akademik (EFL )

oleh: gitri

The Difficulties of Students in Learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL)

by

The 1^st group:

Khoeriyah, Laila Nurjannah, Miyah Kusmiati, Muhammad Romli,

 Sagitri Kunti Reksa Ayu, Sri Yanti.

(State Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN) Syekh Nurjati at Cirebon, West Java-Indonesia)

The difficulties of students in learning English as a foreign language can help the teacher see whether or not her or his teaching is good. On the other hand, the teacher can also learn many things of the difficulties of student including appropriateness of technique in teaching. Assisted by observers, the teacher can collect data on her/his teaching. This paper presents a report on the difficulties students in learning English as a foreign language where a teacher was interviewed by six observers and the students were divided questioners to answer it. The question asked that based on grammar, speaking, listening, writing, reading, facilities supported and teacher’s method in delivering course. What are the difficulties students in learning English as a foreign language? Become great attention here.

Key words: difficult, learning, English, foreign language

A.  Introduction

Learning is a word that sounded familiar to our ears. Even, “learning” is the familiar word in society. According to Drs. Syaiful Bahri Djamarah (2008:13) study is a series of soul and body, to obtain a change in behavior as a result of individual experience in interaction with their environment-related cognitive, affective, and psychomotor.

As we know, learning is a process of which not knowing to knowing. So, when in teaching and learning in students found difficulty in learning a particular lesson English, this is a homework teachers in teaching methods in order to innovate the students understand what has been taught. Most of the teachers lack an understanding of psychological child in the learning process. Each child or student must have a different level of intelligence. This suggests that the difficulties experienced anything different. So this paper will try to unravel the difficulties in learning English so clearly the differences of each student in understanding the English language.

In this paper we will classify students' level of psychological difficulties in learning the four Basic English language skills, students’ constraint factors that are difficult to understand English, teaching methods used by teachers in English language teaching and learning facilities that are used in English.

By examining students' level of difficulty in learning English as a foreign language, especially the basic level that many students experienced in class VII MTsN Karangampel, can be motivated English language teachers, especially we as researchers in order to further improve the quality of self, creativity and innovation in teaching.

B.  Theoretical Basis

a)      Psychological students in understanding the four basic skills English

Reading

Reading is the one of basic aspects in learning English that is intended to be read. In this case we found the difficulties from students to read especially in read English text. Almost several students tell difficult to understand because they lack of vocabularies, they cannot get the topic. We look at their psychologist, at the first they assume that reading English text is difficult and this is suggest them and as a result reading is uninteresting activity for them. This is the teacher’s homework to create the comfortable condition for students to be able to learn reading understand as well as possible.

Writing

According to oxford dictionary, writing is procedure something in written form so that people can read, perform or use it. Many students in the first grade of MTsN karangample are feeling difficult in writing. Some of them said that they cannot write English word because they did not understand about meaning of that word itself. Usually the teacher explains the role how to write. He rarely teaches the students what are the words means.

We never say the teacher is less attention to his students in guiding learning English lesson. But, for the first grade students, teacher has to care the students’ psychologist.

Listening

Many students said that the native speaker is speaking quickly. They cannot catch what he is said. This experience happened by them when they watched west movie. But in the fact, students did not understand too with the teacher’s speaking English in the classroom. It caused by lacking of vocabularies then they cannot get the topic. They prefer to Indonesia language to English.

We found the same result research in many school of that statement. To be teacher, we have to acquire our native language, it means the teacher could handle both bilingual when teaching English lesson.

Speaking

Again, students said they have no many vocabularies to speak. The pronunciation of English is very difficult for them. They found the different pronouncing of the real sound of alphabet.

The basic Fourth, if the structure would not be perfect in pronunciation, writing and understanding English is not learned. So we will add research with grammar.

Grammar

Grammar in oxford dictionary is the rules for forming words and making sentences. Every country certainly has the grammar for their languages. It is usually learned in the schools and in the courses. Grammar is the basic of learning English. The best language is the language which suitable with the grammar. Although in truth, many people spoke doesn’t suitable with grammar. This is because grammar is difficult to learn for some people. So, they choose for doesn’t followed the grammar. It is also because the culture of society who spoke with the language they want.

