuk mencari dan memakai kata-kata yang bervariasi (by making
literature using English, it can help me to find and use various word)”.
The learners express themselves by creating some literary products, such as a
magazine article, poem, essay, song lyric, drama script, short story, dairy, and comics. Most
of learners choose to write a poem and it is proven when the participants were answering the
question number two part three. They write poems because they think it is easier and they can
explore the use of vocabulary. Participant number thirteen (13) also feels free when he/she
writes a poem.
“Saya rasa cukup mudah untuk membuat puisi. I feel free to write a poem (I
think it' is easy to write a poem)”.
20
They can express their feelings, mood, or thinking in writing a poem. They think it's easier to
write a poem, because there is no fixed rule and they are free to write many things. So, many
learners choose to write a poem outside the classroom. Besides learning vocabulary, they also
learn about various metaphors by writing a poem. Usually, they post their poem on Facebook,
twitter, or other social media. In those media they sometimes discuss their poem or get some
feedback from their friends. From the other feedback they can learn from the mistakes or their
friend's suggestion.
Littlewood (1996) also stated that personal development is an activity out of class that
can contribute to a student‟s autonomy as a person. In this case, more than a half participants
join in English club that the English Department at Satya Wacana University provides to
students, it is proven when the participants answer the question number three and four in part
three. The participants join in some club such as ED - Readers Theatre, ED - English
Community Service, ED – English Competition Club, ED-Pool of Writing, and ED – English
Debate Club. In those clubs they use English as the main language to communicate and learn
more English out of class. In each club the participants show their own ability, for example;
in ED - Readers Theatre they can learn about how to read dialogue (the pronunciation) and in
this situation they also can learn a new vocabulary from the dialogue, in ED - English
Community Service they can learn how to give speech in front of people using English, in ED
– English Competition Club they can learn many thing from other friend (the experience, the
learning, and etc.), in ED-Pool of Writing they can learn how to write correctly and improve
their writing skill, and in and ED – English Debate Club they can learn how to debate
corectly using English. All of the club can give positive effect to the participants in learning
English outside the classroom, because they can learn something (based on each club
purpose) from each club.
21
However, in those clubs some students do not speak actively. Question number five
part three tells more about it. Rather, they hear the other students. However, listening to
others speaking in English is also a form of learning. Participant number six said about
his/her thinking about that.
“Saya takut apabila salah menggunakan bahasa Inggris dan saya lebih
nyaman bila menggunakan bahasa Inggris dalam bentuk tulisan (I am afraid
if I make mistakes in using English and I mere enjoy if I use English in
written text)”.
Participant number twenty three also have the same experience, he/she does not speak
actively but he/she learns from the person who actively speaks in answering question number
six.
“Saya dapat belajar dari mereka yang aktif berbicara Inggris, bahkan dari
kesalahan yang sering di buat dan saya akan berbicara saat diperlukan (I
can learn from them who speak English actively, even from their mistake that
they often made and I will speak when needed)”.
CONCLUSION
The data show that within the three dimensions of Littlewood (1996), university
students has shown their autonomy in learning English. Having an autonomy as a
communicator (language acquisition) the participants show that they tried many ways to
communicate in order to learn English (grammar, vocabulary, formal/ non formal language)
through having conversations with others, chatting, texting (SMS), and using social media
like Facebook, twitter, Google+ and etc. In this dimension the role of interlocutor is
important. Within the second dimension, autonomy as a learner (learning approach), in this
dimension learner had their own capacity to make their own language learning strategy (set of
operation (media), step, plan, and routine). In the context of set of operation, the participants
use a certain software especially the dictionary software to help in their learning and for
media they prefer to learn through songs and movies. Based on the media which they used,
22
they make some steps how they used those media for their learning outside the classroom, as
stated before that most of the participants prefer songs and movies. The participants learn
through the lyrics and the dialogue. Most of learners want to enrich their vocabulary in many
ways. In the term of plan, the participants make some plans in their language learning and
most of them prefer internet. They think internet more useful than they have to go to English
course. Actually their goal is to use this vocabulary to communicate in English. The last
dimension is autonomy as a person (personal development). In this dimension, learners
developed their own ability by making some products of language in their language learning
outside the classroom, most of them prefer to write poem and joining English Club in English
Departmet, Satya Wacana Christian University.
The interesting finding is the use of internet in autonomous learning, many
participants prefer to use the internet for their language learning outside the classroom rather
than go to the English Club or English Course. Actually in the English club and English
course they have some teachers or mentors to guide them in learning English, but they chose
to use the internet because they can access everytime and everywhere based on their needs.
The second interesting finding is almost all of the participants learn vocabulary in various
ways and strategies outside the classroom, although their final goal is communicating with
others using English. So, as recommendations for further research are the using of internet in
autonomous learning or vocabulary learning strategy outside the classroom.
23
REFERENCES
Agarwal, M. (2010). Internet-Based Language Learning And Teaching. Innovative
Infotechnologies For Science, Business And Education, 1 (8), pp. 3-7.
Andreou, G. and Galantomos, I. (2009). The Native Speaker Ideal in Foreign Language
Teaching. Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 6 (2), p. 200–208.
Ayeomoni, M. (2006). Code-Switching and Code-Mixing: Style of Language Use in
Childhood in Yoruba Speech Community. Nordic Journal of African Studies, 15 (1),
pp. 90-99.
Benson, P. (2001). Teaching and Researching Autonomy in Language Learning. Harlow,
England: Pearson Education Limited.
