Teachers’ Beliefs on Teaching English in Elementary School

THESIS

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements for the Degree of

Sarjana Pendidikan

Melawati Sugiyanto

112009136

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

SATYA WACANA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

SALATIGA

2013

i

Teachers’ Beliefs on Teaching English in Elementary School

THESIS

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements for the Degree of

Sarjana Pendidikan

Melawati Sugiyanto

112009136

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

SATYA WACANA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

SALATIGA

2013

ii

Teachers’ Beliefs on Teaching English in Elementary School

THESIS

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements for the Degree of

Sarjana Pendidikan

Melawati Sugiyanto

112009136

Approved by:

iii

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Name : Melawati Sugiyanto

Student ID Number : 112009136

Study Program : English Language Teaching Department

Faculty : Language and Literature

Kind of Work : Undergraduate Thesis

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right for my intellectual property and the contents there in entitled:

Teachers’ Beliefs on Teaching English in Elementary School

along with any pertinent equipment.

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Made in : Salatiga

Date : June 20th

, 2013

iv

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This thesis contains no such material as has been submitted for examination in any course or

accepted for the fulfillment of any degree or diploma in any university. To the best of my

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Copyright@ 2012 Melawati Sugiyanto and Prof. Dr. Gusti Astika, MA.

All rights reserved. No part of this thesis may be reproduced by any means without the

permission of at least one of the copyright owners or the English Department, Faculty of

Language and Literature, Satya Wacana University, Salatiga.

Melawati Sugiyanto :

1

Teachers’ Beliefs on Teaching English in Elementary School

Melawati Sugiyanto

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze the teachers beliefs’ on teaching English in elementary

school. The research participants were 10 elementary school English teachers in Salatiga. The

data were collected using a semi-structured interview which allowed the participants to share

their thought and experiences in English teaching and learning for young learners. The results

of this study reveals that the teachers believed English is important nowadays. They did not

agree about an issue of ommitting English in elementary school. Thus, they believed that

English should be learned as soon as possible. The teachers believed that they should

consider the characteristics of young learners in teaching learning English and their

psychological factors. Thus, most teachers believed that teaching and learning of English

should be fun. They used some techniques to make the teaching learning fun, for example by

using pictures, videos, songs, etc. They also used teaching procedures in their teaching.

Keywords: Elementary School, Teachers’ beliefs, English teaching and learning, Young

learners

Introduction

In this introduction, there are several aspects to be explained which include the reason

why the study is conducted, the aim of the study, and contributions that this study might give

to teachers in learning and teaching of English for young learners.

Recently, the growth of Teaching English for Young Learner (TEYL) has arisen.

English which is a foreign language and also as an international language taught in Indonesia

has a big role around the world. Therefore, teaching English for young learners is also a

trend. Many parents send their children to schools that offer English as a subject.

According to Karani (2008), English as a local content subject can be effective if

there are supports, such as: teachers, teaching material, methodology, and teaching media.

Those supports are related to each other to make the teaching and learning English sucessful.

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In other words, if one of the supports is not involved, English will be less effective. For

example, my nephew experienced learning English that was taught by using conventional

methods such as drilling and repeating vocabulary. Because of those methods, my nephew

were not interested in the lesson. Related to Karani’s idea, it indicates that his teacher’s

methods do not run effectively. In this case, by conducting study about teachers’ belief on

teaching English in elementary school, teachers can have knowledge on how to deliver the

material to young learners. Furthermore, researchers have shown that teachers beliefs has a

big role in organizing their classroom teaching and decision making in their classroom

practices (Richards, 1998).

With the above considerations in Teaching English for Young Learners (TEYL), one

research question addressed in this study is what the teachers’ beliefs are in teaching English

at elementary school. This study aims at investigating the teachers’ beliefs in the teaching

English for young learners at elementary schools. It focuses on teachers’ beliefs in teaching

and learning of English at elementary school nowadays and how English is taught to young

learners. It is expected that the study would provide knowledge about the teachers’ beliefs in

teaching and learning of English at elementary school. It seeks some information about the

teachers’ awareness toward the role of English and how that awareness affects their teaching

since they have a big role in teaching and learning of English. The results would give

benefits to the teachers on how to deliver the materials to young learners.

Literature Review

Many theories of the characteristics of young learners, the definition of beliefs, and

teachers’ beliefs and its influence of teaching and learning English are discussed in this

literature review. In addition, some opinions related to the researcher’ ideas will be involved.

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Nowadays, the number of children who learn English has increased. Pinter (2006)

said that in primary schools in many countries around the world, English has been taught to

children since they are still young. Teaching English for young learners become a trend

because children have to learn English to face the globalization era in which English is an

International Language. It means that English is seen as the language that should be acquired.

Moreover, Muro and Kottman (1995) say that children have a high capability when they learn

a foreign language (English) in primary school.

