Establishing Rich Language Learning Environment at
Schools:
Preparing Children to Become Autonomous EFL Learners
By:
Luh Putu Artini
English Education Department
Ganesha University of Education, Bali, Indonesia
Email: tien_miasa@hotmail.com
Abstract
This paper discusses the findings
of a Researh and Development on Rich language Learning Environment (RLLE) Model
that can accommodate young learners’ need to learn English at schools despite
the limitation of allocated time, tools and facilities. The product of the
research was a set of materials for Primary English Language Teaching (PELT)
that can help young learners progress with their English language. The
materials were exposed to grade 4, 5 and 6 in six primary schools in Bali. Literacy
test in English were conducted prior and after the 3 month-exposure was done.
The findings reveal the positive impact of the exposure on learners’ literacy
skills in English and at the same time improve learners’ willingness to learn
English at their own time and on the topic of interest. Thus, RLLE does not
only help young learners with their literacy skills in English but also improve
their autonomous learning skills – the learning that is the results of
learners’ own responsibility and motivation to learn without any intervention
from adults or teacher. The model is recommended for PELT in Indonesia as
English has now been discarded from the primary school curriculum.
Keywords: primary
English language teaching, rich language learning environment,
autonomous learning
INTRODUCTION
There
are many reasons why it is an advantage for non-English speaking countries to
equip their young generation with proficiency in English language. First, competency
in English is a strategic preparation for occupational field (Blair, 1997; Marcelo,
2010; Aina et al., 2013). One who has
good English language competency will be able to effectively participate in the
global work place. Marcelo further states “Employers of today’s global market
want people that have not only international experience and good qualification
that are recognized all over the world but also high proficiency in spoken and
written English”. Countries like the Philippines,
Malaysia. Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, etc. have done their best efforts to
improve the quality of their curriculum
and English instructions at schools.
In Japan, for example, since 1985, 30% students start learning English
at young age (Blair, 1997). This figure can be expected to increase time by
time.
The
second reason is related to research findings that proficiency in English is
correlated to academic achievement in other subjects. Aina, et al., (2013) points
out that during the process of learning a foreign language the learners develop
strategies that are advantageous for learning other subjects. Thus, schools
should establish and maintain quality English instructions to assure success in
English language learning as well as high achievement in other school subjects.
The
third reason is to do with the theory that language and culture are
inseparable. It means that when someone learn a new language, s/he
unconsciously also learn the culture of the native speakers of the language.
The impact of this is positive attitudes towards other people and cultures as
put forward by Ng and Wigglesworth (2007) who argue that English language
learners develop character values of openness, acceptance and tolerance toward
other cultures. This is why the attitudes toward bilingual education, which
involves a foreign language (usually English) has flourished in the last
decades.
The
fourth reason is related to globalization. One of the issues in the era of
globalization, that makes learning English a must, is the establishment of the upcoming
Asian Economic Community (AEC). This is projected to begin in 2015. AEC will
certainly require highly competitive human resources, one indicator of which is
ability to speak and write in English. This should be anticipated by all
countries in Asian region, including Indonesia.
In the context of Bali, where
tourism industry has been booming since the eighties (Jennaway, 2002),
proficiency in English has been considered as an asset. Tourism in Bali has
brought about significant growth in the local economy (Pitana, 1994). Young
Balinese with proficiency in English have better opportunities to win the
‘competition’ in the labor force, especially in the field of tourism
industries. This can be the main reason why young Balinese perceive English as
an important language to learn and believe that abilities to speak English
improve their chances for better future (Artini, 2006).
Despite
its importance, efforts to improve the quality English instructions in
Indonesian public schools in general, or in Bali, in particular, tend to be
limited to class activities. Most English teachers have gone through education
and trainings on how to conduct joyful and effective EFL learning, however,
limitation of time, tools and facilities, makes learning to become more
controlled. In other words, the teacher decides on everything in the classroom
(i.e. the goals, the materials, the strategies for the students to fulfill the
task, and the strategies to assess students’ achievement). Learners are
targeted to achieve better academic achievement as reflected in a test result,
not competency in the language per se.
