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Demotivating Factors in English Learning at Elementary School Level
Demotivating Factors in English Learning at Elementary School Level
SCHOOL LEVEL
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Research Background
this world to communicate with the other people that come from different national language
background. English is an international languages that used by many people in a lot of countries.
It is also recognized as the main language for communication with other people from different
countries and cultures. Due to the importance of English as an international language, many
people try to learn and master it as soon as possible so that they will not find any difficulties in
some efforts to obtain human resources who are able to understand and master English well. As a
foreign language in Indonesia, English is seriously learned by many people to have a good
prospect to be the community of international world. Depdikbud (1994: 1) states “English is the
international language that needs to be taught for the purpose of absorption and development of
science, technology, and arts and culture as well as the development of relations between
nations”.1[1]
English as a local content subject to the fourth, fifth and sixth grade students. The increasing
awareness of the importance of mastering English in thisglobal world seems to have encouraged
more and more primary schools to teach it.With Law No. 22 of 1999 on Regional Government,
each region of the district levelhas full autonomy to organize education for its people. The
starting from thefirst grade and even kindergartens in some regions seems to have been part of
Nowadays, Englishis not only taught for junior and senior high school students but also
to the elementary school students. Moreover, there are many kindergarteen school offer to taught
English for their children, even they only introduced English by songs. It is done in order to get
the young learners ofelementary level to be familiar with English as soon as possible. English
masteryis a goal that wants to be achieved as the target besides two other languagesnamely
Indonesian and vernacular language. In English, there are fourcomponents of language skills
covering listening; speaking, reading and writingthat should be learned by the learners deeply
and appropriately. Those four skillscannot be separated since they are integrated.
English in Elementary school is not compulsory subject but it is a local content asstated
in GBPP 1994: "English is not obliged to be implemented in elementary schools, but organized
as local content". (Depdikbud, 1994: 1) Englishis taught from the first grade until the sixth grade
as it is stated in GBPP 1994, "In the implementation of the subjects in English as curriculum
muatanlokal used communicative approach, which gives the experience langsungbagi students to
has been conducted unprofessionally. We can easily find cases which indicate that elementary
school English teachers lack professional support and opportunities for in-service training. In
addition, the current practice seems to have been guided by a very serious misconception—that
is that teaching English to elementary school children does not require the same English
proficiency as teaching English at a more advanced level. That is, the teaching of English in
primary schools has been carried out without considering the specific characteristics of the
students. Teachers only taught grammar too much, used translation without any context, and
The English provision to the Indonesian children is not based on a good understanding of
children education. Most concerned parties still hold the view that teaching English to children is
similar to that to teenagers, adolescents or adults. The provision needs no specific methodology,
no specific techniques nor appropriate materials and media. Among English textbooks for
children which constitute the existing materials, most of them are still found inappropriate and
The consequence is many students demotivated and lazy to learning English. In their
opinion, English is difficult, uninterested and bored. They have no opportunities to learnEnglish
as suitable as that they want and they need. Mostly, teacher only taught English as a knowledge
not for skill that can student’s use to support and develop their ability in the future, for example
to support their job. The teacher taught English to their students only to fullfill the requirement
more and more feel bored and less motivation to learn English because they also do not know
Another phenomenon is comes from the student’s area. In the major cities, which are
geographically then educationally more privileged, the children might enjoy their English lessons
because they have the qualified teachers who know English and how to teach it to young
learners, they have appropriate andinteresting materials as well as appropriate techniques to learn
by. The case is quite different for the children of the less privileged areas where access to
qualified teachers, appropriate materials and fun learning is almost impossible. These children
have to be content with teachers with no English or child teaching background who are hired
SDN Tamiajeng is one of the elementary school in Trawas region who faced this case.
Many students of this school feel lazy and less motivation to study and learn material, especially
English in the class. Moreover, there are several students who regard as “trouble maker” inthe
class, especially at the sixth grade. They always make a noise or create uncomfortable
atmosphere in the class during the learning process. This problem can lead to impaired learning
process and can affect other students for getting lazy learning because unsupported and
uncomfortable atmosphere in the class. This troubled student also become the reason why
parents feel reluctant to send their children to this school. They are afraid their children will be
affected and less motivation to learn if school and make friends with the students.
It is also becoming one of the causes of the declining number of students many parents
who distrust of the quality of these school are less able to educate their students. Thus, many
parents or children are less interested in school at this place. Consequently, many parents who
prefer other schools fo rtheir children.Besides, the existence of a new school in the same region
is also one of the causes of the declining number of students in SDN Tamiajeng.One new rival
school in the village Tamiajeng is MI Setia Bhakti. Many parents more interest to move their
children to study in this new school because the school program is more interesting and creative.