In teaching and learning of English for young learners, the age of the students is a

major factor for teachers in deciding about how and what to teach. People of different ages

have different needs, competencies, and cognitive skills. According to Scoot and Ytreberg

(1991), an elementary school usually consists of students from seven to twelve years old who

are enthusiastic to know and learn everything. They construct their physical knowledge about

their environment through the use of their sense to perceive object properties. Furthermore,

based on Piaget’s stages of cognitive development, children at approximate seven to eleven

years old are in the stage of concrete operations. In this stage, children start to give reasons,

but the ability is based on tangible objects and direct experiences (Wadsworth, 1979).

Brown (2001) points out that young learners’ characteristics are really important to be

noticed in order to conduct a successful teaching and learning. He states that young learners

are easily engaged with physical activities that capture their immediate interest. They like

activities that are interesting and fun. The sensory aids are really helpful to internalize the

concepts. In addition, they have a big sense of humor and curiosity. Consequently, the

teachers should consider young learners’ characteristics in order to achieve the learning

goals.

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The Definition of Beliefs

Pucta (1999) says that beliefs are guiding principle of people behaviors. He explained

that belief is like cause and effect, so it is sort of how people react or act about something. In

the number of studies, the definition of beliefs itself is provided even though researchers do

not seem to have reached the same agreement about the meaning of beliefs. Because of its

lack of agreement, it may be difficult to produce a certain set of meaning as a clear definition.

Pajares (1992) states that, “defining beliefs is at best a game of player’s choice” (p. 309).

Furthermore, he provides a broad list of words that can be found in the literature as a

reference of beliefs as follows; attitude, values, judgments, axioms, opinions, ideology,

perceptions, conceptions, conceptual systems, preconceptions, dispositions, implicit theories,

explicit theories, personal theories, internal mental processes, action strategies, rules of

practice, practical principles, perspectives, repertories of understanding, and social strategy

(p. 309)

The followings are some definitions of beliefs. Cabaroglu and Roberts (2000), define

beliefs as “a set of conceptual representations which signify to its holder a reality or given

state of affairs of sufficient validity, truth or trustworthiness to warrant reliance upon it as a

guide to personal thought and action” (p. 388). Huang (1997) views beliefs about language

learning as preconceptions language learners have about the task of learning the target

language. Kunt (1997) and Wang (1996) use the terms opinions and ideas or views to refer to

beliefs. Therefore, beliefs are opinion, judgement, valued, etc that affect on people’s desicion

about something.

Teachers’ beliefs and Its influence of Teaching and Learning English

Researchers’ interest in beliefs about language learning is not limited only to language

learners. Several studies have investigated beliefs about the language learning of both in-

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service and pre-service teachers. The studies point out about two findings, the first is about

how the teachers deliver the material and the second is focused on how teachers create a

relaxed learning atmosphere for students. Firstly, the finding related to teachers’ beliefs,

(Caner, Kara & Subasi,2010) show that teachers preferred using various ways, such as

playing games and puzzles, singing and listening to the musics, participating in creative

movement. Secondly, another study came from a research (Burns, Copland, &Garton, 2011)

showed that instead of using AVA, the teachers also gave courage to the students in learning

English. Besides, Wang (2008) reveals that teachers who were involved in the teaching and

learning of English in primary school often make a great effort to create a comfortable and

attractive learning environment, such as maps, posters, pictures and children’s own work. The

learners were given frequent encouragement and praise. However, the praise generally

involved only a few expressions: very good, wonderful, marvelous, brilliant. Thus, the

teachers also should pay attention with students’ psychological factors.

Meanwhile, Johnson (1992) points out that research on teachers’ beliefs and its

influences share three basic assumptions. The first assumption is perception and judgment

which, in turn, affects what teachers say and do in classrooms. The second assumption is a

critical role in how teachers learn to teach that is, how they interpret new information about

learning and teaching and how that information is translated into classroom practices. It

implies that teachers have their own value on how they transferred the material to the

students and how the language learning should be undergone. Then, the last assumption is

improving teaching practices and professional teacher preparation programs.

Additionally teachers’ belief systems, including their attitudes, values, expectations,

theories, and assumptions about teaching and learning, are considered a primary source of

teachers’ classroom practices. These beliefs are usually guided by a number of factors, such

as: their own experience as learners in classrooms, prior teaching experience, classroom

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observations they were exposed to, and their previous training courses at school (Richards,

1998). Furthermore, a lot of literature on teacher education has suggested that teachers’

beliefs affect their teaching practices and instructional decisions in the classroom (Donoghue,

2003).

Beliefs play a role in teachers’ decisions, judgements and behaviors which have

strong affective connotations. Beliefs are also associated with powerful beliefs and feelings

about what the right ways of teaching are rooted in past life experiences (Connelly

&Clandinin, 1986; Wood, 1996). It indicates that teachers can have some their own teaching,

for example their educational philosophy, teaching strategies, method and techniques, etc.