Controlled
learning usually teacher-centered in nature. With limited resources and
facilities to learn in Indonesian public schools, teachers usually become the
only source of learning in the classroom, and a textbook is the only learning
material. This doesnot support Johnson’s (2007) for whom ideal learning should results
in permanent change of behavior. In the context of EFL learning, permanent
change may refer to cofidence in the four language skills so that learners
become active communicator in the target language. Thus, it is not difficult to
imagine how much EFL learners achieve from a controlled system of learning.
There are different opinions about when EFL learning
should start. Research in the past found that it is better to start English language
learning at young age since young learners possess flexible language
acquisition devices that make them learn a new language relatively faster than adults
(Long, 1990). Later research conducted by Schmid (2011) maintains that children
are better language learning than adults. He states ”While normally developing
children reach native-like proficiency, late learners hardly do”. When EFL
teaching and learning starts at early age and is properly practiced, there is a
potency for pertaining competitive human resources in the future (Mitchell & Myles, 2004 in Hayes, 2007).
English has been part of local content curriculum in
primary schools in Indonesia since 1994. Public primary schools could make a
decision whether on not to teach English to their students, depending on the
need of the local community and availability of human resource to teach this
foreign language. As has been mentioned earlier, Balinese perception about the
importance of English proficiency is related to the popularity of Bali as an
international tourist destination.
Parents prefer to send their children to a public school that provides
English subject or to private schools with quality English language teaching
program. With the implementation of the latest curriculum (i.e. Curriculum
2013) English in primary schools is officially dicarded from the curriculum.
This causes reluctance from the part of the schools of wether or not to
maintain English as a school subject.
This research was inspired by the discrepancy between the
government policy regarding PELT and the expectations of the local community
about English language teaching at schools. Some primary schools keep going
with their English language program with the allocated time varies from 35 to
70 minutes per week, while some others replace the program with art and crafts.
It is a common practice that in PELT in Indonesia in general, or Bali in
particular, students are mostly engaged in highly controlled activities, where
they are assigned to work on a worksheet and then teacher check whether what
they did right or wrong.
Watanabe (2009) argues against controlled learning. This
scholar points out that learning should not only occur inside the class, but
also outside of the class in the learners’ convenient time. Yelland (2006), further states that learning a foreign language should be supported by a ’rich language learning environment’ from
where children can learn without a control from a teacher. Interesting, eye
catching, as well as educating learning materials within the closest environment
of learners should be made available .
This research
developed a rich language learning environment (hereafter, RLLE) by adapting
the theoretical framework of multiple
literacy experiences (Winch, et.al., 2006). This theory
emphasizes the need for exposing learners with different kinds of texts in such
a way that they learn language and meaning at their convenient time. RLLE
materials should consider learners’
language needs, children’s learning characteristics and real life contexts for
children. The design of the RLLE should provide choices and system for feedback
so that learners’ motivation and enthusiasm to learn English can be maintained
and improved. Thus, RLLE facilitates learners to be responsible of their own
learning and decide on their own learning goals.
One
of the indicators of successful learning is it should results in permanent
change of behaviors (Johnson, 2007). This could be established when learning
occurs continuously and meaningfully. Developing RLLE for EFL learners is an
effort to encourage autonomous learning that will result in the permanent
ownership of what have been learnt. Thus, this autonomous learning in EFL is
important since learning it in the classroom only will not be sufficient for
the learners to become creative language users. In line with this, Holec (1979)
maintains that it is important to train learners to become autonomous with
their language learning so that they progress naturally in meaningful and
flexible learning context, as revealed in the following citation.
“…autonomous
language learner takes responsibility for the totality of his learning
situation. He does this by determining his own objectives, defining the
contents to be learned and the progression of the course, selecting methods and
techniques to be used, monitoring this procedure, and evaluating what he has
acquired (Holec, 1979)
When learners get used to autonomous
learning, they can be expected to develop lifelong learning habit that is very
important for the nation quality human resources.
METHODS
The research employed Dick and Carey’s
(1990) which comprised eight stages: needs analysis, instructional analysis,
learners and context analysis, setting up goals, assessment instrument
development, instructional strategy development, instructional material
development and selection, summative evaluation development, and
implementation. The subjects of the study were Grades 4, 5, and 6 of six
primary schools located in four regencies in Bali. These schools were selected
since the English teachers in those schools were previously involved in the
pilot project of English in Primary Schools (2008-2010).