Benson, P. (2006). Autonomy in language teaching and learning. State-of-the-art article, (40),
pp. 21-40.
Creswell, J. (2003). Research design: qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods. Thousand
Oaks, California: Sage Publications.
Crystal, D. (2005). Speaking of Writing and Writing of Speaking. London: Longman.
Ghazal, L. (2007). Learning Vocabulary in EFL Contexts through Vocabulary Learning
Strategies. Novitas Royal Research on Youth and Language, 1 (2), pp. 84-91.
Jacobson, E. (2007). Vocabulary: Research and Teaching Strategies. California: Research
Digest.
Lamb, M. (2004). It Depends on The Syudent Themselves: Independent Language Learning
at Indonesian State School. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 17 (3), pp. 229-245.
Little, D. (2000). Learner autonomy and human interdependence: some theoretical and
practical consequences of a social-interactive view of cognition, learning and
language. In: Sinclair, B., Mcgrath, I. and Lamb, T. eds. (2000). Learner Autonomy,
Teacher Autonomy: Future Directions. Harlow, England: Longman, pp. 15-23.
24
Littlewood, W. (1996). “AUTONOMY”: An Anatomy and A Framework. System, 24 (4), pp.
427-435.
Mack, N., Woodsong, C., M.Macqueen, K., Guest, G. And Namey, E. (2005). Qualitative
Research Methods: A DATA COLLECTOR’S FIELD GUIDE. North Carolina:
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McKay, S. (2006). Researching Second Language Classrooms. New Jersey: LAWRENCE
ERLBAUM ASSOCIATES.
Smith, R. and Erdoğan, S. (2008). Teacher-learner autonomy. In: Lamb, T. and Reinders, H.
eds. (2008). Learner and Teacher Autonomy Concepts, realities, and responses.
Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, pp. 83-102.
Woods, D. (1997). Decision-Making in Language Learning: A Lens for Examining Learner
Strategies. [online] Retrieved from: http://jalt-publications.org/tlt/articles/2219decision-making-language-learning-lens-examining-learner-strategies [Accessed: 9th
March 2013].
Ya-Ni, Z. (2007). Communication Strategies and Foreign Language Learning. US-China
Foreign Language, 5 (4), pp. 43-48.
25
ACKNOWLEGEMENT
This thesis w
ENGLISH OUTSIDE EFL CLASSROOM
THESIS
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Sarjana Pendidikan
Inneke Pradipta Respati
112007218
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
SATYA WACANA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
SALATIGA
2013
1
2
UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ AUTONOMY IN IMPROVING THEIR
ENGLISH OUTSIDE EFL CLASSROOM
Inneke Pradipta Respati
ABTRACT
This study reveals how the university students learn English autonomously in EFL context.
Learning autonomously is related to the students' capacity in studying outside the classroom
(Benson,2001). University student has more responsibility to learn outside the classroom,
because their time to learn a language in the classroom is limited. Questionnaire was used to
collect the data from 40 participants. Using qualitative method of analysis, the data were
categorized into the three dimensions of autonomy; autonomy as a communicator (language
acquisition), autonomy as a learner (learning approach), and autonomy as a person (personal
development) (Litlewood, 1996; Benson, 2006). The findings were concluded that the student
of English Department, Satya Wacana Christian University utilized various media and
strategies in learning English language based on the three dimensions to improve their
English.
Keyword
: autonomy learning
INTRODUCTION
University students are different from students in the senior or junior high school in
terms of autonomy of learning. University students have more responsibility to themselves in
studying, doing the assessment, finding out the material, and developing their abilities or
knowledge. University students are required to be more independent, they cannot highly
depend entirely on their teacher like school students. Since the nature of learning at
University is different from that of at school, university students will spend most of their time
working on their own task and will be expected to organize, manage, and control their own
study space and time. Creme and Lea (1997) said in the university, the students will be asked
to complete many assignments which not only seem very different from school but also
appear to have very different criteria for assessment. University student has a great deal more
responsibility for their own success.
1
University students have no fixed scheduled time to study in the class compared to
students in schools. Indonesian students in junior or senior high schools have an average of
six to seven hours a day of learning in the classroom. Their teachers guide them to do what
they should do. This condition is different from the condition in the university. University
students do not have as much time in the class as school students. They only have an average
three to four hours a day. They spend most of their time out of class and they must have an
ability to manage their time, particularly in the context of language learning process.
University students should have an initiative to increase their knowledge and ability by
managing their time to study out of the class by themselves. Learning in which the objectives,
progress and evaluation of learning are determined by the learners themselves is called
autonomous learning (Benson, 2001).
Especially for university students who learn English in EFL context, where language
learning takes a long process and the target language must be used regularly, it is essential if
the learners seek opportunities to learn English not only in the class, but also outside of the
class by themselves. This kind of learning requires students to take control their responsibility
to learn. The learners can learn English at any time, any place, and they can develop their
language proficiency. Because university students need to learn independently out of class, in
this study I explored the autonomy dimension where university students operate in EFL
contexts.
THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK
According to Benson (2001), there are a number of terms associated with autonomy.