In fact, teachers’ beliefs have already been classified into various sets of categories by

some researchers. William and Burden (1997) divide their discussion of teachers’ beliefs into

three areas namely about language learning, about learners, and about themselves as language

teachers. This study focuses on the teachers’ beliefs about the language learning process and

the learners as young learners. The focus was on how teachers conceptualized their teaching

in English classroom and decided the best strategy to teach materials and motivate the

students to achieve the learning objectives, so it could be seen how their personal values were

applied in English teaching and learning process.

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The Study

Method

This is a descriptive study which aimed at investigating teachers’ beliefs in teaching

and learning of English for young learners at elementary school. The data were gathered

through interviewing ten teachers in several elementary schools in Salatiga.

Participant

The participants in this study were ten elementary schools’ teachers of five schools in

Salatiga. They were selected based on a purposive sampling technique or criterion-based

selection (Blackledge, 2001 as cited in Zacharias, 2011). I purposefully selected a number of

teachers who fulfilled the criteria. The criteria description was : English teachers of

elementary schools who graduated from English Education Department. As we knew that

teachers who graduated from English Department had strong English background which

enabled them on how English should be taught.

Research Instrument

A semi-structured interview technique was used to obtain data to answer the research

question in this study. Semi-structured interview or “interview guided approach”

(Patton,1990) was similar to structured interview but it allows for greater flexibility. The

flexibility includes the order of the questions to provide opportunity for follow-up questions.

The questions in this study were about the teachers’ beliefs in teaching English at elementary

school. The questions focused on teachers’ opinion about English as a subject in elementary

school, an issue of ommitting English, the starting time to learn English, teachers’ techniques

on delivering material and a description of a series of teaching procedures.

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Data Collection

The data collection of the study was divided into some steps. Firstly, I sought

permission from the school’s principal. Then, I told about the background of this study to the

teachers and asked the teachers’ willingness to be the participants and interviewed. They had

their freedom to decide the time to be interviewed.

The interview was in Bahasa Indonesia because it provided greater flexibility for the

participants to answer the questions. By using Bahasa Indonesia, the participants shared their

thought and their experiences easily, so it was easy to gather a rich data from the teachers. It

also made the participants relaxed when they were being interviewed. The interview was

recorded using a mobile phone.

I gathered the data within a month, and then the data were transcribed using a clean

transcription. As stated by Zacharias (2011), a clean transcription of interview focuses on the

content of the interview. In this study, I collected the main information which was relevant to

the study. After that, I began to analyze and finished it by drawing the conclusion.

Data Analysis

The data gathered were transcribed using a clean transcription method. Then, the

transcriptions were coded. The points that emerged from the interview were grouped. The

quoted examples from the data were given to support each point in the process of analyzing

the data. The data were analyzed descriptively, and some supporting theories were included

to carry out the analysis.

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Finding and Discussion

This section discusses the elementary school teachers’ beliefs about English teaching

and learning of English for young learners which were divided into three themes namely

teachers’ beliefs on the importance of learning English at early age, teachers’ beliefs on

teaching English for young learners, teachers’ beliefs on English teaching and learning

process.

1. Teachers’ Beliefs on The Importance of Learning English at Early Age

When I asked ten teachers regarding their beliefs about English for elementary school,

all of them said that English at elementary school was very important. There were some

reasons of why English was important to be taught in Elementary school. The first reason was

: most information is written in English, for example, electronic books and information in the

internet which used English. This belief was clearly stated by teacher A, she said,

Pembelajaran bahasa inggris di sekolah dasar sangat penting sekali

alasannya karena sekarang buku- buku ilmu pengetahuan terus buku-buku

petunjuk penggunaan elektronik itu juga menggunakan bahasa Inggris jadi

lebih baik kalau anak-anak itu dikenalkan bahasa Inggris lebih dini

Another teacher also agreed with teacher A, she said,

Saya rasa cukup penting, alasannya karena bagaimanapun juga kita

menyiapkan anak untuk masa depannya mereka dan kalau melihat

perkembangannya yang sekarang hampir semuanya itu banyak

menggunakan istilah-istilah dalam bahasa Inggris. Karena kebanyakan

sekarang, contohnya seperti bahasa di internet itu seperti mengunduh atau

menggunggah itu kan dari bahasa inggris yang di Indonesiakan

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The teachers noticed that English has been used in all aspects of life, for example in

technology, education, social media, and work. The teacher has the same tought with Brown

(2001), who said that English is a tool for international communication in many areas, for

example transportation, commerce, banking, tourism, technology, diplomacy and scientific

research. In addition, because of all the teachers noticed that English would be useful in the

children’s future life, they did not agree about an issue of ommitting English in elementary

school.

