PAPER ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING

“ANALYZING STUDENTS’ LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

THEORIES AND LEARNING APPROACHES”

Lecturer: Citra Kusumaningsih, M. Pd

ARRANGED BY GROUP 1:
Gita Marsella (322210078)
Josua Mahendra (322210090)
Thaniya Salmi Khariro (322210114)

ENGLISH EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

ART AND LANGUAGE FACULTY
TEACHER AND EDUCATION INSTITUTE
PONTIANAK
2024
A. Problem Analysis
English as a foreign language takes an important part in communication
system. Many people are motivated to learn English, some of them decided to
learn English. There are four skills that have been mastered by student to
enrich their English skills. In Indonesia, the awareness of mastering English as
the first foreign language is quote high. One of the skills that must possess in
English is speaking and some people think that they want to be able to speak
fluently in English. Speaking is very important since by mastering speaking
skill, people can carry out conversation with others. In this case, the students
should have the ability to speak English in order that they can communicate
with others.
Although speaking skills are crucially important, many students consider
that speaking is frightening skill and they felt anxious when speaking in front
of class, it is often report that they feel stressed and even start to freeze when
they have to act out a role-play or deliver a speech. Expand academic and
professional vocabulary needed in educational contexts. Improve academic
writing skills, such as producing papers, reports, and essays that conform to
the standards applied. Develop effective English teaching skills, including
selecting and applying appropriate teaching methods. Maintain and continue
to improve overall English language skills in order to be ready to become a
professional English teacher. After seeing the many difficulties in language
acquisition in the realm of students, researchers have analyzed several students
to ask about their language development.
The challenges that students have are lack of confidence and lack of
vocabulary when they speak in front of the class, which makes it difficult for
them to develop their learning. Even though they have high motivation and
maximum effort, they are also able to learn by themselves even by watching
videos on YouTube, or searching for materials on Google.
The teaching methods used by each lecturer in class are different, such as
the task approach method, where students are given tasks that require the use
of English to complete them. Discussion method, where students are given
group assignments to discuss and present the results of the discussion in front
of the class. From several teaching methods given by lecturers, students can
adjust their preferred learning methods.
Cultural differences can affect the way students learn and interact in the
classroom. For example, students from more collective cultures may be used
to learning in groups, whereas students from more individualistic cultures may
be more comfortable learning independently. This can affect the effectiveness
of the teaching methods used by lecturers. Differences in native language can
affect students' understanding and mastery of English. Students whose native
language is much different from English may have greater difficulty in
learning English grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. Therefore, lecturers
need to understand their students' backgrounds and adapt their teaching
methods to effectively reach all students, regardless of their cultural and
linguistic differences. The teacher plans for the whole class and makes
changes to the curriculum or resources so that all learners can achieve the
same goals with adaptive teaching.
Adaptive teaching is an approach a teacher will use to continually assess
the strengths and needs of learners and adapt their teaching accordingly to
ensure all learners can meet expectations. Technology may play a part in both
assessment and subsequent personalization of the teaching but it is not
essential. All students in a class, even those set for ability, have different
levels of prior attainment. Therefore, they require some level of differentiation
in every lesson. However, the way that teachers approach planning for this
differentiated learning has been under increased focus. The goal was to enable
different groups of students to have different personalized starting points. This
led to learners completing different tasks during a lesson, which resulted in
different levels of understanding and outcomes.

B. Theoretical Framework

Language acquisition has always attracted attention from various

disciplines, including philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience. The links
between mind and thought have been made prominently distinctive with the
theories explaining the acquisition of language. There are several principles
that are postulated for the new model. First of all, the ability to correctly parse
speech at the initial perception is universal but it is not a domain-specific or
species specific process. In the last few years, the acquisition-learning
distinction has been shown to be useful in explaining a variety of phenomena
in the field of second language acquisition.

The input hypothesis is a hypothesis in second language acquisition

developed by Stephen Krashen, which states that a language learner gains the
most benefit from receiving linguistic input that is just beyond his or her
current interlanguage, or level of grammatical understanding. According to
Krashen, comprehensible input is most likely to be gained from interacting
with another speaker of the language.

The zone of proximal development (ZPD), or zone of potential

development, refers to the range of abilities an individual can perform with the
guidance of an expert, but cannot yet perform on their own. The zone of
proximal development is a moving target. By giving children tasks that they
cannot quite do easily on their own and providing the guidance they need to
accomplish them, educators can progressively advance the learning process
 After knowing the challenges and abilities of students in language
acquisition, we can match the strategies they use with existing theories.
Krashen's theory can be combined with students who can grasp the material
quickly, with only a few basic materials, they can build the material very well,
even they can make their abilities develop rapidly with basic materials and
concepts. Krashen claims that output, or speech production, has little to no
relevance in second language acquisition. Many other researchers have
criticized this position, however, saying that more advanced language learning
and syntactic processing have to come through the trial-and-error process not
only of comprehending, but also of speaking. Language output allows the
speaker to test out his or her grammatical hypotheses and modify them if
communication is not successful.