In the one of case, MTs N Karangampel, we had found the difficulties of the students in learning grammar. The main problem of them is they can’t understand the meaning of each word or in the other word is because their vocabulary is less. They also clarified that they had the difficulties of learning grammar because it is so hard to understand and to remember. Some of the students felt difficult to learn grammar because they never learn it before, when they studied in elementary school. It is important to give the best method in learning grammar in order to the students.

Top of Form

b)      Factors to be difficult obstacles that students understand English

From the research, the factors that become obstacles students in learning English are:

·         Environment

It is very important when we are talking environment. Because of   the environment supports children's development in the core or speak a foreign language.

We often hear the saying "language is not science but language is a custom"
So the living environment of students is the main factor to support the students will use English

·         Pronunciation
Not like the Indonesian language, English language is not spelled according to letter. So it is a factor in students' difficulties in learning English.

·         Grammar
Pattern grammar that must be memorized, according to the students, this is the most difficult, but it can also be easy if the proper method of teaching

·         Native speakers’ speaking are too fast

There is no denying that the pronunciation of native speakers faster than the Indonesian language. In a listening , children do not easily understand what is said by native speakers.

·         Facilities

Facilities are very supportive to create a learning atmosphere becomes more developed.
The main facility is greatly needed in English language learning include:

1.      Language laboratory.

Laboratory functions as a means of learning the language commonly used are as follows:

1)      Listening. Students listen through the help of electronic devices that are available.

2)      Conversation. Students perform a variety of types of conversation.

3)      Attention. Instructors submit material or announcements.

4)      Monitoring. Instructor exercises oversight of student activities.

5)      Intercom. Students can make calls to conversations with teachers and vice versa.

6)      Text to Speech. Teachers can write text in English to be spoken in English automatically by a computer. The spoken text can be set the speed and type of voice.

7)      Multimedia Control. The software also provides specifically for the operational control of the audio files / video that can be used to provide special lessons based multimedia.

8)      Audio Record. Teachers can record sound in the form of audio files for the purposes of questions, announcements or other matters that require an audio file.

9)      Audio Control. Teachers can set the subject matter or the sound of what goes through the existing four-channel sound.

2.      Tape record

It has a function as a medium for the delivery listening.

3.      In focus

It has a function as a medium to convey the material in audio lingual method.

c)      Methods of teaching

The methods used by English teachers in MTs N Karangampel are combined. It aims to create a communicative learning environment.

d)     Facilities

The facilities used in schools MTs N Karangampel is only modest. There is no laboratory support and in focus was rarely used in learning.

C.  Methodology

The methods we use in research are as follows:

Interview

Our first step is to interview an English Teacher in MTs N Karangampel. One of us asks the questions and the other members were recording and rewriting what was said.

Questionnaire
the students were given a questionnaire each to answer truthfully within 15 minutes.

D.  Difficulties in learning English observed

Difficulties in learning English who have studied basically, only some who say that English is easy. But the fact that there are not a few students who are confused and difficult in learning English language support. As in the description below:

School             : MTs N Karangampel

Class               : VII F
Number          : 75 students

Cumulative count of students' answers to questionnaires

The difficulty’s factors of students in learning English	Agree	Disagree	Do not know	others	Total of students
Environment that is not conducive to speak English	56	4	5	10	75
Pronunciation	70	3	2	0	75
Grammar	67	8	0	0	75
Native speaker’s speaking is fast	71	1	2	1	75
Facilities	75	0	0	0	75
Dislike English lesson	7	25	19	24	75

From the table above, we now know that the above factors into students' difficulties in learning English. The teacher can improve the system of teaching in order to offset and better than what has been presented.

E.  Conclusion

Many students complain that English is difficult. But in fact, precisely english much-loved by young people today. The difficulties mentioned above are initial difficulties experienced by class VII students who feel that English is not only taught in schools alone, but also at home, in society whose system is different from school. That is, with daily life.
With these observations, I hope the teachers can compensate for what happens to students in schools especially in class VII student who just found out about the English language.

References

Djamarah, Bahri Syaiful. Drs. 2008.Psikologi belajar. Jakarta.Rineka citra

Oxfod dictionary. Fourth edition.