The terms 'independent learning' and 'self-directed learning' refer to ways of learning by
yourself and these terms are often used as synonyms for autonomy. However, Autonomous
learning are not synonyms of 'self-instruction', 'self-access', 'self-study', 'self-education', 'outof-class learning' or 'distance learning'. These terms actually describe various ways and
2
degrees of learning by yourself, whereas autonomy refers to abilities and attitudes (a capacity
to control your own learning). The learning by yourself is not the same thing as having the
capacity to learn by yourself. Benson (2001) also said that autonomous learners may well be
better than others at learning by themselves, but they do not necessarily have to learn by
themselves.
Benson (2001) prefers to define autonomy as the capacity to take control of one‟s own
learning, largely because the constructs of „control‟ appears to be more open to investigation
than the constructs of „charge‟ or „responsibility‟. As stated before, university students have
to organize, manage, and control their own space and time of their study. They have a great
responsibility for their learning because university students are different from school student
in terms of learning styles. With this situation, the university students should find the
strategies in their language learning out to achieve their goal. Benson (2001) also stated that
this condition becomes a natural product of self-directed learning, which means the learners
have a control of themselves to their objectives, progresses, and evaluations of learning.
Actually, autonomous learning is recognized as emanating from Western tertiary
educational contexts (Lamb, 2004). He said that it seems that the promotion of appropriate
forms of learner autonomy is essential if the majority of school pupils are not to be frustrated
in their struggle to learn English. His research found that autonomy learning is the effective
way to learn a foreign language. Therefore, based on Lamb‟s finding, it is essential if the
learners can learn English not only in the class, but also outside of the class by themselves,
because the learning process in the class is very limited. Lamb also stated that it is generally
believed that the language learning process must be performed frequently and students can do
the language learning process by themselves.
3
Finding appropriate forms of autonomous learning is also applied to university
students who learn English (English as a Foreign Language). To acquire English, the English
language learning process is important. The successful learner is increasingly seen as a person
who is able to construct knowledge directly from experience of the world, rather than one
who responds well to instruction (Benson, 2001). Based on their experience, they will find it
easy to remember and recognize the knowledge rather than only hearing the teacher‟s
explanation.
University students do autonomy learning because of their awareness in their process
of language learning. Being aware that they need to learn English not only in the classroom,
they learn English out of the class as their struggle in language learning. Student‟s awareness
is one of the important aspects of language learning. Smith and Erdoğan‟s finding (2008)
stated that as a learner, you have to control your learning and make appropriate decisions of
your progress in learning, your priorities, and awareness of your learning which definitely
leads to better learning if all of these things are done.
Littlewood (1996) argues that autonomy is the independent capacity to make and
carry out the choices which govern his or her action and this capacity depends on two main
components; ability (knowledge and skill) and willingness (motivation and confidences). As a
basis for developing practical strategies, Littlewood has broken down autonomy into three
dimensions to get more specific areas and shows a framework for developing autonomy in
and through foreign language learning. Litlewood (1996) showed three-stage model of
autonomous learning: autonomy as a communicator, autonomy as a learner, and autonomy as
a person.
4
Communication
strategies
Learning
strategies
Autonomy as a
communicator
Autonomy as a
learner
Motivation
Confidence
Knowledge
Skills
Linguistic
creativity
Expresssion of
personal meaning
Autonomy as a
person
Independent
work
Creation of personal
learning contexts
Figure 1: A framework for developing autonomy in foreign language learning (Littlewood
1996:432)
Figure 1 shows the relationship and the overlap of the domain areas of autonomy.
Linguistic creativity is clearly related to a person‟s autonomy as a communicator. Because of
its facility to express of personal meaning, it also contributes to person‟s autonomy as a
person. Communication strategies are closely related to person‟s autonomy as a
communicator, but it also contributes to a person‟s as a learner because they allow students to
deal more independently with text and social situation. On the other side, learning strategies
are related to person‟s autonomy as a learner, but it also contributes to autonomy as a
communicator, because it enables learners to increase their communicative repertoire. Lastly,
independent work belongs to creation of personal learning context. So, it contributes to
person‟s autonomy as a person. In other words, those stages have an interrelation to each
other. One stage influences another stage.
This finding is related to Benson‟s dimension of autonomous learning: language
acquisition, learning approach, and personal development (Benson, 2006). In the context of
language acquisition, autonomy involved an ability to use language creatively to
communicate personal meaning in real, unpredictable situations, and the ability to use
5
appropriate strategies for communicating meanings in specific situations (autonomy as a
communicator) (Litlewood, 1996; Benson, 2006). In the context of classroom organization,
it involves the learner‟s ability to engage in independent work and take responsibility for their
own learning and to apply active and personally relevant strategies (autonomy as a learner).
In a broader context, it involved the learner's ability to express personal meaning and create a
personal learning context or autonomy as individuals (autonomy as a person).
In the first dimension, autonomy as a communicator (language acquisition), learners
have an ability to use the target language creatively and use appropriate strategies to
communicate. In the light of Autonomy as a communicator, the learner has the willingness to
communicate using English in order to develop their language acquisition. In other words, the
ability (knowledge and skill) and willingness (motivation and confidences) are the main
component in autonomous learning and the term of autonomy as a communicator is most
obviously associated with linguistic creativity and communication strategies (Littlewood,
1996). Besides that, learners need partners in this situation. Little (2000) stated that autonomy
implies both learner self-managements in language learning ad learner self-reliance their
second language learning using and he suggests that language learning and language use are
in two way relationships. However, in the communication, learners have to participate
actively in using a second language. As Graham in Zhang Ya-ni, (2007) stated, key factors
for communication strategies include the aim of decreasing anxiety and increasing
participation.
