The Role of First Language in Teaching English to Young Learners

THESIS

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements for the Degree of

Sarjana Pendidikan

Ester Dwi Wulandari

112008166

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

SATYA WACANA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

SALATIGA

2013

i

The Role of First Language in Teaching English to Young Learners

THESIS

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements for the Degree of

Sarjana Pendidikan

Ester Dwi Wulandari

112008166

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

SATYA WACANA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

SALATIGA

2013

ii

The Role of First Language in Teaching English to Young Learners

THESIS

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements for the Degree of

Sarjana Pendidikan

Ester Dwi Wulandari

112008166

Approved by:

Anita Kurniawati H., M.Hum. Suzana Maria L.A.F., M.Hum.

Supervisor Examiner

iii

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT

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

knowledge and my belief, this contains no material previously published or written by any

other person except where due reference is made in the text.

Copyright@ 2013 Ester Dwi Wulandari and Anita Kurniawati H., M.Hum

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.

Ester Dwi Wulandari:

iv

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community, I verify that:

Name : Ester Dwi Wulandari

Student ID Number : 112008166

Study Program : English Department

Faculty : Language and Literature

Kind of Work : Undergraduate Thesis

In developing my knowledge, I agree to provide SWCU with a non-exclusive royalty free

right for my intellectual property and the contents therein entitled:

The Role of First Language in Teaching English to Young Learners

along with any pertinent equipment.

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This declaration is made according to the best of my knowledge.

Made in : Salatiga

Date : April, 24 2013

Verified by signee,

Ester Dwi Wulandari

Approved by

Thesis Supervisor Thesis Examiner

Anita Kurniawati H., M.Hum. Suzana Maria L.A.F., M.Hum.

1

The Role of First Language in Teaching English to Young Learners

Ester Dwi Wulandari

Abstract

Using L1 in L2 teaching has been debated for years. Some said that using L1 would damage

the L2 learning (Chambers, 1991; Jones, 1991; Macdonald, 2003), but some said that using

L1 was essential (Butzkamm, 2003; Auerbach, 1993). L1 was used to manage the class, to

define new vocabulary, to give instruction, to check the students‟ understanding, to motivate

the students, to build interaction or solidarity, and to save the class time. This study was

conducted to know when and why kindergarten teachers used L1 in their teachings. The

participants of this study were two kindergarten teachers who taught in a bilingual

kindergarten. The data was collected for this study by using stimulated recall interview. In

addition, this study was analyzed qualitatively. The findings showed that both teachers used

L1 to manage the class, motivate, give instruction, save the teaching time, define new words,

check the students‟ understanding, and to build solidarity with the students. Apart from those

findings, in this study the teachers also shared their reasons why they used L1.

INTRODUCTION

The use of first language (L1) in teaching English has been debated for years whether

it is beneficial or not. Some researchers said that using L1 in foreign language classroom is a

skeleton in the cupboard; a taboo subject and a source of embarrassment (Butzkamm and

Caldwell, 2009). It was argued that switching to L1 will damage the process of learning the

target language (Chambers, 1991; Jones, 1991; Macdonald, 2003). Cook (2001) added that

teachers who switch the language to L1 can cause problem for the students. The use or

overuse of L1 will take away from learners‟ valuable target language input. If the learners

hear the teacher using L1, they will ignore the target language and not benefit from the

teaching. Because of these arguments, teachers infrequently use L1 in the classroom because

they are worried that their students will rely on their L1 (Bouangeune, 2009).

However, other researchers found out that the L1 is essential to be used in teaching

English. Butzkamm (2003) believes that the “mother tongue is important to foreign language

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learning because both languages have worldwide aspects in common such as linguistic

systems and cultural elements, and there is no harm in using mother tongue in foreign class”

(p.29-39). It does not matter if the teachers use L1 in their teaching. Moreover, L1 can

promote the learning of foreign language because L1 deserves a place in foreign language

classroom (Tikunoff & Vazquez – Faria, 1982; Levine, 2003; Liping, 2004). Following this

reasoning, as Indonesia is not an English speaking country, so the teachers should use

Indonesian in teaching to help students understanding the material. Then, Auerbach (1993)

expressed the opinion that English teacher should use L1 to help the students to improve their

English skill. Jingxia (2010) reveals that L1 can be used to manage the class, to translate the

vocabulary items, check comprehension, and give grammar instruction. L1 is important

when it is used at appropriate time.

However, when we discuss about teaching English to young learners, we need to

consider the use of L1. It is because the learners are in the first stage of learning English. It

means that the teachers should work harder to introduce English. In this case, the role of L1 is

needed. Considering that there are many researchers have done this kind of study, for

example, Dajani (2002), Deller (2003), and Jingxia (2010), so the teachers should not have

any fears of negative transfer caused by obligatory role of L1 in L2. Teachers should put

aside that fears because the teachers‟ achievement is students‟ understanding. Pinker (2002)

said “The fact that any language can be used to convey any proposition, from theological

parables to military directives, suggests that all languages are cut from the same cloth” (p.

37). Teacher should not be worried about the use of L1 because it helps the L2 learning.

Inspired by Eugene (2007), this study focuses on the role of using L1 in teaching

English to young learners. This study is a descriptive study which only focuses on the

languages used by the teachers while they are teaching and the purpose of using the

languages. This study is essential because the result of this study could help teachers to be

3

aware of their language management in the classroom which should be balanced within L1

(Indonesian) and the L2 (English). It is because the use of L1 by the teacher influences the

students‟ learning. This study will be guided by the research questions: when the teacher use

L1 for teaching English and the reason why the teachers use L1 in their teaching.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Using the L1 in teaching English to young learners will give some benefits toward

both teacher and students. There are seven roles of L1 which will be discussed in this study.

1. Motivating the students

Providing L1 in teaching English, Swain and Lapkin (2000) reveal that the use of

mother tongue in L2 class will encourage the students to carry out their tasks and assignments

in class smoothly and fruitfully. Auerbach (1993) adds, “English teachers should use

students‟ mother tongue in such ways to help them improve their language skill”. It means

that L1 makes the students easier to improve their English skills. When the students have

been helped by the use of L1 and then they understood, the teaching process went smoothly.

Then, another day the students will be motivated to attend the foreign language class and get

benefit from the learning (Carles, 2001).

2. Giving instructions

When the teacher asks the students to do something like doing an exercise, or read a

passage after the teacher, the teacher‟s language should be understandable. Ramachandran

and Rahim (2004) explained that clear instruction which uses L1 could encourage ESL

students whose English proficiency is at the elementary level to remember and maintain the

words more effectively. Only using English in EFL classroom can lead some problems

because there would be no guarantee that the instructions and explanations are understood

4

correctly (Schweers, 1999). The students will do as the teachers said if they understand the

language.