There are many school program that can join by their students so, it can make their students more
interested and motivated to study in this school, especially for the end of the school program.
Besides, the teacher of this school is younger and more attractive and creative than SDN
Tamiajeng who almost women and elder. No wonder many parents or children more choose to
study in this school and SDN Tamiajeng lost many students from year to year.From the
phenomenon above, the writer try to find out what the factors that can make students
From the previous study by Selami Aydin (2012) with his article entitled Factors Causing
Demotivation In EFL Teaching Process: A Case Study which investigate the demotivating
factors in EFL teaching at elementary school and What Factors Contribute to a Lack of
Motivation Among Low-Level Learners in Saudi Arabia? by Alistair Melvin (2012) which
discusses about factors that make students in Saudi Arabia lack of motivation, the researcher
tries to find out the cause that make English teaching process in the class cannot run effectively
from the student’s side. The researcher tried to looking for what students feel when learn English
and what their opinion about the teaching English process in the class that make them
For that reason, the researcher try to find out the factors that make students demotivated
in learning English, especially in the sixth grade of SDN 1 Tamiajeng.The researcher not try to
give the solution for the problem, but the researcher only give the teacher information about why
their students feel lazy and less motivation when learning English in the class. So, the researcher
hope it can help the teacher of SDN Tamiajeng to overcome their school problems, especially to
B. Research Question
In this part, the researcher is going to explain about statement of the problem. The writer
1. What is the factors that make students demotivated to learn English at the sixth grade of SDN
Tamiajeng?
The objective of this study is to find out the factors that make students demotivated in
There are two major benefits in this research, they are for teacher and for the literature.
1. For teacher
The benefit for the teacher is to give them information and feedback about what the
factors that make their students feel bored or demotivated to learn English in the class. This
information might be can help them to overcome the problems in teaching English and also for
2. For Literature
The benefit for literature is to enrich their knowledge about what is demotivating factors
that make students of elementary school get bored and lazy to learn English. It also can give
them more information about how elementary school learn English and how to teach English for
primary school.
To avoid misunderstanding what the researcher has explained, the researcher gives scope
and limitation of this study. There are many factors that can make students demotivated in
learning English that faced by students from many schools, the researcher only research the
factors that comes from students at the sixth grade of SDN Tamiajeng at academic year 2014 –
2015. The researcher not give solution for the problems but only give the information what the
factor that can make students demotivated in learning English based on the demotivating
students’ confessions.
The researcher write down the definition of the key terms to support the readers
understanding this study easily and have same interpretation. There are two key terms in this
1. Factors
Oxford Dictionary define factor is “one of several things that cause or influence
something”3[3]. From the definition we can say whether factors is something that can be cause
In this study, the researcher tries to find out what the things that cause students having
lack motivation or might be no motivation in learning English. What is the problems that can
2. Demotivating
Before we discuss about demotivating, first we define about motivation. In the simple
words, we can define that motivation is some kind of internal drive which pushes someone to do
things in order to achieve something. Based on Thornbury in Alistair Melvin stated that
“Motivation is what drives learners to achieve a goal, and is a key factor in determining success
or failure in language learning” Marion Williams and Richard Burden in Harmer suggest that
motivation is a ‘state of cognitive arousal’ which provokes a ‘decision to act’ as a result of which
there is ‘sustained intellectual and/ or physical effort’ so that the person can achieve some
‘previously set goal’4[4]. Thus, it is accepted for most fields of learning that motivation is
essential to success.
In this study, the researcher discuss about students who demotivated in learning English.
Thus, first we discuss about motivated. From Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, motivated is “having
3[3] Hornby, A S, Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English.(New York: Oxford University
Press, 2006), 524.
4[4] Harmer, Jeremy, The Practice of English Language (London:Longman, 2001), 51.
5[5] Hornby, A S, Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English.(New York: Oxford University
Press, 2006), 1616.
methodologist Tony Wright in Harmer describes that the ‘enthusiast’ looks to the teacher as a
point of reference and is concerned with the goals of the learning group6[6]. From the definition
studying.
negative or opposite meaning from motivated. Thus, we can define that demotivating is
decrease or drop in level of motivation. However, Dὃrnyei in Dr. Niluver BEKLEYEN define
that demotivation is external forces that reduce or diminish the motivational basis of a
behavioral intention or an ongoing action7[7]. In this study, the researcher discusses about
what the factors that can cause students have no interest or enthusiasm, lack or diminish of effort,
6[6] Harmer, Jeremy, The Practice of English Language (London:Longman, 2001), 42.
7[7] Dr. Niluver BEKLEYEN, Demotivating factors in the EFL Environment, (http;//academia. edu/,
accessed on April 24, 2015).