The RLLE materials were developed in the
form of various texts with illustrative pictures. The materials were graded and
every week one set of materials was exposed on the display board in front of
each classroom. The content and organization of RLLE was designed in such a way
that young learners have choices of printed texts with interesting and
illustrative pictures from which they can learn words, expressions and meaning
without intervention from the teacher. The materials were displayed in a
strategic spot around the class so that students can access these with ease. Each
student was given a RLLE journal which was compatible to the exposed materials.
The various texts comprised: a) topical
vocabulary, b) everyday expressions, c) grammar focus, d) language games and e) time
for stories. These are described briefly below.
a) Topical Vocabulary (TV)
This part
comprised lists of vocabulary on the topics as advised in the curriculum. For
example, for the topic of ‘family’, the
students were exposed to the words father,
mother, older sister, younger brother,
and so on, with pictures. These words were displayed on the display board with interesting illustrative picture so that
students could understand meaning by making connection between the words and
the pictures.
b)
Everyday Expressions (EE)
This part included everyday expressions
relevant to the topics in the curriculum. For example, for the topic of Parts
of Body, students were exposed to expressions like: I have a headache, She has
short hair, and so on.
c)
Grammar Focus (GF)
This part
comprised sentences with repeated pattern so learners could internalized the
grammatical rules. For the topic of Transportation, for example, the use of
simple present tense is presented in the sentences like: Lily goes to school by bicycle. Mr. Jaya goes to work by car. Danan goes to his friend’s house by motorbike.
By doing the tasks in the GF section in their RLLE journal, learners could
their grammatical competency.
d)
Language Games (LG)
This part comprised
language learning games such as Spider
Web that were filled in by the students with vocabulary from the display;
or Hidden Message, in which students
discovered a message by using clues. This kind of game activity did not require the learners to work in groups.
The individual language learning game helps students recognize words and their
meanings as well as the correct spelling.
e)
Time for Stories (TfS)
This part
comprised longer texts, where all the aspects were put together into a story.
The story was written on loose pages. Every week, only two pages were displayed
so that learners became curious to know how the story went. The stories were
specially designed to be compatible with the topic of the English lessons.
Every week student may copy parts of the story and answer comprehension questions
in their journals.
Each learner was
given a RLLE journal where they could work on the tasks related to the
displayed materials. This made English language learning more systematic and
purposeful. Every week the learners showed their teachers what they had done in
the journals. The teacher motivated them by putting a stamp or motivating
comments.
The development of
five types of texts was based on English syllabus for Grades 4, 5 and 6 so that
the formal in-class and RLLE materials were complementary to one another.
Illustrations in the form of pictures or photos were specially created or were
downloaded from on-line resources which were properly referenced. Prior to the field testing, the content and
organization of the materials were judged by six expert judges (two judges for
each grade). The field testing involves 500 primary school students. Interviews
with students and teachers were also conducted to collect data on their
perceptions about the provision of the rich learning environment. Before the
exposure to RLLE materials, a pre-test on students’ ability to read and write
in English was carried out. After the three month trial period of display and
activities, a literacy post-test was conducted. The difference between the pre
and post test results was examined through t-test formula.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS
The first findings were related to how
Grade 4, 5, and 6 students perceived the RLLE materials displayed on their
classroom walls. Based on the observation, students were found to have positive
attitudes toward the materials. As soon as the recess bell rang, they flocked
together in front of the display board and attentively looked at every part of
the display. On the first two days, student only looked curiously at the
materials, and then on the third day, some students started doing work on their
journals. Subsequently, more and more students worked on their journals every
day. They copied words into their journals, filled in the speech bubbles with
everyday expressions or answered questions about the story. They either completed
the activity individually, in pairs or in groups of three or four. Every time
they finished one set of work, they showed it to their teacher who then stamped
their work with a smiley face.
When they were asked questions about the
exposure to RLLE materials, all responses were positive. They said that the
materials were good and interesting. The followings are citations from the interview
#S12/B4: Materinya bagus, saya suka…
[The materials are good, I like them …]
#S21/S5: Gambarnya lucu-lucu, ada yang seperti adik
saya.