3. Explaining new vocabulary

Vocabulary is a primary need for teaching young learners. Cook (1991) as cited in

Bouangeune (2009: 187) states that vocabulary learning is essential for the four language

skills. It is because vocabulary is the basic knowledge that should be acquired by the learners.

The use of learners L1 in the L2 classroom will have a positive effect on learners‟ L2

learning, especially in the area of vocabulary (Auerbach, 1993; Schweers, 1999). By using

L1, teachers can provide quick and exact meanings of vocabulary that might take time to

explain (Khati, 2011). Translating a new word into student‟s native language is usually clear,

short and familiar and it is effective (McKeown, 1993). So, explaining a new word to the

students using L1 will not waste the time.

4. Saving the class time

In teaching, teachers are demanded to finish their material in a certain time. So, using

L1 is a way to assist the teachers in finishing the material faster. Atkinson (1987) stated that

L1 serves as“a time-saving device” which the most frequent justification given by teachers

for L1 use. Auerbach (1993); Schweers (1999) and Prodromou (2000) cited in Salah and

Farah (2012) agree that saving time is an acceptable reason for using L1 especially at lower

levels. In this case, lower levels are beginners who are four to six years old. Thus, using L1 to

teach young learners is a right choice for the teachers.

5. Classroom management

Managing class is related to the students‟ behavior in English classroom. Considering

that one of the characteristics of young learners is they are active and have short attention

spans, they will easily get bored. One thing they usually do is make noise or break the rules.

Here, the role of L1 is needed. Teacher may ask them to sit down nicely or listen to the

5

teacher. So, L1 is used to maintain the students‟ discipline. Polio and Duff (1994) in Jingxia

(2009) say that switching to L1 can also be used to manage the class especially in

maintaining discipline.

6. Building solidarity with the students

In teaching, it is better for the teacher to create a friendly atmosphere so that the

students will feel comfortable. According to Mao (2007), code switching to L1 has a

potentially positive effect on reducing students‟ nervousness or fear. Here, the teachers give

them support, build students‟ confidence. Furthermore, L1 use allows for valuable

interactions to take place, creating a social space in which students may collaborate to gain

control of a task, and further, complete a task that may otherwise be cognitively out of reach

(Alegria de la Colina & Del Pilar Garcia Mayo, 2009; Storch & Wigglesworth, 2003).

7. Checking the students’ understanding

Checking the students‟ understanding is essential. Teacher needs to make sure

whether the students have got the point of what he or she explained. If the students have not

understood, it means that the teacher should re-explain the material. To get quick responses

from the students, teacher should use L1. Harmer (2001) has stated that using L1 is a quick

and helpful technique in teaching L2. So, the use of L1 by the teacher will help the students

to response the teacher quickly.

THE STUDY

Context of the study

To gain a more complete picture of the use of L1 in Teaching English to young

learners, I conducted this study at Satya Wacana Children Center in Salatiga, Central Java

Indonesia. The reason why I chose Satya Wacana Children Center is because it is a bilingual-

kindergarten school which uses Indonesian and English as the languages of instructions.

6

Participant

The participants of this study were two kindergarten teachers, Miss Ari and Miss Dwi.

They were the only teachers in the kindergarten. The information of the participants are

shown in figure 1 below.

Names

(pseudonym)

Classes Teaching

Experiences

Educational

Background

Miss Ari Blossoms

(the first stage of

kindergarten)

6 years Graduated from

English Language

Teaching Department

Miss Dwi Bloomers

(the second stage of

kindergarten)

5 years Graduated from

English Language

Teaching Department

Figure 1: the information of the participants

Data collection instrument

The data collection instrument for this study was stimulated recall interview. The

reason why I used stimulated recall interview was because I wanted to accommodate my

teaching recordings to my participants. The purpose was to reveal their experiences during

their teachings when they switched their language to L1.

Data collection procedure

Before I recorded Miss Ari‟s and Dwi‟s classes, I asked permission for the headmaster of

Satya Wacana Children Centre (SWCC). After the permission was granted, I met the

coordinator of SWCC then recorded Miss Ari‟s and Dwi‟s teachings. These recordings

helped me in interviewing my participants. After doing the recording classes six times (3

7

times with Miss Ari and 3 times with Miss Dwi), I would do stimulated recall interviews with

the teachers. The aim of this interview was to get their reasons why they used L1 in teaching

English.

Data analysis procedure

After I recorded the teaching processes of both participants, I interviewed them while

showing them their teaching processes. I interviewed my participants to get understanding

why they switched their language into Indonesian. Then, I analyzed the data based on all

points in the literature review. I added their reasons as to why they switched their language in

each point of my discussion.

DISCUSSION

Figure 2 presents the summary of stimulated recall interview.

No Roles of L1

Miss Ari Miss Dwi

Week Week

1 2 3 1 2 3

1 Manage class √ √ √ √ √ √

2 Define new vocabulary - - √ √ √ √

3 Give instruction √ √ √ √ √ √

4 Check students‟ understanding √ √ √ √ √ √

5 Motivate √ √ √ - √ √

6 Build solidarity √ √ √ √ √ √

7 Save the class time Yes Yes

Figure 2: the roles of L1

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The data showed that for Miss Ari, L1 had roles in all aspects in the 3rd

week. On the 1st

and

the 2nd

weeks, Miss Ari did not use L1 to define new vocabulary. In addition, for Miss Dwi,

L1 also had roles in all aspect in the 2nd

and 3rd

weeks except in the 1st

week where L1 was not

used to motivate students.

The data will be analyzed based on eight themes or aspects. The analysis will be

shown below:

1. Teachers use L1 to manage the class

The first role of L1 is to manage the class. Using L1 to manage the class was found in

all weeks of both of the teachers. When the students were noisy, the teacher needed to make

them silent, so they use L1 to warn their students. The examples are:

From observation on November 13, 2012 (Miss Ari)

1. Sudah. Rafa mau jadi teacher ya di sini? Sini

gantiin Miss Ari aja. Sini sini Fa.

2. Yuuk terus.. masih mau pukul-pukul lagi? Mau

nurut siapa ini?Miss ato Nayaka? Kalau mau nurut

Miss, sit nicely.

For number 1, when Miss Ari was teaching about alphabet, Rafa was noisy. Rafa was

talking to his friend so it made Miss Ari disturbed. So, Miss Ari offered Rafa to be the

teacher. Then, for number 2, when Miss Ari was explaining about alphabet, Nayaka was

hitting his table. Moreover, it is followed by Sesta. So, because Miss Ari felt that what

Nayaka and Sesta were doing was disturbing, she came to Sesta and asked whether he would

keep hitting the table and whom should he obeyed to.

From the data above, Miss Ari used L1 to reprimand a particular student. When a

teacher notices that some students are disturbing, the teacher will warn the students. It aims to

make the students focus to the lesson. Therefore, it is shown that using L1 is beneficial to

manage the class.