As told by teacher A ;

Saya tidak setuju karena menurut saya itu merupakan suatu kemunduran

karena memasuki era global seharusnya anak-anak itu sudah diperkenalkan

bahasa inggris terlebih dahulu. Kalau sekarang saja sudah dimulai dari

kelas 4 SD bahkan kelas 1 SD juga sudah meskipun masih kosakata benda-

benda yang ada di sekitarnya tetapi kan itu sangat penting sekali untuk

jenjang pendidikan yang berikutnya.

Teacher A did not agree with an issue of ommitting English, she believed that English should

be learnt since elementary school to face the globalization era.

The second reason of the importance English at early age was the need for

communication. The teacher said that learning English at early age could give benefits for the

children. English should not be seen only as a lesson but as a means of communication.

Teacher E, for example, explained his belief as follows;

Tujuan dari bahasa Inggris itu adalah untuk berkomunikasi, tetapi yang

terjadi disini kan tidak, itu sebenarnya bukan kesalahan bahasa Inggrisnya

yang sulit tetapi gurunya yang tidak terlatih untuk mengajarkan bahasa

Inggris sebagai means of communication.

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It indicates when English is taught since they are at elementary school, they will be able to

communicate in English through a simple conversation between the teachers and the students.

The importance of communication discussed by Paul (2003) is relevant with the teacher E’s

idea which emphasized that children need to practice alot to improve their speaking skill as

well as to get “the feel” of what communicating in the foreign language is like.

The third reason, the importance of English at early age for elementary school was

useful for preparing the children to go to junior high school so they had basic of English.

Teacher F said,

Menurut saya, pembelajaran bahasa inggris itu penting karena kalau di

SMP/SMA kan juga ada kelas bilingual. Kalo dari SD tidak sedini

mungkin dikenalkan ya nanti waktu mereka di SMP pas billingualnya

kosong, karena itu dasarnya.mengenal greeting, paling tidak semudah

itukan mereka sudah tahu. Kalau dari SMA sudah, dari SMP mulai

diajarkan kan otomatis mereka untuk mengucapkan salam saja mereka

pasti gagu dan tidak tahu.

Based on teacher F’s explanation, the children could understand the material easily at junior

high school because they already had the basic knowledge since at elementary school. The

teacher believed that when English has been already taught since the children are at early

age, they can easily understand the material at higher level of education, such as in junior and

senior high school.

Since all the teachers believed that English at elementary school was very important,

teacher F added that English should be learnt as early as possible, even before the children

were in elementary level. Teacher F explained that;

Mulai dipelajari ya sejak sedini mungkin, sejak mereka mengenal belajar.

mengenal belajar yaitu dari Paud, 4 5 tahun, 3 4 5 tahun.

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Teacher F believed that English should be learnt as early as possible. In line with teacher F

statement, teacher C also agreed with teacher F.

He gave explanation as follows;

Diajarkan sedini mungkin alasannya karena otak anak menangkap sekecil

apapun dia akan tersimpan walaupun mungkin dia kelihatannya tidak

mengerti kita ngomong kita memasukan bahasa sedikit-sedikit.

He believed that children could learn easily if they learned English as early as possible. In

other words, when they become adults, this process enables the children to continue learning

because everything they have learned is internalized in the brain. The teachers’ idea is related

to what Krashen (1982) points out that age actually can be a measurement of language

proficiency. It implies that young learners are better on acquiring numerous new things in

learning a foreign language than the old one so they also can improve their language

proficiency quickly.

2. Teachers’ beliefs on Teaching English for Young Learners

All the teachers believed that teaching English for young learners was different than

teaching English for adult. As stated by teacher I ;

Mengajar anak itu tidak bisa disamakan dengan mengajar orang dewasa ya,

mereka cenderung cepat bosan mereka kan juga gak bisa terus diam

mendengarkan, jadi kita sebagai guru ya harus sabar dan pintar-pintar dalam

penyampaian materi.

Teacher I understood one of young learners’ characteristics that is they could get bored

easily. She tried to create something in order to make fun teaching and learning. In relation to

fun teaching and learning, Scoot and Yteberg (1990) agreed with teacher I. They stated that

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learning activities designed for young learners should not to be long, monotonous, and

boring. In teaching for young learners, based on his experiences, Teacher C also added;

Kalau atmosfer murid merasa terancam jadi mereka tidak akan pernah

merasa belajar tapi kalau disitu dia nyaman dan fun maka dia akan suka

dengan pelajaran tersebut. Paling tidak ketika murid mulai menyukai

gurunya maka dia kan menyukai pelajarannya. Tapi kalu suka pelajarannya

tapi gurunya tidak enak misalnya membawa ancaman, sesuka-sukanya maka

murid menjadi tidak nyaman

Teacher C understand that creating a fun atmosphere is necessary because it can affect on how

the students like the lesson and even the teacher.

Along with those statements, teacher E added ;

Misalnya saya mengajarkan tentang present perfect tense maka saya akan

berbicara tentang petualangan saya go somewhere, dengan cerita lucu, kisah

tentang makanan atau apa dan mereka excited , dan mereka akan bisa masuk

ke dalam atmosfer pembelajaran karena mereka excited dengan cerita

tersebut. Ketika mereka masuk atmosfer learning baru saya masuk ke

pelajaran.

