FINAL TASK SLA (Hardiansyah Putra 0853042016)

CORRELATION BETWEEN STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION AND STUDENTS’ ENGLISH ACHIEVEMENT IN SMP UTAMA 3 BANDAR LAMPUNG

(Second Language Acquisition Final Task)

HARDIANSYAH PUTRA

0853042016

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

TEACHER TRAINING & EDUCATION

LANGUAGE AND ART PROGRAM

UNIVERSITY OF LAMPUNG

2011

Background of the Problem

Learning styles refer to the variations in the ability to accumulate as well as assimilate information. Basically, learning style is the method that best allows people to gather and use knowledge in a specific manner. Most experts agree that there are three basic learning styles. Each individual may possess a single style or could possess a combination of different learning styles. In most cases, the characteristics of a learning style can even be observed at a relatively young age. Once people have identified their particular learning style, they will be able to identify ways in which they can adapt the learning process and studies to maximize their education.

Proponents say that teachers should assess the learning styles of their students and adapt their classroom methods to best fit each student's learning style, which is called the 'meshing hypothesis. The alleged basis and efficacy for these proposals has been extensively criticized. Although children and adults express personal preferences, there is no evidence that identifying a student's learning style produces better outcomes, and there is significant evidence that the widespread "meshing hypothesis" (that a student will learn best if taught in a method deemed appropriate for the student's learning style) is invalid. Well-designed studies "flatly contradict the popular meshing hypothesis". However, this research does not mean that individuals do not have learning preferences, or that they will not learn better if the teaching technique does not take account of these techniques, and teaching methods that provide preferential treatment to one group in the classroom is likely to produce significantly sub-optimal results.

Understanding students’ particular learning style and how to best meet the needs of that learning style is essential to performing better in the classroom. Once they have unlocked their learning style and discovered the best methods for helping them to learn through that style, they may be surprised to discover just how well they can flourish in English classroom.

Research of the Problem

Based on the background above, the researcher formulates the problem as follow: Is there any significant correlation of students’ motivation in increasing students’ English achievement?

Theoretical Assumption

Motivation is the driving force by which humans achieve their goals. Motivation may be rooted in a basic need to minimize physical pain and maximize pleasure. Motivation is give reason, incentive, enthusiasm, or interest that causes a specific action or certain behavior. It is needed in second language learning as in other field of human learning. It is a complex phenomenon and includes many components: the individual’s drive, need for achievement and success, curiosity, desire for stimulation and new experience, and so on. Reinforcement is one way to increase motivation. Positive reinforcement is demonstrated by an increase in the future frequency or magnitude of a response due to in the past being followed contingently by a reinforcing stimulus. Positive reinforcement involves a stimulus change consisting of the presentation of an appetitive stimulus following a response.

There are two kinds of motivation called integrative and instrumental motivation. Gardner and Lambert (1972) stated that a learner with integrative motivation has a genuine interest in the second language community. He wants to learn their language in order to communicate with them more satisfactorily and to gain closer contact with them and their culture. A learner with instrumental motivation is more interested in how the second language can be useful instrument towards furthering other goals.

Hypothesis

Based on the theory above, the writer formulated the hypotheses as follow:

H0 : There is significant influence of students’ motivation in increasing students’ English achievement.
H1 : There is no significant influence of students’ motivation in increasing students’ English achievement.

Population and Sample

The population of the research is research is the students of the first year of SMP Utama 3 Bandar Lampung as the population. There are 5 classes of the econd year. The sample is chosen randomly using class VIII A.

Research Instrument

The research instrument for collecting the data is questionnaire. The questionnaire contains 10 questions that each of them ask students about things relate with their learning in order to get information about their motivation.

QUESTIONNAIRE

1. I like English very much.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly agree
2. English is one kind of challenge to me, and I like to study English, because I like this kind of challenge...
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly agree 
3. I don’t like English, but I know that it is very important to me.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly agree
4. I want to study English well even I’m not at school.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly agree
5. I study English because my parents wish me to learn it.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly agree
6. I learn English well because I like my English teacher.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly agree
7. I learn English because English classes are lively and interest.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly agree
8. I got a good mark in English exam because my teacher’s teaching methods are excellent.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly agree
9. If I didn’t get a good mark in English exam, that is because I didn’t work hard.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly agree
10. If I didn’t get a good mark in English exam that is because English is very difficult.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly agree

Data Analysis

In order to know whether motivation has correlation with students’ English achievement or not, the researcher computed students’ English test score. 

Methodology

This research use One Way Anova to analyze the data. One Way Anova is used to compare the motivation between students who has high score, middle score, and lower score in English test. Here there are 15 female students and 5 male students. The independent variable is total motivation of the students which have three level, they are high motivation, medium motivation and low motivation. The dependent variable is students’ English score.

Discussion
Statistics
total mot 
N Valid 20
Missing 0
Mean 36.1500
Range 25.00
In first analysis we can see that mean of total motivation from 20 students is 36,15 and the range is 25.
total mot
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid 16 1 5.0 5.0 5.0
30 1 5.0 5.0 10.0
31 1 5.0 5.0 15.0
32 1 5.0 5.0 20.0
36 1 5.0 5.0 25.0
37 5 25.0 25.0 50.0
38 4 20.0 20.0 70.0
39 2 10.0 10.0 80.0
40 1 5.0 5.0 85.0
41 3 15.0 15.0 100.0
Total 20 100.0 100.0 
In second table, we can see in the first column is the span which show total of students who have low motivation, medium motivation, and high motivation. Distance from 1 until 16 shows that students have low motivation, distance from 17 until 32 shows that students have medium motivation and distance from 33 until 50 shows that students have high motivation.
From the result of the frequency table we can see that there is one student or 5% has low motivation, 3 students or 15% have medium motivation and 16 students or 80% have high motivation. Students who have low motivation show that they are not really like English but they know it is important and they learn English just because their parents force them to learn it. Students who have medium motivation show that they enjoy learning English because they like their teacher, teacher’s method, active class, but they are fell that English is difficult although they learn English very hard they still get bad score, and their reason want to learn English because their parents want them to learn it. Students who have high motivation show that they learn because they like English, they like their teacher, teacher method, active class, they think that English is a challenge for them, and they get bad score because they did not work hard.

ANOVA
NU 
Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
Between Groups (Combined) 1890.133 9 210.015 2.942 .054
Linear Term Weighted 1368.265 1 1368.265 19.167 .001
Deviation 521.869 8 65.234 .914 .542
Within Groups 713.867 10 71.387 
Total 2604.000 19 

This research use One Way Anova to analyze the data. And from the output analysis we can see that f count > f table it means that there is no significant influence of students’ motivation in increasing students’ English achievement. So H0 is refused. T-table said that if £=0.05 two tail test, f table is 2.086. F count should ≤ 2.086 to show that there is significant influence of students’ motivation in increasing students’ English achievement. But in the result table, f count > 2.086 so there is no significant influence of students’ motivation in increasing students’ English achievement.


CONCLUSION

From discussion above we can conclude that there is no significant influence of students’ motivation in increasing students’ English achievement. It means that although the students have high motivation we are not sure that they will have a high score too in their English achievement.