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Based on the two situations above, Miss Ari revealed,

“I used L1 because I do not want to make the teaching and learning

process strained. Sometimes, some of the students want their teacher

gives them material then teaches them using English and when the lesson

has finished, it just finished without knowing anything. However, the

problem is, we should also teach them about behavior. In this case, why

did I use L1? The reason I used Indonesian is because this student

(Nayaka) needs extra energy. Although I have used loud voice, this

student will only know he is doing something wrong and does not have

any thought to change his behavior. Moreover, if I used English, this

student will not know at all. So, that is why I used Indonesian, because by

using L1 the students will directly understand and as a teacher, I assume

that they will behave.”

In this case, Miss Ari wants to assert that her student did something disturbing. In

addition, her way to warn disobedient students is to reprimand a particular student to make

the disobedient students behave using L1. It is because L1 is their daily language.

From observation on November 20, 2012 (Miss Dwi)

1. Kalau sudah masuk ke kelas, tidak ada yang

minum, tidak ada yang ke belakang. Karena Miss

sudah kasih ijin tadi ketika anak-anak bermain tadi.

2. Semakin anak-anak ribut, Miss nggak mau terusin

lagi. Lagi terus lagi lagi. Ini kalau ribut sendiri gak

bisa dengerin Miss. Gak bakal dengerin Miss.

In addition, number 1, when Miss Dwi was telling a story about a cow, suddenly a

student asked for permission to drink. So, Miss Dwi told the students the rule that she did not

allow all of the students to drink or go to the toilet if the lesson have started. Moreover, for

number 2, Miss Dwi ordered the students to be quiet because she was telling a story.

Miss Dwi used L1 to assert the rule of the class. As a kindergarten teacher, perhaps it

is better to make rule in a class because reminding the students about the rule is easier than

shouting at the students.

Based on the two situations above, Miss Dwi explained

“How fluent our English is, sometimes the students do not

understand. For example, when I said, “stop or you out.” Then, the

students were only quiet and said no Miss no Miss. Then I asked them

10

whether they knew the meaning or not, they said no. So I translate it

diam atau keluar (stop or you go outside).

In this case, when a student breaks the rule of the class Miss Dwi directly reminds all

of the students about the rule in her class. It differs from Miss Ari who warned her students by

reprimanding a particular student, but Miss Dwi tends to reprimand the whole class. The

reason why Miss Dwi used L1 because she wants her students to behave at the time she was

speaking.

In regards to the finding above, it can be concluded that L1 is very essential to help

the teacher to manage the class or to discipline the students. When the teachers use the

language that the students are familiar with, the students will understand and do what the

teachers ordered. As stated by Polio and Duff (1994), switching to L1 can be used to manage

the class especially in maintaining discipline.

2. Teachers use L1 to define new vocabulary

L1 is also useful to define a new vocabulary. Defining new vocabulary was found

every week in Miss Dwi‟s class, but not in Miss Ari‟s class. Miss Ari used L1 to define new

vocabulary only on the third week. Miss Ari and Miss Dwi have the same way of using L1 to

define new vocabulary. The examples were:

From observation on November, 27 2012 (Miss Ari)

1. Desk itu meja buat belajar.

2. The neck, lehernya.

From observation on November 20, 2012 (Miss Dwi)

1. Pond itu kolam ikan.

2. Milky itu artinya memerah susu.

First, Miss Ari defined a new word using L1 when she gave exercise to the students

which they should color the thing she said. Then, one of the students asked about the meaning

of desk and then she answered by defining the word desk using L1. Here, the teachers tended

11

to translate the words into L1 instead of telling the students that desk is a piece of furniture

like a table they sit on, and study (Longman Dictionary). Then for number 2, Miss Ari used

L1 in defining the word neck when she gave an exercise to the students which they should

complete the missing part of the giraffe body. Miss Ari told the students the meaning of neck

in L1 instead of telling the students that neck is the part of the body that joins the head to the

shoulders (Longman Dictionary). In this session, Miss Ari translated the words desk and neck

directly.

Second, for the first situation (number 1), Miss Dwi was teaching about where trees

live. When she talked about pond, suddenly she translated the word pond into L1 “pond itu

kolam ikan”. She told the students that pond was a small area of fresh water which is smaller

than a lake where fish can live. The second situation (number 2) in Miss Dwi‟s class, she was

telling a story about a cow. When she encountered with the word milky, she defined the word

using L1. At that time, there was no student who asked her about that word.

If we take a look on the findings above, the way Miss Ari and Miss Dwi define the

new words is similar. The pattern is new word + itu+ meaning in L1

Although both teachers have the same way of defining new words, they have different

reasons why they translated into L1. First, Miss Ari revealed that

“Sometimes it kinds of reflect when I switch the language. Then,

sometimes while I am pointing to the thing or part of the body, I

spontaneously define it using Indonesian”.

Therefore, when Miss Ari teaches a new word, she spontaneously translates it

into L1. Miss Ari spontaneously translates a new word it may be because she has taught

kindergarten for six years so she has sensitivity based on her experience of which new words

will be hard for the children. So, she will directly know to translate a particular word is new

for her students.

Miss Dwi‟s reason why she switched to L1 based on the situation above, is:

12

“Most of the students are difficult to understand the meaning of the

new word, but when they see the picture, for example, a picture of pond,

they will say, “oh kolam ya Miss”. I usually translate new words

directly. It is because direct translation will save time”.

Based on the finding above, it is shown that Miss Ari translates the vocabulary

spontaneously as she has a sense of new words which are difficut of children while Miss Dwi

deliberately translates words in order to save the time. Spontaneous translation is not a

problem because “spontaneous translation provides instant L1 equivalent so the students do

not have a chance to give any indications of their comprehension before or after the

translation” (Duff & Polio, 1990; Macaro, 2001; Nzwanga, 2000; Polio & Duff, 1994;

Thompson, 2006).

However, it is proven that L1 helps the teachers to make the students understand the

new words. When the meanings of the words are conveyed in students‟ L1, the students can

check off the words with the things because they can imagine it. As stated by McKeown

(1993), that translating new word into student‟s native language is usually clear, short and

familiar and it is effective. So, using L1 to define new vocabulary for the students especially

to young learners is very beneficial.

3. Teachers use L1 to give instructions

Using L1 to give instructions was found to be done by both the teachers every week.

It means that giving instruction is one of the important aspects of teaching. Therefore, when

teachers want the students to do what they asked them to do; teachers should make the

instructions understandable for the students for example by using L1. When the students do

not give any responses from what the teachers asked them to do, teachers need to switch their

language into the students‟ first language. The examples of using L1 to give instructions are:

From observation on November 13, 2012 (Miss Ari)

1. Sekali lagi ya.

2. Kalau sudah dapat kertasnya sudah dapat pensilnya

boleh mulai tulis huruf “l”.