Teacher E believed that creating good atmosphere in the class made the student to understand

the lesson. The teacher noticed that they should build the mood of students so the teacher can

easily deliver the knowledge to the students. Teacher E got the same idea with Scoot and

Yteberg (1990) who said that the good atmosphere is an important need. They mentioned that

the learning depends on class atmosphere. If the class atmosphere is boring, they will keep

silent.

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In accordance with other teachers, teacher J also said,

Mengajar anak kecil itu tidak bisa kalau cuma selalu menjelaskan materi

seperti mengajar orang dewasa, mereka itu tidak bisa cuma diam, mereka itu

suka kalo dikasih aktivitas yang menyenangkan

Teacher J believed that she could not teach the students through the explanation like teaching

adults. The children could not sit down all the time and they liked various activities which

were fun. Adults can just listen the explanation from the teacher, but the children can not do

it because they get bored quickly. Then, teacher J’s idea of the need of fun learning was

discussed by Scott and Ytreberg (1990) who suggested that teachers can not rely on spoken

words only, but they should play with the language using stories and songs and provide

various activities. Teachers should let the children to be free, they can play and enjoy

themselves while they are learning. It shows that teachers play an important role in teaching

English, especially when English is taught as foreign language. Moreover, teacher also

should think that children also learn by doing, they should teach English creatively.

Not only good class atmosphere but also praising the students is also important to young

learners. Noticing the characteristics of young learners, teacher B added ;

Jadi kita sebagai guru ya harus praise student,sehabis dia menjawab atau

melakukan sesuatu, ya kita bilang good atau awesome. Soalnya anak kecil

kan juga perlu dihargai ketika mereka menjawab dengan benar, meskipun

belum benar ya kita tetap harus praise students, soalnya mereka berani

menjawab. Kalo salah kita malah memarahinya malah itu akan bikin mereka

down dan tidak suka pelajarannya.

Teacher B believed that praising the student is very important because it can bring positive

result in learning. Likewise the teacher B’s idea, the need of praising students was also said

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by Kinsvatter (1992). He suggested that teachers of young learners must praise students who

answer correctly , the role of praise can bring positive results in learning. So, Claiming that

praise can bring postive results in learning.

3. Teachers’ Beliefs on English Teaching and Learning Process

All the teachers in this study believed that the language learning process at elementary

school should be taught in fun way. For example, teacher B explained her belief of how

English should be learnt as follows;

Bahasa Inggris harus diajarkan dengan fun, drilling pun harus diajarkan

dengan fun. Alasannya kalau anak-anak tertekan saya kasian saja,orang

yang tidak tertekan saja mereka masih apa itu? , dengan keadaan yang

menyenangkan, memang harus extra energi untuk mengajarkan bahasa

Inggris.

In line with the statement above, the teachers should equip themselves with many kinds of

teaching techniques so that the teaching and learning process will be fun and success. There

were some techniques that was used by the teachers to deliver fun teaching learning of

English for elementary students.

The first technique is using pictures, As teacher H’s explained based on his

exeriences;

Kalau untuk yang misalkan tentang feeling itu tadi. Mereka saya beri

picture dulu, jadi misalkan mereka melihat ada berbagai macam

expresi, ada seneng, ada sedih...

Teacher H believed that the use of pictures was useful in teaching young learners. The belief

of teacher H about the benefit of using pictures was clearly stated by Wright (2007) who said

that pictures as a visual representation of mind can better affect students in a learning

language.

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The second technique is using videos, based on teacher B’s experiences, in the

interview teacher B said,

Contohnya video, saya mengkosepkan yang namanya perkalian dan

pembagian nah disitu saya tidak akan mengajarkan how to divide how

to multiply saya coba mendownload dari youtube dengan membagi

sederhana pakai video cartoon.

In line with teacher B, teacher C also used video to deliver the material;

Kalau video kan kita punya kaset seperti kartun dora the explorer nah

disitu anak-anak diajarkan tentang vocabulary, dan juga ketika

peristiwa alam seperti gunung meletus atau menetasnya telur maka akan

mudah dipahami dengan melihat dan mendengar juga.

Both of the teachers have a similiar idea to Hathering & Parke (1999) who revealed that the

use of a video program is valuable in helping children to understand educational and

generalize their environment. In this program, children will watch many activities they

usually do everyday. It can be fun for children because it is interesting for them. With

colorful and interesting pictures to see, it can help children to keep their attention to the

lesson.

The third technique is using realia, As told in the interview, based on teacher C’s

experiences;

Kalau anak SD mungkin bukan cuma pictures tapi realia juga yang bisa

dipegang dan bisa dilihat, bisa dirasakan itu akan lebih cepat masuknya

contohnya : mengajarkan rasa, cabe itu pedas misalnya kita bawa cabai ke

kelas oh ini yang namanya cabai dalam bahasa Inggris nah mereka bisa

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pegang itu oh iya ini cabai, cabai itu kayak gini, dalam bahasa Inggris , terus

it’s hot coba kalian cicipi, oya pedas.