[The pictures
are funny, one looks like my younger sibling]
The excerpts above indicate that the
children were at first more interested in the pictures and illustrations. This
is evaluated as positive in attracting their interest. Wherever possible,
locally relevant images were used so the students could relate to them. The
following are examples of photos for vocabulary related to the topic of Family:
 |
 |
||
Illustration 01: Pictures to introduce
Topical Vocabulary about family in the RLLE.
The strength of the pictures or
illustrations was in their close fit to the everyday life of the children who
were predominantly Balinese. In addition, both diversity of images and
authenticity of photos added to the interpretive value of textual materials.
Students’
Literacy Skills in English before and after RLLE
To describe the impact of RLLE on students
EFL learning, the results of pre and post tests on English literacy skills were
compared using independent sample t-test. The tests comprised: (1) vocabulary
(unscrambling, selecting appropriate words, filling in blanks), (2) sentence
and expressions (reordering words to make sentences, to complete sentences),
and (3) writing up simple descriptive texts.
Prior to RLLE material exposure, the primary school students under
investigation were found to have very low literacy skills in English. For
example, in Grade 4, most could not spell the word ‘Friday’ properly. They
instead wrote: Fritdy, Fride, or Frydy. This is probably due to the limited time for English in the
classroom, or the focus of learning was unclear. However, when asked to name
the days of the week in English, they did not seem to have any problem.
After three months of intensive exposure
to RLLE materials, the children’s vocabulary grew and their comprehension toward
written English text improved. Their spelling ability was also found to
improve. This can be seen in the following data.
Table 01: Comparison of
Literacy Skill Scores Before and After the RLLE Exposure
|
School
|
Literacy skill
scores
|
||||||||
|
WORDS
Before
After
|
SENTENCES/EXPRESSION
Before
After
|
SIMPLE TEXT
WRITING
Before
After
|
|||||||
|
Grade
4
|
Grade
5
|
Grade
6
|
Grade4
|
Grade5
|
Grade
6
|
Grade
4
|
Grade5
|
Grade
6
|
|
|
SD
No 1 Sulahan
|
33.6
57.2
|
43.7
59.4
|
23
50.2
|
22.4
30.7
|
38.1
45.3
|
26
40.2
|
9.3
22.1
|
39
47.1
|
25.8
40.3
|
|
SD
No 2 Cempaga
|
6.9
37.1
|
20.2
40.7
|
12.3
32.4
|
17.6
27.2
|
30.4
34.4
|
36.3
38.1
|
20
28.2
|
32.8
40.2
|
29.5
36.4
|
|
SD
No 7 Pedungan
|
26.8
40.5
|
22.8
39.4
|
32.8
44.4
|
12.4
22.1
|
21.6
27.6
|
14.4
20.2
|
20.2
30.1
|
24.2
41.3
|
28.2
41.1
|
|
SD
No 1 Kayubihi
|
26.2
46.2
|
28.8
45.1
|
22.2
40.7
|
20.4
30.5
|
22.6
34.1
|
24.6
25.6
|
28.4
29.9
|
29.1
39.2
|
28.2
35.6
|
|
SD
2 Muhammadyah
|
12.2
31.1
|
20.1
40.4
|
10.2
33.1
|
18.4
20.6
|
20.2
24.9
|
19.2
27.1
|
16.8
22.2
|
18.2
24.2
|
5.2
16.7
|
|
AVERAGE
Before
After
Improvement
|
21.1
42.4
100%
|
27.1
45.0
66%
|
20.1
40.2
100%
|
18.2
26.2
44%
|
26.6
33.3
25.2%
|
18.9
30.2
59.8%
|
18.9
26.5
40.2%
|
28.7
38.4
33.8%
|
23.4
34.0
45.3%
|
The t-test results confirm the
effectiveness of English language exposure toward learners’ literacy skills in
English. For example, exposure to topical vocabulary supplemented with
interesting illustrative pictures was found effective to improve 88.7% of
learners’ English vocabulary mastery. Similarly, learners’ ability to construct
sentences and expressions in English improved 43%. This is in line with Artini
(2009a) who maintains that every individual has a dynamic quality in learning a
new language. The use of appropriate media helps young learners to activate
that dynamic quality to learn more effectively.