In the second dimension autonomy as a learner (learning approach), Littlewood
(1996) stated that it is the ability to use appropriate learning strategies, both inside and
outside the classroom and it is most obviously associated with learning strategies and
independent work. Within this dimension, the learner has the willingness to find out their own
strategies in finding learning approach outside the classroom to improve their English. In this
6
case, they engage in independent work to find their own learning strategies to improve their
English outside the classroom and it can influence their learning in the classroom. In making
decision to use the learning strategy by own self is important. It can generate the language
learning process. Learners‟ strategies have been defined by Rubin in Woods (1997) that
learner strategies include any set of operations (software, media or tools in language learning
process), steps (some step to use the set of operation in language learning process), plans (the
planning of learning in language teaching process), routines used by the learner to facilitate
the obtaining, storage, retrieval and use information.
In the third dimension, autonomy as a person (personal development), as Littlewood
stated before, independent work includes the creation and expression of personal meaning in
context. He also gave a real example of autonomy as a person; the learners express their
autonomy with obtaining the foreign magazine or joining groups of the native speaker.
THE STUDY
Context of the study
The setting (of this study) is at Satya Wacana University, located in the small town of
Salatiga, Central Java, Indonesia. The subject was the students of the English Department.
They learn in the classroom on average four to five hours a day. 80% teaching and learning in
the class use English as a medium of instruction. So, English is actively used in the
classroom. This study focused on university students‟ autonomy language learning, so I
needed university student who focused learning English as a foreign language.
Participants
This study surveyed 40 university students in Satya Wacana Christian University
especially the English Department. The participants were chosen randomly by each year due
7
to get rich data from participants in different years (first until fourth year university students
who still active learning in the campus). Mack et al. (2005) reviewed that in qualitative
research, only a sample (that is, a subset) of a population is selected for any given study, so
the number of the participants was not big. In this research were taken ten participants for
each year. All of the participants were Indonesian university students. They use Indonesian as
their first language to communicate in daily conversation.
Methodology
In this research, the qualitative method was used to describe data that were
categorized into three dimensions (emerging theme). Emerging themes and descriptive
method are the part of qualitative research. Moreover, the data were obtained by participants‟
words and stories and it is the requirements of qualitative research (McKay, 2006). A
qualitative approach is one in which the inquirer often makes knowledge claims based
primarily on constructivist perspectives (i.e. the multiple meanings of individual experiences,
meanings socially and historically constructed, with an intent of developing a theory or
pattern) or advocacy/ participatory perspectives (i.e. political, issue-oriented, collaborative or
change oriented) or both (Creswell, 2003). This research explained the university students‟
autonomy strategy in language learning based on participants‟ experiences in their own
learning.
Data Collection Procedure and Analysis
This research used questionnaire in collecting data. The questionnaire that contains
open and closed ended questions was used to uncover each autonomy dimension that
university students use. Closed ended questions were to guide the participants in answering
the question and open ended questions were to allow the participants to write their own point
of view to enrich the data. From the questionnaire, all of the participants‟ responses are
8
categorized as autonomy as a communicator (language acquisition), autonomy as a learner
(learning approach), and autonomy as a person (personal development) based on Littlewood‟s
theory (1996). The analysis was also done for each category.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
I will discuss and present how the university student especially English Department
students learn autonomously in EFL context based on the data obtained. The data is
categorized based on the three dimensions of autonomy learning by Littlewood‟s and
Benson‟s theory: autonomy as a communicator (language acquisition), autonomy as a learner
(learning approach), and autonomy as a person (personal development).
Autonomy As Communicator (Language Acquisition)
In this part I will discuss about how the students learn English outside the classroom
by communicating with their friends based on my data. The data reveal that in this dimension,
learners have the ability to use the language creatively and appropriate communication
strategies to communicate to develop the learner‟s language acquisition. Littlewood (1996)
stated that knowledge and skill are part of ability. From the data, participants used their
knowledge of English and practice their skills in communicating using the English out of
class. They use their knowledge as a basis to practice their skill to communicate with others
outside the classroom. They have efforts to use the language creatively and find the
appropriate communication strategies to solve their problem in communicating using the
English outside the classroom. The data that is taken from questionnaire number one part one
show that the participants communicate using English outside the classroom to achieve that.
In their communication using the English out of class, they said that they can practice how to
pronounce, enrich the vocabulary, use various idioms, and improve their bravery using
English. The data from questionnaire number two part one also show that most of the
9
participants use the language creatively to communicate in many ways: having conversations
with others, chatting, texting (SMS), and using social media like Facebook, twitter, Google+
and etc. In the context of conversation, the participants try to communicate using English out
of class to improve their English (they want to speak English fluently). It is proven when I
asked (in the question number two part one) about their way in trying to communicate using
English outside the classroom and participant number five (5) gives his/her point of view
about that.
“Saya mencoba untuk menggunakan bahasa Inggris lebih sering untuk
memperlancar speaking dan penggunaan bahasa Inggris saya selain itu
melalui percakapan saya juga dapat melatih pronunciation saya (I try to use
English more often to improve my ability to speak in English, besides it
through conversation I can practice my pronunciation)”.
It also shows that the participants have a willingness to use the language creatively outside
the classroom.