13

From the finding above for number 1, when Miss Ari was teaching about the English

alphabet from a to e, she invited the students to spell those letters together. Then she asked

the students to repeat those letters once more, and the students did as Miss Ari said.

Moreover, number 2, Miss Ari was teaching about letter “l”, she wanted her student to write

letter “l” so she gave a worksheet to each student. Then, she asked the students who have

received the worksheets to start writing the letter “l”.

Based on Miss Ari‟s situation above, Miss Ari explained

“If I fully use English, 60% - 70% of the students are not able to

understand what I said. When I use English then switch to Indonesian, I

want to make them familiar with English. So, for the next meeting when

the students listen what I have said, I do not need to switch the

language.”

By using L1 in giving instruction, Miss Ari deliberately switches her language if that is

the first time the students hear that instruction. So, in the next meeting she does not need to

switch her language.

From observation on November 20, 2012 (Miss Dwi)

1. Sekarang taruh tick (√) di kaktus.

2. Devino, Harmen balik absennya.

The first situation, Miss Dwi was teaching about where trees live, she gave the

students exercise. Miss Dwi ordered the students to put tick (√) in the cactus picture. In

addition, for number 2, Miss Dwi had finished her story about a cow, she invited the students

to pray. After that, Miss Ari chose some students to go home first. She ordered Devino and

Harmen (two students of her class) to turn over their photographs.

Miss Dwi revealed her reason based on the situation above.

“Each student has different abilities. Some of the students

understand when I used English, but some of them will understand if I

use both languages, English and Indonesian. So I used Indonesian to

anticipate the different ability of the students.”

14

The reason why Miss Dwi switched her language was because she knows that her

students have different abilities of English. So, when she switches her language, all the

students will understand what she means.

Both Miss Ari and Miss Dwi not only delivered the instruction to a particular student,

but also to all of the students. At this point, the teachers switched their language into L1

because of two reasons. First, teacher does not need to switch the language in the next

meeting if the teacher says the same instruction. Second, it is because teacher realizes that her

students have different abilities. When the teachers delivered their instructions using L1,

students understood what the teacher meant, then did as the teachers said. Ramachandran and

Rahim (2004) explained that clear instruction which uses L1 could encourage ESL students

whose English proficiency is at the elementary level to remember and maintain the words

more effectively. So, teachers need to use L1 in giving instruction to make their students

know what teachers want them to do.

4. Teachers use L1 to check the students’ understanding

Checking the students‟ understanding using L1 is an important point. It is proven that

both participants used L1 to check their students‟ understandings every week. Teachers will

know whether they should re-explain or not. Based on the recordings, there are some

examples of checking the students‟ understanding, they are:

From observation on November 13, 2012 (Miss Ari)

1. Terus bagian yangg separo lainnya kemana?

2. Apa tadi? Yang ada lacinya. Yang ada lacinya tadi apa?

As the result found Miss Ari used L1 to check their students‟ understanding. Miss Ari

used L1 when she gave the students exercise to match the pictures; she asked them to match

one half of the picture to the other half (number 1). Then, when Miss Ari discussed the

answers of the matching activity, she asked the students about furniture which had drawers in

it (number 2).

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When I asked why Miss Ari about her switching her language into L1, she revealed,

“Sometimes I switch my language because I unconsciously switch

my language. However, I also use Indonesian (L1) to get the students’

attention. Sometimes the students understand when I speak in English,

but sometimes they do not.”

So, Miss Ari switched her language because she spontaneously switched and to get the

students‟ attentions. Therefore, L1 can make the students to pay attention and then respond

because the students know what their teacher is saying.

From observation on November 13, 2012 (Miss Dwi)

1. Kira-kira kalau Feril punya pohon kelapa dan pohon pepaya,

Feril mudah memetik yang mana pohonnya eeeee buahnya?

2. Disamping gambar labu itu gambar apa ya?

Number 1, Miss Dwi used L1 when she was telling the students a story. They were

shown the pictures in the story, and Miss Dwi asked them which fruit from which tree Feril (a

name in the story) could pick more easily. Then, number 2, Miss Dwi used L1 when she was

telling the same story about Feril (a name in the story). At that time, Miss Dwi asked the

students about the picture next to the pumpkin to make sure her students have understood.

Miss Dwi‟s reason why she used L1 was,

“Sometimes when I use English, my students do not understand. In

some cases, I create words to make them easier to learn, but it does not

work. So, that is why I always use Indonesian.”

In this case, Miss Dwi switched her language because she has tried using other words

to make her students understand, but it did not work.

Miss Ari and Miss Dwi have reasons why they switch their language to L1. Switching

to L1 because she unconsciously switching and to get the students‟ attentions and then

because using other words did not work. So, using L1 to check students‟ understanding is

essential.

5. Teachers use L1 to motivate their students

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Using L1 to motivate their students was done every week by both the teachers except

in Miss Dwi‟s first week. Teachers need to motivate their students when they are working on

their worksheets.

The expressions of using L1 to motivate the students by the teachers were as follow:

From observation on November 13, 2012 (Miss Ari)

1. Nggak bisa? Kalau nggak bisa turun aja ke kelas adik baby

ya?

2. Bisa. Angel coba dulu.

Number 1, Miss Ari used L1 when she was teaching about letter “l” as their new letter

that day. When Miss Ari asked the students to write letter “l”, Valen (a student‟s name) said

that she was not able to write letter “l”. So, Miss Ari threatened Valen, if she could not write

letter “l”, she should go to the baby‟s class. Number 2, Miss Ari switched into L1 when she

taught about letter “m”, and then she asked the students to write letter “m” on their

worksheets. Suddenly, Angel (a student‟s name) said that she could not write letter “m”. So,

Miss Ari said that Angel could write letter “m” and she should try writing it first.

From the result above it is shown that teachers used L1 to motivate their students. For

number 1, Miss Ari motivated the students by threatening them. From this way, the students

would try harder to be able to write letters. Afterwards, number 2, Miss Ari motivated one of

the students by encouraging her so that she could write the letter “m”.

Miss Ari explained why she switched to L1

“What we have planned with the real situation is very different.

When we have planned that we will speak in English either in giving

instruction or motivating the students, sometimes the plan does not

work smoothly. It is because the situation within the class and our plan

is different. When the students are not in a good mood, the use of

English is not effective.”

In Miss Ari‟s case, switching language is influenced by the students‟ mood. So, when

she has planned that she will use English (L2) in her class, but her students are not in a good

mood, she will switch her language.