Instead of using pictures, the teacher noticed that the students needed to know, see, feel, and

touch what they learned so the students could enjoy the materials given by the teacher.

Teacher C’s thought about the benefit of using realia was stated by Gower, et al (2005). They

suggested that, it is better to use real things rather that rely on wordy explanations and

discussions. Furthermore, concrete items can create the teaching-learning activity more

enjoyable and lively.

The fourth technique is using songs, based on teacher B’s experiences, in the

interview she explained;

Saya create a song, ya mungkin ada lagu mana terus saya buat sendiri

atau kadang kadang saya buat sendiri, nada-nadanya buat sendiri itu juga

ada. Misalnya kemaren belajar on diatas in di dalam, itu kan gak ada lagu

dimana-mana. Saya mengarang saja. Anak-anak kalau dengan lagu dan

dengan gerak mereka lebih cepat nyantol.

In line with teacher B, teacher E also used songs :

Menggunakan song salah satunya twinkle, twinkle little star, yang pasti

harus disesuaikan dengan topiknya.

Teacher B and teacher E believed by using songs, the students could absorb the material

quickly. Two of them agree with what Paul (2003) claimed that the use of songs in language

teaching can add the emotion and rhythm and draw extra children’s attention intensly to the

lesson. Songs and musics can be used effectively in the classroom with learners from all ages

and levels as they have dynamic, motivating effects within the classroom.

18

The fifth technique is using games, teacher B said that;

Games dengan contoh hang man, untuk penguasaan vocab kan sangat

membantu, spelling. Dan binggo, saya buat kotak yang isinya 25 atau 30

dibagi tiga tiga kita buat besar seperti tabel perkalian,kalau ada kelompok

memberikan jawaban benar maka mereka akan mendapat satu bintang...

Teacher B believed that games were one of techniques to teach English in fun way. Games let

the students to compete among the others when they played the game. She noticed that games

are one of tools to make students get not bored when they deliver the material since the

students are young learners. In accordance with teaching English in fun way, Crookal and

Oxford (1990) who have the same idea as teacher B, explained that games can encourage

good learning strategies because of several reasons. First, by considering one of

characteristics of games that is providing active participation and the uses of four language

skills such as speaking, listening, writing, and reading. Furthermore, games can develop

communicative competence. Second, games will motivate learners to be more enthusiastic

and active in the learning proccess because they are challenged to do certain activities.

The sixth technique is using short stories, this statement was based on Teacher G’s

experiences:

Selain itu reading, membaca short story, mereka sudah mulai kaya reading

comprehension, memberi karakternya kenapa disitu, messagenya apa dari

fable itu. Ya walaupun story nya masih sedikit-sedikit tapi minimal mereka

sudah mulai.

Teacher G believed that short stories could make the students got in their imagination and

linked to the real world. In along with teacher G’s statement on the use of short stories,

according to Bachrudin (2003), stories give some advantages for children, stories are

19

motivating and fun. They create a desire in children to continue learning, build the

imagination of the children, help them to develop their own creative powers, and link fantasy

with real world.

Furthermore, the techniques are used by the teachers in their teaching procedures.

Teacher A explained her steps in a series of teaching and learning ;

Saya pertama-tama menyapa murid, lalu pemanasan dengan menyanyikan

lagu “Good morning, how are you ? “ setelah itu saya mengejarkan

vocabulary tentang benda-benda yang ada disekitar kelas. Saya list dulu

vocabulary yang diajarkan, misalnya whiteboard, eraser, dan lain-lain.

Setelah itu saya membuat teka- teki silang, lalu setelah itu saya menyuruh

murid untuk maju. Menuliskan vocab sesuai gambar yang ada di teka-teki

silang. Yang terakhir saya mencoba mengevaluasi murid dengan

menayakan vocabulary yang telah dipelajari

It indicated that teacher A used some steps to manage the material, so the lesson taught could

go well.

In line with teacher A, teacher J explained her steps in a series of teaching learning;

Saya menyapa siswa, menunujukkan beberapa gambar dan meminta

murid untuk menebaknya seperti menunjukkan gambar orang yang

sedang menyapu, menutup pintu dan menyiram bunga. Setelah itu

bertanya bagaimana cara mengungkapkan permintaan dalam bahasa

inggris dan menjelaskan pertanyaan tersebut. Saya meminta 5 orang

murid untuk satu per-satu melakukan permintaan dari saya, contohnya “

could you open the door, please? lalu meminta beberapa anak untuk maju

20

ke depan dan memberi perintah ke teman yang lain. Sebelum menutup

pelajaran, saya bertanya apakah ada pertanyaan atau tidak.