The least improvement was in the ability
to produce a written short text (39.8%). Students were found to struggle to
express their ideas into a written text. This was not unexpected because
writing in English is the most complex skill. For beginner English language
learning, writing is challenging because it involves vocabulary, grammar,
sentence formation and other mechanics of writing in a foreign language. The
ability to remember and spell words is obviously easier than combining words
into grammatically correct sentences. The more difficult the textual task the
slower the improvement that can be achieved. This is understandable since working with
complex materials needs a longer time to master. This can be seen in the level
of literacy development that occurred as an outcome of RLLE exposure. From the
easiest to the most difficult; young learners found it easier to remember
words, their meaning and their spelling; followed by sentence level competency
and finally capacity for text writing. This finding implies that at the primary
school level, English texts and tasks need to be introduced in a carefully
ordered sequence of complexity so that learning progress will occur optimally.
During the three months of RLLE exposure,
learners might have gone through a more productive experience with EFL learning.
There is a possible mutual support toward learning; the RLLE supports in class
learning, and in class learning supports their internalization of concepts and
meaning in English language. Intensive
and continuous RLLE exposure combined with regular in-class English lessons can
be expected to optimally improve learners’ literacy skills in English. In other
words, formal exposure to English language learning in the classroom is insufficient
for optimal progress in English. Thus, the provision of RLLE is important. As Scott & Ytreberg (2004) point
out, formal learning of a foreign language is not enough. Supplementary
materials are needed to optimize learner achievement.
|
The RLLE exposure provides students the opportunity
to read and write in their own time. The texts and journal writing activities
positively support the formal in-class learning activities which focus mostly
on spoken language (Department of National Education, 2009). The spoken
language is introduced through listening and repeating activities, following
instructions and responding to simple questions or elicitations. The other
activity that usually takes most of the allocated time is working on English
worksheet. Students are assigned to do multiple choice tasks on grammar and
vocabulary, and then teacher checked if what they did right or wrong. When
working on RLLE tasks, students have freedom to decide on what to do. They may
start with reading and figure out the meanings of words, sentences or stories.
They may do activities of copying down, writing up or creating sentences of
their own, which builds their written literacy skills. In short, the
provision of RLLE materials in school premises can fill the gap for young
learners to acquire written English skills in a more natural way.
Based on the observation, students were
found enthusiastic and motivated to learn independently. Each student did what
they liked and was not controlled by any adults in the school community. In
other words, students feel psychologically secure because there is neither
interference nor comments that what they did is right or wrong. This, of
course, will bring positive impact to both their language competency and
attitudes to leaning. The most important
is that they are trained on how to be responsible towards their own learning.
The following picture shows the enthusiasm of Grade 4 students to read and
write from the displayed RLLE materials.
Moore (online source) mentioned the importance
of autonomous learning on personal quality development as revealed in this quotation,
“Autonomous learning develops personal qualities: confidence, motivation,
taking and accepting responsibility, and ability to take initiative. It
involves a set of skills: academic, intellectual,…”. These qualities are the
bases of character buildings that become the important issues in Indonesian
national education. Schmid (2011)
further states that autonomous learning prepares learners to become
self-directed and develop abilities to reason logically and solve problem
effectively”
Autonomous learning has been around for
decades (see for example: Holec (1979); Higgs (1988); Dickinson (1992); Shen (1993); Nunan, 1995; Dianyu, 2005). However,
it has not been addressed much in the practice of teaching and learning in
Indonesian schools. Character education becomes the major issue in Indonesian
education and its implementation is focused on formal teaching. The provision
of rich learning environment that lead the students develop self directed learning
is a more natural way to develop the intended character values.
CONCLUSION
This research has come up with a product
(RLLE materials) and an impact (improvement in literacy skills in English). The
product can be used to supplement the ‘in-class’ materials so that the students
can maximize their language learning potentials. The impact is not only on
competencies in English as a foreign language but also motivation and
enthusiasm to learn the language independently. In fact, the most important of
all is that the RLLE model potentially develops autonomous learning (i.e.
learning which is student-self directed), so that students develop personal
qualities like responsibilities to own learning, abilities to take initiatives,
confidence, and hard working.
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