17

From observation on November 27, 2012 (Miss Dwi)

1. Bisa, Eka (a student’s name) bisa bahasa inggris ya Eka ya.

2. Iya agak sulit, tapi kita coba sama-sama ya.

Number 1, Miss Dwi was teaching about where trees live. She asked the students to

put tick (√) in the plants. When the students were working on their worksheets, a student said

that Eka (one of the students) did not understand about English. So, Miss Dwi responded that

yes, Eka could understand about English. Number 2, Miss Dwi asked all of the students to

write down the word sad on the white board. Miss Dwi used L1 when there was no correct

answer, Miss Dwi said that writing the word sad was little bit difficult, then she asked the

students to try together.

Based on the findings above, Miss Dwi motivated one of the students by praising her.

Moreover, number 2, Miss Dwi, motivated the students by encouraging them so that they can

do the exercise. When I asked why Miss Dwi used L1, she answered “to make the students

understand what I am talking about”. When the students know the meaning of their teacher‟s

words, they will be motivated to study harder.

From the result above, the teachers used three ways to motivate the students, they

were:

a) Threatening (Miss Ari, number 1)

b) Praising (Miss Ari for number 2, and Miss Dwi for number 1)

c) Encouraging (Miss Dwi for number 2)

Teachers motivate their students using L1 because they know their students‟ mood

and to make the students know that they are motivated. Thus, motivating the students using

L1 is important. When the students are motivated, they will do the exercise given. Swain and

Lapkin (2000) reveal that use of mother tongue in a L2 class will encourage the students to

carry out their tasks and assignments in class smoothly and fruitfully.

18

6. Teachers used L1 to build interactions with the students

Teachers need to build interactions with the students, so they will have good

relationship. In this research, both teachers used L1 to build solidarity with the students. For

example:

From observation on November 20, 2012 (Miss Ari)

1. Iya, oke.

2. Itu bukan berendam sayang tapi get drown tenggelam

bukan berendam. Nanti kalau Nayaka berendam

sama tidak. That’s get drown tenggelam bukan

berendam ya.

For number 1, when Miss Ari started teaching about alphabet, she wrote alphabet

using red marker. Then, Nayaka (a student‟s name) asked Miss Ari to buy him color pencils.

Then, Miss Ari responded using L1. After that, number 2, Miss Ari had just started the lesson

and some students shared their experiences. One of them was Nayaka (a student‟s name)

shared that if he submerged (but meaning was drowning), his sister would help him. Because

Nayaka misinterpreted, Miss Ari corrected him using L1 by saying that what he meant was

drowning instead of submerged.

Concerning the examples above, Miss Ari also used L1 to respond to a student‟s

desire (number 1). After that, L1 was used to give comment to a student‟s experience

(number 2).

When I asked why she used L1, Miss Ari answered,

“It depends on the students. I often speak in English first, and then

translate into Indonesian. If I teach fully one hundred percent in English,

the students will keep silent and get confused. However, there are times

when they can understand without translating into Indonesian. As a note,

they have heard about the words.”

Here, Miss Ari considers that when the students are in learning process, she should

use L1 in her teaching.

19

From observation on November 13, 2012 (Miss Dwi)

1. Aahh...Fernal... Fernal comes from Makasar, Fernal

itu dari Makasar. Di Makasar... di makasar itu ada

makanan yang enak sekali namanya Coto. Kata

Fernal, Miss ketupat ini enak sekali kalau dibuat

eehhmmm dimakan bersama Coto.

2. Pepaya, kenapa?

For number 1, when Miss Dwi was talking about coconut tree and ketupat, one of the

students (Fernal) shared that ketupat would be delicious if they ate with Coto Makassar. After

that, miss Dwi retold to other students using L1 what Fernal had shared. Then, number 2,

before the students went home, Miss Dwi asked them about their favorite plants. When it was

Harmen‟s turn, Harmen said that he liked papaya. Then Miss Dwi asked why he liked papaya

using L1.

In regards to the finding above, the teachers used L1 to build interactions with their

students. For example, teacher used L1 to retold a student‟s statement that ketupat was eaten

with Coto in Makassar (name of a city in Indonesia). That was shown in number 1.

Moreover, L1 was used to get a student‟s reason why she liked papaya (number 2).

Miss Dwi‟s reason why she used Indonesian (L1) is,

“It aims that the students can differentiate when they should use

English or Indonesian. I have my own criteria in my class. So when I

ask them using English, they should answer in English. When I ask

them in Indonesian, they should answer using Indonesian.”

Miss Dwi use L1 because she has her own criteria in her class. She expects that if she

asks in English, her students will respond in English and vice versa.

Teachers used L1 to build solidarity or interact with the students for various purposes.

One of them is to build their confidence, so that the students will not feel fear when they

speak to their teachers. As stated by Mao (2007) that teachers switch their language to L1

20

have a potentially positive effect on reducing students‟ nervousness or fear. So, L1 also has a

role in building solidarity or interaction with the students.

7. Teachers used L1 to save the class time

The last point is the role of L1 to save the class time. In this point, both Miss Ari and

Miss Dwi explained whether using L1 affect the teaching time.

First, when I asked whether using L1 will save the time or not, Miss Ari explained

that,

“Using L1 is not really affect the time or save the time of teaching.

Sometimes when explained about something, I need to describe it. For

example, when I explained about towel. I did not directly translate it

into Indonesian, but I said that towel is something for you to dry your

body after taking a bath. So they could guess what I meant.”

Miss Ari said that using L1 did not really save the class time because sometimes she

used description in teaching. However, if we take a look for other examples when she used

L1 to manage the class (Sudah? Rafa mau jadi teacher ya di sini? Sini gantiin Miss Ari aja.

Sini sini Fa), then to define new words (Desk itu meja buat belajar), or when she used L1 to

motivate the students (Nggak bisa? Kalau nggak bisa turun aja ke kelas adik baby),

accidentally she saved her teaching time. So, for Miss Ari, there was a possibility to save the

class time by using L1.

Second, when I asked the same question to Miss Dwi whether using L1 will save the

time or not, she answered,

“When I translate directly for example, pond, it will save the time.

It is because we are given 30 minutes to finish the material. If I give

more explanation, it will waste the time. So I choose to translate

directly.”

Then, Miss Dwi said that using L1 saved the class time especially in define new

words. It is because she has to finish the material in 30 minutes. So, she used L1 to make it

quick.

21

As a result, both Miss Ari and Miss Dwi admit that L1 helps them to save the time

teaching. Although what Miss Ari said that it is not really influential, there is possibility that

L1 helps her to save the time. Both Miss Ari‟s and Miss Dwi‟s statements are supported by

what Auerbach (1993); Schweers (1999) and Prodromou (2000) stated that teaching the lower

levels using L1 is save time.

CONCLUSION

The aim of this study was to know the reason why the kindergarten teachers used L1

in teaching. From the result above, the roles of L1 were to manage the class, to define the

new words, to give instruction, to check the students‟ understanding, to motivate the students,

to build solidarity with the students, and to save the class time. In managing the class, the

teachers used L1 to reprimand a particular student and to assert the rule of the class. Then, in

defining new words, teachers used L1 to teach new words for the first time. Moreover, the

teachers used L1 to give instruction when the teachers asked the students to do the exercise to

make the students familiar with the instruction and to compare the students‟ abilities.