Both teachers used teaching procedures which were pre-teaching, whilst teaching, and

post teaching. For example, from the interview with teacher J, we could clearly see that in

pre-teaching, the teacher greeted the students and asked questions about the topic learnt.

Then, the teacher presented the topic and gave some activities in the whilst teaching such as;

giving example about the topic and explaining it, and asking some students to practice what

the teacher had explained to them about the topic. At last, in the whilst teaching, the teacher

would end the lesson by concluding what the students had learnt. It can be seen through

asking questions before ending the lesson whether the students had any questions or not.

Conclusion

This study has discussed the teachers’ beliefs in teaching English at elementary

school. According to the research results, the teachers believed that childern should learn

English as early as possible. This belief is related to the importance of English in

globalization era that used in all of the aspects of life. Furthermore, learning English since

early age can give benefits to the children when they enter world’s work in the future. In

teaching young learners, the teachers should notice young learners’ characteristics in order to

archieve the learning goals. Thus, the teachers should deliver the materials in fun way. The

teachers should use some techniques in order to make the lesson fun, for example by using

pictures, videos, songs and etc. Because of children can easily get bored, the use of AVA is

useful to get young learners’ attention in order to make teaching and learning success.

There are two limitations in this study. The first, this study focused on teaching

context in Salatiga. Second, this study involved a small number of participants. Further

21

research can involve more participants to cover more issues in teachers’ beliefs. I would

suggest that further research needs to be look at what teachers’ beliefs between teachers who

graduate from English Department and who are not graduate from English Department in

teaching English at elementary school. The purpose of this study is to compare the beliefs

between the teachers who are graduate from English Department and who are not.

22

Acknowledgement

All my best I give to Allah SWT so I can finish this study in time by His plan. This thesis

would not have been possible without the support of many people. I wish to express my

gratitude to my supervisor, Prof. Dr. Gusti Astika, MA. who was abundantly helpful and

offered invaluable assistance, support and guidance. Deepest gratitudes are also due

Athriyana S. Pattiwael, M.Hum. without whose knowledge and assistance this study would

not have been completed. I would like to thank to the English elementary school teachers in

Salatiga who were willing to share all their thought, experiences and knowledge to support

this thesis. I also wish to express my love and gratitude to my beloved families for their

understanding & endless love. Special thanks also go to all my friends who also support me

by their prayers, especially to Wida, Yuyun, and Maria who gave me some advice for my

thesis revision.

23

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Appendix A

List of questions for the interview

1. Bagaimana pendapat anda tentang pelajaran Bahasa Inggris untuk anak di Sekolah

Dasar?

2. Bagaimana pendapat anda tentang issue penghapusan pelajaran Bahasa Inggris untuk

anak di Sekolah Dasar?

3. Menurut anda, kapan sebaiknya Bahasa Inggris mulai dipelajari? Mengapa demikian?

4. Bagaimana teknik/strategi anda dalam mengajarkan Bahasa Inggris kepada anak SD?

5. Deskripsikan rangkaian pembelajaran dalam satu jam pelajari? Aktivitas apa saja

yang di kelas?

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Appendix B

Teacher Item

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5

A

Penting sekali karena buku-buku telah menggunakan bahasa Inggris

Kemunduran, era global harusnya anak-anak sudah diperkenalkan dengan bahasa Inggris

Mulai SD sudah bagus

Untuk jenjang pendidikan berikutnya anak akan terbiasa menggunakan bahasa Inggris

Lagu Gambar Karena lebih menarik

Menyapa murid List vocabulary Membuat teka-teki

silang Menyuruh anak

maju Menuliskan vocab

sesuai gambar Menanyakan

vocabulary yang telah dipelajari

B

Lebih baik, untuk persiapan mereka saat dewasa

Karena semua informasi disebarkan dalam bentuk bahasa Inggris

Tidak setuju, karena akan mengalami kemunduran

Sedini mungkin Pada tahap itu

akan mudah menyerap bahasa

Lagu Video Games Sebagai guru harus

praise the setudent ketika menjawab pertanyaan

menyapa saya membwa

barang-barang seperti boneka untuk mengajar preposition

saya membuat lagu untuk latihan biar anak lebih nyantol

karena, bahasa inggris harus diajarkan dengan fun, kasian kalau anak-anak tertekan

mengajar bahasa Inggris harus dengan extra

27

energi

C

Perlu, sebagai alat komunikasi internasional

Tidak setuju, karena alasan bahasa Inggris ditiadakan untuk meningkatkan kecintaan terhadap bahasa nasional sedikit tidak relevan

Sedini mungkin Anak akan cepat

mengerti pola-pola dalam bahasa Inggris

Gambar Realia, berinteraksi

dengan benda yang nyata

Menyapa Picture untuk

ditempel dengan tema “part of the body”

Membentuk group, untuk diskusi dimana letak bagian tubuh tertentu

Representative dari group maju ke depan kelas

Di dalam interview guru menambahkan atmosfer perlu dijaga, karena ketika merasa nyaman murid akan menyukai pelajaran tersebut.

