SLA Final Task MIRNA OKTAVIANA (0853042022)

THE COMPARISON BETWEEN STUDENTS’ INTEREST AND

 THEIR ENGLISH ACHIEVEMENT

Mirna Oktaviana

0853042022

ENGLISH STUDY PROGRAM

ART AND LANGUAGE DEPATMENT

TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION FACULTY

UNIVERSITY OF LAMPUNG

2011

I.         INTRODUCTION

This chapter discusses certain points; background, formulation of the problem, and objective.

1.1              Background

There are five motivational phases in Interest theory. The first phase is “no interest.” This is when the student has no interest in the classroom material and is not engaged in the activities. The second phase is a “Triggered Situational Interest” which catches the situational interest of the student. The teacher in the classroom must be the one to “trigger” the interest in the student’s learning environment. By triggering some interest the teacher can demonstrate several activities that focus on effective learning for the students, such as working on group projects, going on field trips, or explaining personal experiences in his or her life relating to the choice of subject topic. Situational interest on “trigger” interest can also as a product in short term changes in affective and cognitive processing. (Computer activities and puzzles) The second phase is a “Maintained Situational Interest,” meaningfulness of tasks and/or personal involvement on real world connections. With the maintaining situational interest, students would like to have meaningful and personally activities. For instances, learning through project based learning like group work and one-on-one tutoring would be very helpful in maintaining a student’s interest. This type of situational interest also focuses on how to deal with long term effects on understanding certain topics.

The third phase is an “Emerging Individual Interest.” This type of interest consists of being characterized by positive feelings, stored knowledge, and value of topics. By storing the knowledge, students are able to generate their own questions about the specific content and be very resourceful and create their own connections relating to the topic. Emerging individual students too are self generated learners. The students may also need some outside support, such as, peers, models, or experts to educate them in the learning subject. Students always need encouragement whether or not they know the material on the topic or not. The fourth phase is a “Well-Developed Individual Interest,” students with well-developed individual interest are encouraged to self-regulate their behaviors and understand the content in and out of the classroom. Students are also asking themselves questions and finding their own answers for the solutions.

Both parts of the interest theory, situational and personal, can positively influence learning. According to the article “Increasing Situational Interest in the Classroom” by Gregory Schraw, Terri Flowerday, and Stephen Lehman, interest can significantly increase learning and, therefore, a student’s ability to understand, remember, and apply the information taught. The rate at which interest in the material being presented can accelerate learning is something that, as students at one time, many of us can attest to. Someone is much more likely to absorb information that they enjoy and are interested in than material that is not engaging (Flowerday et al. 211).

Students don't always know what they want, let alone, what they need, but sometimes, a teacher wants to get the pulse of his or her class for a specific reason that will ultimately benefit the students. It's good to get feedback sometimes. Surveying your students is a great way to get the information you need. Implementing a student interest survey can help a teacher figure out what his or her students are thinking, what they may want or even need, and how they can best be helped.

1.2              Formulation of the problem

Is there any significant comparison between students’ interest and their English achievement?

1.3              Objective

The objective of this research is to identify the comparison between students’ interest and their English achievement.

II.                FRAME OF THEORIES

This chapter will discuss about definition and characteristic of ARCS elements.

                                    Definition

The ARCS Model of Interest Design was created by John Keller while he was researching ways to supplement the learning process with interest. The model is based on Tolman’s and Lewin’s expectancy-value theory, which presumes that people are interested to learn if there is value in the knowledge presented (i.e. it fulfills personal needs) and if there is an optimistic expectation for success (Ely 234). The model consists of four main areas: Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction.

Attention and relevance according to Keller's ARCS interest theory are essential to learning. The first 2 of 4 key components for learners, attention and relevance can be considered the backbone of the ARCS theory, the latter components relying upon the former.