The willingness is also other important components. Motivation and confidences are
parts of willingness. Motivation to learn English outside the classroom can be seen when they
choose their own strategy outside the classroom. They choose their favourite strategies and
they think that the chosen strategy can make them enjoy learning English outside the
classroom. Littlewood (1996) also stated that autonomy is the independent capacity to make
and carry out the choices which govern his or her action. Their confidence can also motivate
their performance in learning English outside the classroom.
The result of the data shows that some students are more confident to communicate in
written text such as: chatting, texting, and using media social (Facebook, Twitter, Google +,
and the other media social). The participants feel more confident and comfortable because
they think it is easier to use English in writing text rather they communicate impromptu
speech. The participants do not have to meet the interlocutor directly and they have the time
10
to think what they will say. Participants number forty (40) shows his/her feeling about using
writing text.
“Saya merasa lebih nyaman menggunakan bahasa Inggris dalam bentuk
tulisan karena bentuk tertulis lebih mudah diaplikasikan dan ada waktu untuk
berpikir jadi bisa membentuk sebuah kalimat yang baik (I feel more
comfortable using English in writing text, because writing text is easy to
apply and there is time to think so I can make a good sentence)”.
Easy to apply the written text seems to mean that the participant is more confident to use
English as their foreign language when the participant do not directly face his / her
interlocutor, because it can decrease their pressure and the participant have time to think
before she/he say something. With written form of communication they have more time to
think and learn about the grammar and the vocabulary. It can give them time to think more
and they can check their sentence before they send the written text. David Crystal (2005)
stated that speech and written have some difference: the spontaneity and speed of most
speech exchanges make it difficult to engage in complex advance planning, the pressure to
think while talking promotes looser construction, repetition, and rephrasing. The comment
clauses ('you know', 'mind you', 'as it were') and units of discourse (sentences, paragraphs) are
usually easy to identify through punctuation and layout. It boosts their confidence to learn
English outside the classroom by communicating. It also shows that the participants have an
ability to choose their own strategies that make them confidence to do it.
In the process of using English in communication outside the classroom, many
learners face some problems. The question number three part one explore more about the
participants‟ problem. In autonomous learning, learners as a communicator are exercising
communication strategies in a real context of communication. The main problem that my
participants face in a real communication is they often forget the word that they want to say in
English because of lack of vocabularies. The data reveals that the participants‟ strategies to
11
face this problem is by finding out the word from the dictionary, internet, and asking someone
else. Participant number thirty four (34) told about his/her experience to face this problem.
“Sometimes, I forget how to use the correct tenses or grammar and even
forget the vocabulary just looking for the words in a dictionary or browsing
using Google (original utterance by the participant)”
Sometimes, some participants do code switching and code mixing with L1, which is
Indonesian in this unpredictable moment, like the participant number thirteen (13) does.
“Saya biasanya menggunakan metode switch code atau code mixing pada
waktu saya menemukan masalah ketika berkomunikasi dengan bahasa
Inggris (I usually use code switching or code mixing when I find a problem in
communicating using English)”.
Bokamba as cited in Ayeomoni, M (2006) defines code switching and code mixing concept:
Code-switching is the mixing of words, phrases and sentences from two different
grammatical and code-mixing is the embedding of various linguistic units such as affixes,
words, phrases and clauses. Code switching and code mixing can help learner in their
language learning because of this unpredictable situation, the learner has to find another word
to continue the communication, so that the communication using English is not stagnant or
stopping. Besides that, it can help the interlocutor understand what the learner mean. It can
occur because the participants do the code switching or code mixing also with non-native
speaker. Although it is important to learn English with native speaker, as Andreou and
Galantomos (2009) stated that the native speaker‟s language use stand as the only appropriate
model for a foreign language learner and it can give practices in listening to native speech.
The participants is difficult to find native speaker outside the classroom. The further
explanation in the next paragraph.
Another problem is the participants find it difficult to find partners (non-native
speaker) to communicate outside the classroom. In communicating, the role of interlocutor is
12
important. Two way relationship or interrelationship and feedback given will make
communication run well. Little (2000) suggests that language learning and language use are
in two way relationship. From the data, almost half of students said that communicating
actively out of class depends on their interlocutors. English is not a second language in
Indonesia, so it is difficult to find Indonesians who speak English regularly, especially in
Salatiga, where the participants live. Participant number thirty three (33) told about this
problem.
“Karena di luar kelas saya jarang menemukan orang lain yang menggunakan
bahasa Inggris (I rarely find others who use English outside the classroom)”.
This situation limits the participants‟ autonomy as a communicator to communicate using
English widespread. Participants communicate using English outside the classroom only with
their friend in the English Department.
Autonomy As A Learner (Learning Approach)
In this part, data indicate that the participants are trying to find their own appropriate
learning strategy in learning outside classroom. It is important to find their own strategy,
because the learners know about their own interest that can improve their motivation in
language learning outside the classroom. Motivation is needed in the autonomy learning,
because it is one of the main components in autonomous learning (Littlewood, 1996).
Therefore, they can continually learn English as their routines.
In learning a language outside classroom, learners perform it in many ways. They find
their own strategies. Rubin cited in Woods (1997) defined that learner strategies include any
set of operations, steps, plans, routines used by the learner to facilitate the obtaining, storage,
retrieval and use information. In setting the operation, the participants mentioned that they
use certain software to help them in learning English. Some participants mentioned that they
13
use dictionary software in learning English outside the class (in answering question number
three part two). They install dictionary software to help them find the meanings of the new
vocabulary and how to pronounce that. Participant number six (6) used dictionary to help
him/her learn English outside the classroom.