Teachers also used L1 to ask the students when they were discussing the answers and telling

a story in checking the students‟ understanding. In addition, the kindergarten teachers used

L1 to motivate their students when the students felt stuck. After that, the teachers used L1 to

build interaction with the students when the students shared their experience and when the

teachers asked about the students‟ interests. Lastly, the teachers used L1 to save class time

when they realize that they had limited time in teaching.

Teachers had several reasons why they used L1. They aimed to help the students

become familiar with the English words and to make the students understand what the

teachers were saying. By switching to L1, teachers hoped that the lessons would go smoothly.

22

One pedagogical implication from the finding is that L1 is beneficial because it has

many roles in teaching young learners. Therefore, it is hoped that the teachers will not feel

embarrassed about using L1 and feel comfortable in using L1 in their teaching to make the

students understand. However, L1 may not be the main language.

In addition, there was a limitation of this study. I have limited the number of the

participants. So, for further research, it can be done to higher levels with more than two

participants.

23

Acknowledgement

First, I would like to thank to my Almighty Father, Jesus Christ for all His

incredible kindheartedness, strength, and guidance. Also, I would like to express my

appreciation to my thesis supervisor, Anita Kurniawati H., M.Hum. in giving me her

valuable time, suggestion and support so that I could finish my thesis. Then, I would also

thank to my thesis examiner, Suzana Maria L.A.F., M.Hum. for her willingness to read and

examine my thesis.

I also thank to my family for the support and prayers, especially to my amazing

mother, thank you very much and sorry for waiting. To my beloved friends: Ririn, Ristina,

Devi, and Tiur, I would never forget your support and effort to encourage me in writing my

thesis. I am grateful having friends like you. Last, I would like to say thank you to my

boyfriend, Daniel, for his care he always gives.

Ester Dwi Wulandari

24

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26

Appendix

Stimulated Recall Interview with Miss Dwi

November 4, 2012

Ester : selamat siang Miss

Miss Dwi : selamat siang

Ester : di sini saya mau bertanya tentang penggunaan L1 oleh teacher.

Miss Dwi : he‟e

Ester : yang pertama, sudah berapa lama Miss mengajar di SWCC ini?

Miss Dwi : saya sudah dari tahun... hampir lima tahun saya. Hampir lima tahun saya

mengajar di sini.

Ester : kalau Miss sendiri lulusan dari Satya Wacana?

Miss Dwi : saya dari FBS angkatan 2000.

Ester : 2000?

Miss Dwi : he‟e

Ester : Miss kalau ngajar di kelas, berapa prosentase penggunaan L1 dan L2?

Miss Dwi : kalau kita itu dari kelas per kelas ada targetnya begitu. Dari kelas paling kecil

2-3, 3-4 (usia) prosentase penggunaan bahasa inggris dan bahasa Indonesia,

untuk bahasa Indonesia biasanya melalui instruksi guru, perintah. Begitu nanti

naik ke Bud, ke play group itu bisa 30 (30%), 30(%)-70(%). Tapi kalau sudah

naik ke TK kecil, TK besar, porsi bahasa Indonesia dikurangi. Jadi, untuk di

kelas Bloomers sendiri TK besar itu 70(%) 30(%) untuk bahasa Indonesia.

Ester : kalau untuk Miss sendiri, peranan L1 itu untuk apa saja?

Miss Dwi :eee... yang pertama untuk mengartikan. Kadang-kadang kita kalau bahasa

Indonesia saja, umpamanya hmmm... pohon mangga. Anak-anak tanya,

“seperti apa Miss?”. Pohon mangga itu buahnya kalau mentah warnanya hijau,

kalau mulai matang warnanya mulai kuning. Tapi kadang-kadang kala kita

pakai bahasa Inggris, a mango, a mango has... kalau gitu anak-anak nanti

mikir lagi. Nah untuk mempermudah, kita menggunakan dua bahasa. Kita

pakai bahasa Indonesia dulu kemudian pakai bahasa inggris, atau tergantung

situasi kelasnya kalau situasi kelasnya memungkinkan kita pakai bahasa

Inggris dulu, ya kita pakai bahasa Inggris dulu. Nanti kalau anak-anak siatuasi

kelas mulai rame, anak mulai rame kalau kita tetep menggunakan bahasa

Inggris kadang anak-anak sedikit tidak menghiraukan bahasa itu sendiri. Kalau

kita menggunakan bahasa Indonesia kadang-kadang anak-anak cepet

menangkap apa yang kita lakukan, slesai, mengerti, yak mereka tahu. Next

time baru menggunakan bahasa Inggris.

27

Ester : tadi Miss bilang untuk mengartikan, berarti untuk mentranslate?

Miss Dwi : ya. Menjelaskan. Iya. Menjelaskan dulu. Kadang eee... menjelaskan dulu

pakai bahasa Indonesia kemudian kita ulang kembali pakai bahasa Inggris.

Nanti kalau anak-anak eeemm... tahu bahasa Indonesia kemudian kita pakai

bahasa Inggris itu mereka eemmm... repeat after the teacher. Ya seperti itu.

Anak-anak tau eeemmm... mango, matang itu apa, mentah itu apa. Warna,

warna, kalau mango mango, a mango berarti terus, kalau kuning warnanya

apa? Emm yellow. Yellow. Ya, berarti a yellow mango. Jadi, eee... sebenarnya

aspeknya banyak seperti itu, Cuma kadang-kadang kembali lagi ke situasi

kelasnya dulu. Memungkinkan nggak memakai bahasa Indonesia,

memungkinkan nggak pakai bahasa Inggris, dilihat dulu.

Ester : nah, kemarin kan saya sempat observasi kelasnya Miss tiga kali, dapat 3

video. Nah ini yang pertama (show a part of video). Di bagian yang ini Miss

saat menjelaskan, kenapa kok memakai bahasa Indonesia? Mengapa

menggunakan bahasa Indonesia?

Miss Dwi : yang apa? Ini?

Ester : ya, waktu explained.

Miss Dwi : ya itu tadi, kita kan bilingual ya, memang porsinya 70(%) 30(%) tetapi waktu

kita langsung menggunakan bahasa Inggris kadang-kadang anak-anak komen

sendiri kalau pakai bahasa Inggris. Karena nggak tahu juga, makanya some

cases beberapa waktu tertentu itu kadang ada bahasanya sendiri ya supaya

membuat anaknya itu lebih mudah tetapi kadang-kadang kita create sendiri

kata kadang tidak pas. Nah untuk itulah maka sering pakailah bahasa

Indonesia, begitu. Kalau pakai bahasa Indonesia, anak-anak sudah bisa, nanti

minggu berikutnya atau besok kalau anak-anak sudah masuk kelas lagi di

review lagi begitu, tetapi pakai bahasa Inggris.