                                    Characteristic of ARCS elements

Attention: The attention mentioned in this theory refers to the interest displayed by learners in taking in the concepts/ideas being taught. This component is split into three categories: perceptual arousal, using surprise or uncertain situations; inquiry arousal, offering challenging questions and/or problems to answer/solve; and variability, using a variety of resources and methods of teaching. Within each of these categories, Keller has provided further sub-divisions of types of stimuli to grab attention, which include:

Perceptual Arousal

o Concreteness – Use specific, relatable examples.

o Incongruity and Conflict – Stimulate interest by providing the opposite point of view.

o Humor – Use humor to lighten up the subject.

Inquiry Arousal

o Participation – Provide role-play or hands on experience.

o Inquiry – Ask questions that get students to do critical thinking or brainstorming.

Variability – Incorporate a variety of teaching methods (video, reading, and lecture).

Grabbing attention is the most important part of the model because it initiates the motivation for the learners. Once learners are interested in a topic, they are willing to invest their time, pay attention, and find out more.

Relevance: Relevance, according to Keller, must be established by using language and examples that the learners are familiar with. The 3 major strategies Keller presents are: goal orientation, motive matching, and familiarity. Like the Attention category, Keller divided the 3 major strategies in to sub-categories, which provide examples of how to make a lesson plan relevant to the learner:

Goal Orientation:

o Present Worth – Describe how the knowledge will help the learners today.

o Future Usefulness – Describe how the knowledge will help in the future (getting into college, finding a job, getting a promotion).

Motive Matching

o Needs Matching – Assess your group and decide whether the learners are learning because of achievement, risk taking, power, or affiliation.

o Choice – Give the learners a choice in what method works best for them when learning something new.

Familiarity

o Modeling – The concept of “be what you want them to do.” Also, bring in role models (people who have used the knowledge that you are presenting to improve their lives).

o Experience – Draws on learner’s existing knowledge/skills and shows them how they can use their previous knowledge to learn more.

Learners will throw concepts to the wayside if their attention cannot be grabbed and sustained and if relevance is not conveyed.

Confidence: The confidence aspect of the ARCS model focuses on establishing positive expectations for achieving success among learners. The confidence level of learners is often correlated with motivation and the amount of effort put forth in reaching a performance objective. For this reason, it’s important that learning design provides students with a method for estimating their probability of success. This can be achieved in the form of a syllabus and grading policy, rubrics, or a time estimate to complete tasks. Additionally, confidence is built when positive reinforcement for personal achievements is given through timely, relevant feedback. Keller offers learning designers the following confidence building strategies:

·         Performance Requirements - Learners should be provided with learning standards and evaluative criteria upfront to establish positive expectations for achieving success. If learners can independently and accurately estimate the amount of effort and time required to achieve success, they are more likely to put forth the required effort. Conversely, if learners are unaware or feel that the learning requirements are out of reach, motivation normally decreases.

·         Success Opportunities – Being successful in one learning situation can help to build confidence in subsequent endeavors. Learners should be given the opportunity to achieve success through multiple, varied, and challenging experiences that build upon one another.

·         Personal Control- Confidence is increased if a learner attributes their success to personal ability or effort, rather than external factors such as lack of challenge or luck.

Satisfaction: Finally, learners must obtain some type of satisfaction or reward from a learning experience. This satisfaction can be from a sense of achievement, praise from a higher-up, or mere entertainment. Feedback and reinforcement are important elements and when learners appreciate the results, they will be motivated to learn. Satisfaction is based upon motivation, which can be intrinsic or extrinsic. Keller suggests three main strategies to promote satisfaction:

·         Intrinsic Reinforcement – encourage and support intrinsic enjoyment of the learning experience. Example: The teacher invites former students to provide testimonials on how learning these skills helped them with subsequent homework and class projects.

·         Extrinsic Rewards – provide positive reinforcement and motivational feedback. Example: The teacher awards certificates to students as they master the complete set of skills.

·         Equity – maintain consistent standards and consequences for success. Example: After the term project has been completed, the teacher provides evaluative feedback using the criteria described in class.

To keep learners satisfied, instruction should be designed to allow them to use their newly-learned skills as soon as possible in as authentic a setting as possible.