Vygotsky created the concept of the zone of proximal development, often

abbreviated as ZPD, which came to be a central part of his theory. Language is
the way that a child communicates with others after they are born and they
continue to learn by interacting with those around them. Building on his idea
of social interaction as the basis for learning, he broached the value of a
mentor or teacher in the life of a student.

Vygotsky declared some controversial statements that went against

prominent educational research at the time. He dismissed the idea that there
was no ideal age for learning and instead introduced ideal stages for learning,
a similar opinion as Piaget. He also explained that the cognitive growth
increased less for students with a higher intelligence than a lower intelligence
when they entered school. He coined this term relative achievement, a method
that highlights the departure point of student learning and not just the end
result. This led Vygotsky into the idea of the ‘zone of proximal development,’
as it assessed the change in cognitive development of students and not just the
final outcome. Students benefit directly from the social interactions in class,
and ideally, reach their learning potential with the help of their teacher.

To summarize, students require many opportunities to demonstrate their

point of learning in order for the teacher to create the next steps and support
each need. The gradual release of responsibility, which we know as
scaffolding, allows students to gain independence in learning tasks as they
reach their goals. The teacher begins by offering a strong presence and close
guidance; this may include demonstrations, facilitating activities, or explicit
teaching of ideas. As the student moves through the zone of proximal
development towards the goal, the teacher gradually releases control to the
student as they approach their level of potential learning. The tasks become
progressively more difficult as the student gains more knowledge and comes
closer to reaching their potential level of cognitive development. Some
suggest that all tasks should be on the higher end towards the optimal level of
the zone of proximal development in order to main the interest of the student.
Scaffolding is used as a tool to achieve the potential learning outcomes of a
student.
 Currently, the value of educational software has been inconsistent in
relation to Vygotsky’s theory. As there is such a broad variance in computer-
based programs available, it is challenging to evaluate its effect on learning.

C. Solution Generation

In the growing digital era, English language learning is entering a new

phase with the utilization of technology as the main tool. In this context, it is
important to explore effective English language learning strategies in the
digital era to ensure a meaningful and successful learning experience for
students. One of the emerging strategies is the utilization of online learning
apps and platforms. Apps such as Duolingo, Babbel and Rosetta Stone provide
interactive and structured learning, allowing learners to learn anytime and
anywhere. Online learning platforms such as Google Classroom and Moodle
also provide a space for teachers to efficiently deliver materials, assignments
and feedback to students.

Not only that, social media is also a useful tool in language learning. Study
groups on Facebook, discussion forums on Reddit, and specialized hashtags
on Twitter facilitate interaction between learners and allow them to share
resources, experiences, and knowledge about English Study. Overall, effective
English language learning strategies in the digital era utilize technology as a
tool to enhance the interactivity, relevance and flexibility of learning. By
combining traditional approaches with technological innovations, English
language learning can become more engaging, effective and inclusive for all
students.
Constructivism is a learning theory developed by philosophers and
psychologists such as Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. It stems from the belief
that students are actively engaged in learning, and they construct their own
understanding through interaction with new information and prior knowledge.
The constructivism approach argues that students do not just receive
knowledge from teachers or textbooks, but they also actively construct their
own knowledge. This knowledge construction process involves students'
cognition in connecting new information with the knowledge that already
exists in their minds.
The constructivism approach emphasizes the active role of students in
learning. Teachers are not the only source of knowledge, but they act as
facilitators who assist students in building their own understanding. Student-
centered learning encourages active participation, reflection and problem
solving.
The application of constructivism approach in learning can be done
through project-based learning. Students are assigned a project that involves
research, collaboration and problem solving. Through this project, students
can build their understanding of the topic studied and acquire critical thinking
skills. The constructivism approach helps students in building a deeper
understanding of the concepts learned. By actively involving students in the
learning process, they can link new knowledge with prior knowledge, thus
strengthening their understanding. Constructivism approach involves students
in critical thinking process.
In the context of modern education, constructivism is a relevant approach
and provides significant benefits for student development. Therefore, effective
education should pay attention to and apply the principles of constructivism in
the learning process.

D. Attachment
Students’ profile of interview
Name: Serafina Yusta Andaresta
Student ID:322310048
Her motivation in improving English is very big, she can also find her own
material from online media. although she has a weakness in speaking but the
value of other skills is very satisfying, no wonder if she is very active in class.

Name: Akmal Anugerah Riyadi

Student ID: 322210073
 Akmal is a cheerful student who is also very active in class, he also has a
strong determination to learn more about English, before college he had
attended private English lessons for several months.