“Saya menggunakan software, khususnya kamus, karena bisa membantu
dalam mencari arti vocab (kata) yang sulit dan bagaimana pengucapan yang
benar (I use software especially dictionary, because it can help me to find the
meaning of difficult vocabularies and how the correct pronunciation)”.
Besides using some software the participants also use some media to facilitate their
own learning. In answering question number four part two, they said that they use song,
movie, newspaper, magazine, book, game, novel, article and television as their media of
learning. The favourite media are movie and song. They use movie and song to enrich their
vocabularies and improve pronunciations. Some of them also mention that it can train their
listening skill too. They study through songs and movies because they thought these media
are more fun and enjoyable. After they know what makes them interested, they will
continually learn from these media. This way can increase their motivation in language
learning, as stated before that motivation is one of the main points in autonomous learning. It
also happens with participant number thirty six (36).
“Lagu dan film lebih menyenangkan, karena dengan media tersebut saya
dapat belajar bahasa Inggris dengan enjoy dan menyenangkan, dan saya
sangat terbantu sekali dengan media tersebut (song and film are more fun,
because with those media, I can learn English in enjoyable and fun way, and I
am really helped by those media)”.
Other media like magazine, newspaper, novel, and article are also used by some participants
in their language learning. They choose these media because it can be read more than once to
know the meaning of the sentences. Besides enriching the vocabulary, with this media they
also practice their reading skill. Participant number twenty four (24) improves his/her reading
skill and enrichs the vocabulary by reading newspaper and magazines.
14
“Dengan membaca koran, kita bisa mengasah kemampuan membaca kita,
seperti critical reading begitu dan dari majalah kita bisa tahu tentang bahasa
sehari-hari yang digunakan (By reading the newspaper, we can improve our
reading skill, like critical reading and from a magazine we can recognize the
daily language or informal language (in English))”.
The other media are game and television. The participants who use these media think
that is an effective way in learning English. Participant number four (4) argues that it is easier
to understand if the learning related to something that he/she is interested in.
“Saya lebih suka melalui game, karena lebih mudah mengerti kalau proses
belajar berkaitan dengan hal yg kita suka (I prefer using game, because it is
easier to understand if learning process related to something that we like)”.
The second learning strategy is deciding the steps how the learners study English
outside the classroom. After deciding the media, they make some steps to study English using
those media. In answering the question number five part two, the participants explained more
about the steps. They can learn new vocabulary and how to pronounce it, by listening the
song or the movie carefully. Participant number twenty four (24) explains about his/her step
using song and movie.
“Ketika ada lagu atau film bahasa Inggris didengarkan, dinyanyikan, atau
diucapkan, saya bisa tahu pengucapan dan arti dari vocab itu (tahu arti dari
penggunaan di lagu atau film) (when there is a song or a movie in English
that is listened, sang, or pronounced, I will able to know how to pronounce
and the meaning of the vocabulary)”.
Especially from the song, the learners also practice their listening skill by listening and then
writing the lyric, after that they find out the original lyric in the internet and check it.
Participant number thirty three describes his/her steps how he/she learns from the song.
“Saya mendengarkan lagu kemudian saya mencatat liriknya yang sudah
saya dengarkan setelah itu saya memeriksanya dengan lirik yang asli apakah
sama atau tidak hasilnya, dan itu meningkatkan kemampuan saya dalam
mendengarkan kata-kata dalam bahasa Inggris (I listened to the song then I
noted the lyric that I have listened to, after that I checked it with the original
lyric, I found out whether the result is the same or not. It improves my
listening skill to hear English words)”.
15
Another participant (number thirty three) also said about using song in his/her language
learning.
“I am listening to English song and trying to write the lyric and it helps me a
lot in listening class and enriches my vocabulary”.
Some other participants also practice it with the movie. They turn off the subtitle and
concentrate on the storyline and then search the meaning of the vocabularies like participant
number thirty eight (38) does.
“Saya mematikan subtitlenya, sehingga mau tidak mau saya harus
berkonsentrasi untuk mencari tau maksud dari percakapan itu (I turn off the
subtitle so I have to concentrate to know the meaning of the conversation)”.
Another participant‟s (participant number thirty four) strategy is set the subtitle into English
so he/she can observe more the vocabulary and grammar.
“I make the subtitle in English so I can learn more about the vocabulary and
grammar”.
From games, they learn from the English instruction in their games and from the chat box to
communicate with other users using English. As for television, they can find new vocabulary
in the utterance in the advertisement that is easy to remember and they hear it many times or
TV show or news that uses English. The participants clearly chose by themselves which
media that is suitable for them in their language learning process. Participants can sort out
which media they like, so they can do it continually. Learners decide some media and the
steps to use those media to their own learning activities outside the classroom which is
suitable to their need and interest. Learners use it in various ways, most of them want to
enrich their English vocabularies by watching films, listening to a song, reading a magazine,
newspaper, English book, and a novel, playing games and watching television shows.
Participant number seven (7) stated about it.
“I try to learn the new vocabulary that I found in that media then look up the
meaning of it in the dictionary, internet, or ask someone else”.
16
The third strategy is planning. In the context of planning, learners make some plan to
their learning. In answering the question number two part two, the participants tell more
about their plan in their language learning. They have set what they want to do first, like
register themselves to a club or private course to increase their ability in English, search or
buy some book to increase their knowledge (about grammar, speaking, TOEFL, writing and
etc.), or search some certain websites that related to their needs before they do autonomy
learning outside the classroom. In this strategy they could perform their autonomy learning
by joining English course, joining an English club, browsing in the internet, and reading
some books. Most of the participants choose to use the internet in order to search information
about grammar, tenses, vocabularies, pronunciation, the meaning of the word, and etc.