D

Cukup penting, persiapan di masa depan

Banyak istilah-0stilah yang telah menggunakan bahasa Inggris

Tidak setuju, karena alasan untuk memperkuat basic berbahasa Indonesia itu tidak relevan

Ketika anak sudah menguasai bahasa Ibu

Pada saat SD sudah cukup baik bahasa Inggris dipelajari

Video Gambar,dll

Topic : gardening Menyapa Diajak ke taman

uksw untuk melihat tanaman di sekitar

Fokus ke flower, diajarkan bagaimana merawat bunga

Memanam

28

guru menambahkan : bahasa Inggris harus diajarkan dengan fun supaya murid pay attention

E

Baik, karena bahasa inggris harus dipelajari sejak dini

Tidak bijak, karena bahasa Inggris sudah menjadi bahasa Internasional

As early as possible, untuk tujuna berkomunikasi

Games Lagu

Warming up, memakai cerita atau lagu

Mengajarkan present perfect tense maka saya akan berbicara tentang petualangan, go somewhere

Setelah murid excited, mereka akan masuk ke atmosfir pembelajaran, baru setelah itu saya masuk ke latihan

Setelah itu baru evaluasi, murid mengerti atau tidak

F

Sangat penting,

Kurang setuju

Paud, mungkin, 3, 4, 5 tahun

Picture game

Topic : telling time greeting bertanya pada

murid, who knows, what’s telling time?

29

persiapan pendidikan ke jenjang lebih tinggi

karena terlalu terlambat jika mengenalkan bahasa Inggris di tingkat SMP

Otak anak masih brilliant ketika masih dalam usia dini

Setelah murid mengerti, saya menjelaskan tentang penggunaan waktu

Setelah itu latihan, mereka menebak waktu dengan gambar jam misalnya

Menanyakan kembali, murid mengerti atau belum (evaluasi)

G

Penting, persiapan endidikan ke jenjang lebih tinggi

Tidak setuju, mematikan karir guru sd, selain itu bahasa Inggris tetap bisa berdampingan dengan bahasa Indonesia

Sejak 3 tahun atau 5 tahun

Kemampuan menyerap bahasa baru masih bagus

Game Short stories

Menyapa Menanyakan

bagaimana perasaan mereka jika mereka cacat (materi reading)

Memberikan sebuah cerita tentang anak cacat

Mereka membaca dan akan mengambil pelajaran dari materi tersebut

H

Penting, karena lebiih dini lebih baik

Tidak setuju

Sejak dini, mungkin pre-school

Video Lagu

Topic : feeling Menyapa Menyanyi dulu agar

murid senang Diberi gambar

30

karena lebih mudah belajar bahasa Inggris ketika anak masih kecil

karena penerimaan akan Bahasa akan mudah

tentang beberapa ekspresi, ada senang, sedih dll

Bertanya tentang kapan mereka sedih atau waktu apa mereka merasa senang

Memberikan vocabulary tentang feeling

Pada akhir materi, diberikan game

I

Penting, karena anak kecil menangkap pelajaran lebih baik

Tidak setuju, karena sangat penting untuk memberikan dasar bahasa Inggris yang kuat dikemudian hari

5 tahun, ketika masih dini akan memberi dasar bahasa Inggris yang kuat sehingga timbul kesukaan terhadap Bahasa Inggris

Gambar Video animasi

Menyapa Menebak hewan

apa? Diberikan

vocabulary berkaitan tentang part of body hewan

Dilatihan, diberikan games kecil,

Satu murid maju mendeskripskian tentang binatang : I have a leg, i have long nose

Teman-teman yang lain menebak hewan apakah itu

31

J

Penting, untuk memberikan pondasi untuk pendidikan selajutnya

Kurang setuju, karena bahasa Inggris adalah bahasa global sehingga sebaiknya diajarkan sejak dini

Sejak usia SD, usia

dini lebih mudah untuk diajari bahasa Inggris

Gambar Games

Mengajar anak kecil

itu tidak bisa kalau

cuma selalu

menjelaskan materi

kayak mengajar

orang dewasa,

mereka itu gak bisa

cuma diam, mereka

itu suka kalo

dikasih aktivitas

yang

menyenangkan

topic : request

menyapa siswa menunujukkan

beberapa gambar

dan meminta

murid untuk

menebaknya

seperti

menunjukkan

gambar orang

yang sedang

menyapu,

menutup pintu

dan menyiram

bunga. Saya meminta 5

orang murid untuk

satu per-satu

melakukan

permintaan dari

saya, contohnya “

could you open

the door, please?

lalu meminta

beberapa anak

untuk maju ke

depan dan

memberi perintah

ke teman yang

lain Sebelum menutup

pelajaran, saya

32

bertanya apakah

ada pertanyaan

atau tidak.