III.       THE RESEARCH AND FINDINGS

This chapter discusses about subject and instrument and analysis.

3.1 Subject and Instrument

The research was held on May 28^th 2011. The subjects of the research are the students of SMA 3 Metro. The total number of them is 20. Each of them fills a questionnaire about ARCS interest. There are 34 questions which represents the elements of ARCS interest.

NO	PERNYATAAN	A	B	C	D
1	Guru benar-benar mengetahui bagaimana membuat kami antusias terhadap materi pembelajaran.	*
2	Hal-hal yang saya pelajari dalam pembelajaran ini akan bermanfaat bagi saya.		*
3	Saya yakin bahwa saya akan berhasil dalam pembelajaran ini.			*
4	Pembelajaran ini kurang menarik bagi saya.	*
5	Guru membuat materi pembelajaran ini menjadi penting.		*
6	Saya perlu beruntung untuk mendapatkan nilai yang baik dalam pembelajaran ini.			*
7	Saya harus bekerja sangat keras agar berhasil dalam pembelajaran ini.				*
8	Saya tidak melihat bagaimana hubungan antara isi pelajaran ini dengan sesuatu yang telah saya pelajari.		*
9	Guru membuat suasana menjadi tegang apabila membangun suatu pengertian.			*
10	Materi pembelajaran ini terlalu sulit bagi saya.	*
11	Apakah saya akan berhasil/tidak berhasil dalam pembelajaran ini, hal itu tergantung pada saya.			*
12	Saya merasa bahwa pembelajaran ini memberikan banyak kepuasan kepada saya.				*
13	Dalam pembelajaran ini, saya mencoba menentukan standar keberhasilan yang sempurna.		*
14	Saya berpendapat bahwa nilai dan penghargaan lain yang saya terima adalah adil jika dibandingkan dengan yang diterima oleh siswa lain.				*
15	Siswa di dalam pembelajaran ini tampak rasa ingin tahunya terhadap materi pembelajaran.	*
16	Saya senang bekerja dalam pembelajaran ini.				*
17	Sulit untuk memprediksi berapa nilai yang akan diberikan oleh guru untuk tugas-tugas yang diberikan kepada saya.			*
18	Saya puas dengan evaluasi yang dilakukan oleh guru dibandingkan dengan penilaian saya sendiri terhadap kinerja saya.				*
19	Saya merasa puas dengan apa yang saya peroleh dari pembelajaran ini.				*
20	Isi pembelajaran ini sesuai dengan harapan dan tujuan saya.		*
21	Guru melakukan hal-hal tidak lazim dan menakjubkan yang menarik.	*
22	Para siswa berperan aktif dalam pembelajaran.		*
23	Untuk mencapai tujuan saya, penting bagi saya untuk berhasil dalam pembelajaran ini.		*
24	Guru menggunakan bermacam-macam teknik mengajar yang menarik.	*
25	Saya tidak berpendapat bahwa saya akan memperoleh banyak keuntungan dari pembelajaran ini.		*
26	Saya sering melamun di dalam kelas.	*
27	Pada saat saya mengikuti pembelajaran ini, saya percaya bahwa saya dapat berhasil jika saya berupaya cukup keras.			*
28	Manfaat pribadi dari pembelajaran ini jelas bagi saya.		*
29	Rasa ingin tahu saya sering kali tergerak oleh pertanyaan yang dikemukakan dan masalah yang diberikan guru pada materi pembelajaran ini.	*
30	Saya berpendapat bahwa tingkat tantangan dalam pembelajaran ini tepat, tidak terlalu gampang dan tidak terlalu sulit.			*
31	Saya merasa agak kecewa dengan pembelajaran ini.				*
32	Saya merasa memperoleh cukup penghargaan terhadap hasil kerja saya dalam pembelajaran ini, baik dalam bentu nilai, komentar atau masukan lain.				*
33	Jumlah tugas yang harus saya lakukan adalah memadai untuk pembelajaran semacam ini.				*
34	Saya memperoleh masukan yang cukup untuk mengetahui tingkat keberhasilan kinerja saya.				*