Participant number thirty six (36) explains why he/she choose learning outside the classroom
by internet.
“Saya belajar bahasa Inggris dengan rutin di luar kelas dengan mencari
informasi dari internet karena browsing lewat internet itu lebih
menyenangkan dan wawasan saya semakin banyak serta informasi yang
didapat juga luas (I study English out of class routinely by searching the
information using internet, because browsing in the internet is more fun and I
can get many knowledge and broad information)”.
The participants thought that they could access the internet every time and everywhere, they
have their own space and learn everything what they want to know. Agarwal (2010) wrote in
his journal that internet for language learning has some advantages; IBLL (Internet Based
Language Learning) provides a lot of genuine educational materials or program, games,
simulations, dictionaries, and etc, and a possibility to use online references allowing them to
consult electronic resources of grammar-check, dictionary, and thesaurus. IBLL can lead the
learner to autonomy, as learner control exercises regarding the learning process and depend
less on teacher. Language learning can be individualized, because they can use internet
everytime and everywhere outside the classroom. Learners study materials to relate to their
individual goals and to what they need or are interested in with the appropriate difficulty level
17
and at their own pace. The internet gives an opportunity for shy students to have a forum for
expressing themselves and asking questions in a certain web without meeting or talking face
to face. Only a few participants thought that it was important to go to English course and
English club, they said that it will be difficult to arrange the time between going to a course or
English club and university. It has happened to participant number twenty four (24).
“Dengan mencari informasi di internet, saya mendapat banyak informasi
dengan gratis, tidak membuang waktu, dan lebih mudah mengatur waktunya,
tidak seperti ketika saya harus mengatur waktu les dan kuliah (by searching
information on the internet, I got a lot of information for free (without
charge), do not waste my time, and more easily to manage my time, it is not
like when I have to set the time for course and college)”.
Most of the participants think that going to English course is much less important than
learning from the internet to learn English outside the classroom. So, in this case participants
choose to study English by using internet routinely. In the language learning process internet
can help participants to get information independently. They can get the information directly
to what they want to know by browsing on the certain website.
The last strategy is routine learning. Studying English routinely is important, because
they can practice English more often. From the data it can be concluded the participant study
English routinely from some media that is discussed before and it is proven when all of the
participants answer the question number one part two that most of them study English
routinely.
The data reveal that the participants learning more about vocabulary. From many
media, most of them want to enrich their vocabulary. It shows that their study outside of the
classroom is more about enriching the vocabulary. Jacobson (2007) said that vocabulary was
the knowledge of a word meaning. In addition, based on Ghazal (2007), vocabulary is central
to language and is of great significance to language learners. It shows that vocabulary is
important in language learning, because if they have a rich vocabulary, they will understand
18
the meaning of the sentences and for a broader context in paragraphs or long conversation. So
the participants think that enriching vocabulary is important as the foundation in learning
English.
Although the data show that the participants want to enrich their vocabulary, their
final goal is to use their knowledge in vocabularies to communicate. They want to enrich their
vocabulary to support their performance to communicate with others in English. Participant
number twelve (12) tells more about it.
“Saya menonton film untuk mendapat kosakata dan idiom yang baru,
kemudian saya mengaplikasikan kosata tersebut dengan cara
menggunakannya dalam kalimat bahasa Inggris dan kemudian dipraktekan
dalam percakapan (I watch the movie to get a new vocabulary and idiom,
then I apply the vocabulary to make an English sentence and then I practice it
in the conversation)”.
Beside to enrich the vocabulary and know the pronunciation, they also imitate the language
which is used in the movie. Participant number thirty six (36) also stated about it.
“Untuk meningkatkan kemampuan listening, saya mendengarkan lagu-lagu
berlirik bahasa Inggris, sedangkan untuk (mempelajari) pronounciation dan
vocabulary saya belajar dengan menonton film, bahkan saya belajar cara
mereka berdialog dalam bahasa Inggris atau speaking dengan bahasa yang
sering mereka gunakan sehari-hari, kemudian bisa saya tirukan dalam
berkomunikasi (To improve my listening skill, I listen to music which has
English lyric, while for pronunciation and vocabulary, I learn by watching
movie, I even learn how the way they communicate in English or their
speaking style in a language that they often use every day, then I can imitate
it in communication)”.
In this case, the learners try to use native‟s daily language; slang, idiom, or some utterance
that they do not get in the classroom. Another participant (participant number thirty six)
explains about his/her experience.
“Dengan semakin sering melihat film dan mendengarkan percakapan atau
dialog yang mereka (native speaker) gunakan, semakin banyak pula
vocabulary yang akan saya dapatkan terutama yang sering mereka gunakan
dalam percakapan dan saya bisa menggunakannya untuk berkomunikasi
(More often I watch movie and listen their (native speaker) conversation or
19
dialogue, the more vocabulary that I can get especially vocabulary which they
often use in the conversation and I can use it to communicate)”.
Autonomy as a Person (Personal Development)
The learner's ability to express personal meaning and create a personal learning
context is autonomy as individuals‟ (autonomy as a person) (Litlewood, 1996; Benson, 2006).