Ester : terus kemudian (show the next part of video when she interacted with one of

the students) sewaktu Miss sedang ngobrol, ngobrol dengan si anak

berinteraksi, nah mengapa pakai bahasa Indonesia?

Miss Dwi : eemm... supaya mereka bisa membedakan. Kadang-kadang kalau anak-anak

kita tanya pakai bahasa Indonesia, kita kan punya pelajaran bahasa Indonesia,

itu kadang mereka terbalik-balik. Kita tanya,”hari ini kita belajar bahasa

Indonesia”. Kalau saya tanya, “selamat pagi anak-anak?” mereka jawab,”

good morning Miss.” Nah, hari ini itu hari kamis, nah anak-anak kalau hari

kamis kamis Miss pakai baju ini. Kalau kamis kan pakai batik, nah kalau

pakai batik berarti kita belajar apa? Kita mau baca tulis Miss? Iya. Tapi baca

tulisnya pakai apa? Bahasa Indonesia. Mereka hafalnya lewat seragam. Kalau

saya pakai seragam seperti ini, Miss aku inget kemarin berarti hari ini paka

bahasa Inggris ya. Kita nulis belajar pakai bahasa Inggris ya? Iya. Seperti itu.

Tapi kadang-kadang anak-anak kan kalau Miss tanya pakai bahasa Indonesia,

berarti anak-anak jawabnya pakai bahasa Indonesia. Kalau Missnya pakai

bahasa Inggris, anak-anaknya pakai apa? Bahasa Inggris. Kadang mereka

terbalik karena di sini kita punya kriteria sendiri, baca tulis sendiri. Nah itu

yang membuat mereka bingung. Begitu.

28

Ester : kemudian (show another part of the video) nah ini waktu Miss menjelaskan

tentang tanaman yang ada di desert. Miss juga tetep menggunakan L1.

Mengapa Miss?

Miss Dwi : kami kesulitan ketika anak-anak itu biasa kembali lagi mengajarkan tentang

science. Itu karena pikirannya berbeda juga terus anak-anak cepat memahami

dan juga kita di sini menggunakan vocabnya. Kalau kita explaining belum

dulu tapi vocab-vocabnya dulu supaya mereka memahami. Sampai pagi kita

review lagi misalnya, kita belajar tentang apa? Anak-anak merekamnya ya apa

yang mereka lakukan itu. Ada bit, ada coconut tree, jadi mereka konsepnya

harus entang tanaman dulu. Kalau untuk instruksi pakai bahasa Indonesia

bahasa inggris harus dua kali mengajar. Kalau untuk ini saya menekankan

pada vocabnya dulu.

Ester : oh ya. Kemudian (show another part of the video) pada bagian ini, Miss

langsung mentranslate kata. Apakah dengan langsung mentranslate itu bisa

save time atau kalau diberi definisi yang panjang akan membuat anak-anak

bingung atau gimana?

Miss Dwi : kebanyakan anak-anak sulit mengerti artinya apapun itu tapi begitu melihat

gambar pond, oh kolam ya Miss? Kalau saya langsung menjelaskan kalau

pond itu kolam karena itu juga menghemat waktu karena satu pelajaran itu 30

menit. Padahal target guru itu hari ini harus sudah selesai. Karena kalau kalu

kita harus menerangkan lagi, lebih banyak lagi, kadang-kadang kita

mengejarnya bukan karena seperti definisi ataupun menjelaskan hmm... takes

time ya buat saya. Langsung saja mentranslate begitu, pond itu kolam ikan,

anak-anak kebanyakan anak-anak pond itu kolam ikan sudah tahu bentuknya.

Ketika saya kasih worksheet begitu mereka sudah bisa mengerjakan sendiri.

Ester : kemudian Miss (show another part of the video) di bagian ini, Miss meminta

anak untuk diam langsung pakai L1.

Miss Dwi : pakai?

Ester : L1 bahasa Indonesia, mengapa Miss?

Miss Dwi : kembali lagi jika anak memakai bahasa Inggris sefasih apapun, se-fluent

apapun kalau memakai bahasa Inggris kadang-kadang anak tidak mengena.

Stop or you out. Terus anak-anak Cuma diem aja and bilang no Miss no Miss.

Tahu artinya? Kadang no. Diam atau keluar. Menghemat tenaga juga,

menghemat waktu juga karena masih banyak yang harus dikerjakan. Kalau

kadang-kadang hmmmm... pakai bahasa Inggris itu apa ya tidak ngena di

anak. Mereka kan belajar bahasa Inggris karena tuntutan orang tua saja. Aku

bisa belajar bahasa Inggris. Tapi kalau untuk anak bisa cocok atau bagaimana

kembali lagi anak-anak belum mencakup seperti itu.

Ester : terus (show another part of the video) di sini, Miss meminta anak-anak buat

kasih tanda tick (√) pada jawabannya. Miss memakai bahasa Indonesia,

mengapa?

Miss Dwi : ada switching dari bahasa inggris ke bahasa Indonesia. Memang begitu, kia

pakai bilingual begitu. Kadang-kadang anak-anak sudah tahu pun begitu kita

today we are going to put thick on the answer on it atau apa, itu pake satu

29

bahasa saja satu bahasa saja, waktu saya putar itu masih ada yang salah.

Kalau sudah selesai, diberi tanda centang (√) atau anda tick (√). Saya muter

sudah tidak ada. Pernah saya coba, saya satu hari full pakai bahasa Inggris dan

hasilnya anak-anak salah dalam memberikan jawaban. Yang harusnya di tick

jadi di cross, yang di cross jadi di tick. Kadang dua-duanya di thick. Jadi saya

pikir, oh memang pola dari anak kelas ini dari tahun per tahun itu beda-beda.

Ada yang suatu kali kita pakai satu hari full bahasa inggris mereka mengerti.

Pengaruh juga pada teman-teman. Ketika ada teman-teman mereka

katakkanlah dari Australia satu atau dua saja di dalam kelas, mereka pasti akan

terpengaruh memakai bahasa Inggris setiap hari. Tetapi, jika hanya ada satu

saja di dalam kelas seperti Harmen, malah terpengaruh pakai bahasa Indonesia

malah bahasa Jawa. Itu tadi, karakter anak tiap tahun berbeda-beda. Kadang

satu tahun penuh pakai bahasa Inggris semua. Bisa dilihat kemampuannya,

tapi ada waktu tertentu tahun ajaran tertentu saya harus mengulang dari awal.

Jadi saya lihat guru di Blossom dulu. Oh kalau pengajarnya ini, metodenya

seperti ini, caranya seperti ini, jadi di kelas atas saya bisa menyesuaikan.