In this dimension learners improve their English by expressing and creating their personal
learning out of class, because autonomy as a learner is most obviously associated with
learning strategies and independent work expression of personal meaning and creation of
personal learning context. The learners have the ability and willingness to express their
personal meaning by creating some products of language (literary work, article, brochure,
advertisement, motto or slogan) outside the classroom.
The data from question number one part three reveal that the participants make some
products of language to express their personal meaning. They can learn English and improve
their skill to make a good sentence. Participant number thirty three (33) shows it.
“Dengan membuat karya tulis memakai bahasa inggris dapat membantu
saya untuk mencari dan memakai kata-kata yang bervariasi (by making
literature using English, it can help me to find and use various word)”.
The learners express themselves by creating some literary products, such as a
magazine article, poem, essay, song lyric, drama script, short story, dairy, and comics. Most
of learners choose to write a poem and it is proven when the participants were answering the
question number two part three. They write poems because they think it is easier and they can
explore the use of vocabulary. Participant number thirteen (13) also feels free when he/she
writes a poem.
“Saya rasa cukup mudah untuk membuat puisi. I feel free to write a poem (I
think it' is easy to write a poem)”.
20
They can express their feelings, mood, or thinking in writing a poem. They think it's easier to
write a poem, because there is no fixed rule and they are free to write many things. So, many
learners choose to write a poem outside the classroom. Besides learning vocabulary, they also
learn about various metaphors by writing a poem. Usually, they post their poem on Facebook,
twitter, or other social media. In those media they sometimes discuss their poem or get some
feedback from their friends. From the other feedback they can learn from the mistakes or their
friend's suggestion.
Littlewood (1996) also stated that personal development is an activity out of class that
can contribute to a student‟s autonomy as a person. In this case, more than a half participants
join in English club that the English Department at Satya Wacana University provides to
students, it is proven when the participants answer the question number three and four in part
three. The participants join in some club such as ED - Readers Theatre, ED - English
Community Service, ED – English Competition Club, ED-Pool of Writing, and ED – English
Debate Club. In those clubs they use English as the main language to communicate and learn
more English out of class. In each club the participants show their own ability, for example;
in ED - Readers Theatre they can learn about how to read dialogue (the pronunciation) and in
this situation they also can learn a new vocabulary from the dialogue, in ED - English
Community Service they can learn how to give speech in front of people using English, in ED
– English Competition Club they can learn many thing from other friend (the experience, the
learning, and etc.), in ED-Pool of Writing they can learn how to write correctly and improve
their writing skill, and in and ED – English Debate Club they can learn how to debate
corectly using English. All of the club can give positive effect to the participants in learning
English outside the classroom, because they can learn something (based on each club
purpose) from each club.
21
However, in those clubs some students do not speak actively. Question number five
part three tells more about it. Rather, they hear the other students. However, listening to
others speaking in English is also a form of learning. Participant number six said about
his/her thinking about that.
“Saya takut apabila salah menggunakan bahasa Inggris dan saya lebih
nyaman bila menggunakan bahasa Inggris dalam bentuk tulisan (I am afraid
if I make mistakes in using English and I mere enjoy if I use English in
written text)”.
Participant number twenty three also have the same experience, he/she does not speak
actively but he/she learns from the person who actively speaks in answering question number
six.
“Saya dapat belajar dari mereka yang aktif berbicara Inggris, bahkan dari
kesalahan yang sering di buat dan saya akan berbicara saat diperlukan (I
can learn from them who speak English actively, even from their mistake that
they often made and I will speak when needed)”.
CONCLUSION
The data show that within the three dimensions of Littlewood (1996), university
students has shown their autonomy in learning English. Having an autonomy as a
communicator (language acquisition) the participants show that they tried many ways to
communicate in order to learn English (grammar, vocabulary, formal/ non formal language)
through having conversations with others, chatting, texting (SMS), and using social media
like Facebook, twitter, Google+ and etc. In this dimension the role of interlocutor is
important. Within the second dimension, autonomy as a learner (learning approach), in this
dimension learner had their own capacity to make their own language learning strategy (set of
operation (media), step, plan, and routine). In the context of set of operation, the participants
use a certain software especially the dictionary software to help in their learning and for
media they prefer to learn through songs and movies. Based on the media which they used,
22
they make some steps how they used those media for their learning outside the classroom, as
stated before that most of the participants prefer songs and movies. The participants learn
through the lyrics and the dialogue. Most of learners want to enrich their vocabulary in many
ways. In the term of plan, the participants make some plans in their language learning and
most of them prefer internet. They think internet more useful than they have to go to English
course. Actually their goal is to use this vocabulary to communicate in English. The last
dimension is autonomy as a person (personal development). In this dimension, learners
developed their own ability by making some products of language in their language learning
outside the classroom, most of them prefer to write poem and joining English Club in English
Departmet, Satya Wacana Christian University.
The interesting finding is the use of internet in autonomous learning, many
participants prefer to use the internet for their language learning outside the classroom rather
than go to the English Club or English Course. Actually in the English club and English
course they have some teachers or mentors to guide them in learning English, but they chose
to use the internet because they can access everytime and everywhere based on their needs.
The second interesting finding is almost all of the participants learn vocabulary in various
ways and strategies outside the classroom, although their final goal is communicating with
others using English. So, as recommendations for further research are the using of internet in
autonomous learning or vocabulary learning strategy outside the classroom.
23
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ACKNOWLEGEMENT
This thesis w