Sedangkan anak kan karakternya berbeda-beda. Ada yang tahu

penangkapannya, cepat menangkap dan ada yang tidak. Kadang-kadang itu

tadi harus menggunakan dua bahasa, kadang-kadang satu, ada yang bisa,

“Miss aku sudah bisa kok”. Tapi kadang-kadang, “Miss, ini diapain?” jadi

pengguanaan dua bahasa ya itu tadi, eemmm... mengantisipasi ada yang tidak

bisa mereka menggunakan bahasa Indonesia kemudian menambahi dengan

bahasa Inggris. Kemampuan anak yang berbeda-beda. Jada kapan bisa pakai

bahasa Indonesia, ya tergantung pada situasi itu.

Ester : jadi kalau strict sama prosentasenya itu tidak bisa ya Miss?

Miss Dwi : iya, kalau untuk prosentase tergantung juga. Tapi, kadang-kadang kalau

70(%) 30(%) 30(%) 70(%) kita bisa juga so so 50:50 begitu. Karena dilihat

dulu dari kemampuan anaknya dari bawah, maksudnya dari kelas bawah itu

seperti apa begitu.

Ester : dan ini untuk yang terakhir (show a part of the video) nah untuk part di sini

Miss bilang, “bisa, bisa bahasa Inggris kok ya.” Seperti motivate

Miss Dwi : Ehem

Ester : tapi kenapa tidak pakai bahasa Inggris kenapa pakai bahasa Indonesia? Apa

agar supaya si anak itu bisa mengerti?

Miss Dwi : he‟e he‟e

Ester : kemudian, apa harapan Miss ketika Miss itu menggunakan L1 saat mengajar?

Menggunakan bahasa Indonesia

Miss Dwi : harapannya yang pertama, anak-anak mengerti dulu. Kadang-kadang dilihat

dari mereka apa ya... dilihat dari background keluarga mereka, lingkungan,

kadang-kadang menggunakan bahasa Indonesia tetapi sudah dicampur juga

pakai bahasa Indonesia Jawa seperti itu. Jadi kita di sini menanamkan lagi

bahasa Indonesia yang benar seperti apa, jadi kayak apa ya ndandani dulu

anaknya seperti apa, begitu. Kadang-kadang ya susah juga karena kembali

30

lagi, backgroundnya rumah seperti apa. Ada sih kadang-kadang ada anak

tertentu yang pakai bahasa Inggris, mengerti ada. Yah berbeda-beda.

Ester : jadi dalam penggunaan L1, target seorang guru adalah understanding dari si

murid?

Miss Dwi : iya, iya pemahaman dulu. Kalau udah comprehen dulu nanti kedepannya,

kita terlambat, kebut aja bisa mengejarnya. Tapi kalau nggak mengerti dulu,

kasarannya kita yang keponthal-ponthal. Kayak kita mengejar sesuatu, ya

mengejar ya mengejar, tetapi target untuk si anak apa? Kita ngejar useless

juga. Kita pake bahasa Inggris eemm kita pakai bahasa Indonesia, tapi kalau

anak belum mengerti belum paham, sama juga bohong. Jadi harapannya

suapaya anak mengerti dulu lah konsepnya. Kadang-kadang merek bingung

antara bahasa Inggris dan bahasa Indonesianya apa, begitu. Jadi paham dulu

lah yang pertama.

Ester : owh begitu. Trima kasih ya Miss

Miss Dwi : sama-sama

Stimulated Recall Interview with Miss Ari

November 4, 2012

Ester : Selamat pagi Miss

Miss Ari : Selamat pagi

Ester : Langsung saja ya. Yang pertama eeee saya mau bertanya eeee mengenai

pendapat Miss

Miss Ari : h‟mmmm

Ester : mmm tentang penggunaan L1 saat mengajar di SWCC.

Miss Ari : eheee

Ester : Yang pertama eee sudah berapa lama Miss mengajar di SWCC?

Miss Ari : dari 2005, jadi 7 tahun lebih

Ester : 7 tahun lebih?

Miss Ari : iya, 7 tahun lebih

Ester : eeee… Miss, Miss juga lulusan dari FBS UKSW?

Miss Ari : iya, heee‟eee Lulusan dari fbs tahun 2004, lulus tahun 2004, masuk tahun

2000

Ester : mmmmmm…

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Miss Ari : Iya

Ester : kemudian,..

Miss Ari : eheee

Ester : mmmm, kalau di kelas Miss sendiri

Miss Ari : eheemmm..

Ester :Miss sendiri waktu mengajar itu waktu menggunaan bahasa Indonesia sama

bahasa inggris itu gimana?

Miss Ari : eee,,, mungkin seperti minggu kemaren sudah, sudah pernah saya, apa

namanya, sudah pernah saya eee jelaskan untuk penggunaan bahasa inggris

dan bahasa Indonesia mungkin persenannya masih lebih banyak bahasa

inggrisnya.

Ester : inggris

Miss Ari : hee‟ee jadi mungkin bisa 60: 40, 70:30, seperti itu

Ester : eeee, menurut Miss sendiri eee L1 eee

Miss Ari : ehemmm

Ester : bahasa Indonesia itu penting saat mengajar, itu penting?

Miss Ari : eeeee, kalau ditanya pemakaian bahasa Indonesia itu penting atau tidak,

eeee buat saya, saya rasa itu penting, penting dalam arti eee apa namanya,

eeee disaat kita memang benar- benar membutuhkan pemakaian bahasa

Indonesia itu, itu kita rasa sangat penting karena eee apa namanya ada

beberapa hal yang memang kita sampaikan kepada anak itu levelnya memang

eee apa namanya istilahnya eee anak untuk menerima materi itu emang

susah.. karena materi itu sendiripun sebenarnya sudah susah

Ester : susah

Miss Ari :susah, iya. Jadi bagaimana kita , bagaimana kita menyampaikan ke anak-

anak itu pun kita juga eee memerlukan apa ya istilahnya diksi yang kita pakai

pun kita cari sesederhana mungkin yang anak –anak bisa terima, tapi

seumpama kita sudah memakai eee apa namanya kita sudah, sudah pakai diksi

yang, yang sederhana dan anak – anak masih belum bisa memahami , nah saat

itu kita memakai bahasa Indonesia, meskipun tetap pertama kita berikan

bahasa inggrisnya terlebih dahulu tapi kalau kita rasa respon anak ternyata wah

ini ternyata nggak jelas kalau kita pakai bahasa inggris harus kita ulang dengan

memakai bahasa Indonesia nah saat itu kita memakai bahasa Indonesia.

Ester : saya kan udah mengobservasi kelas ini sebanyak 3 kali

Miss Ari : ehemmm

Ester : nah ni saya mau mengkonfirmasi dari 6 poin yang di sini

Miss Ari : ehemmm

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Ester : eee kenapa menggunakan bahasa Indonesia

Miss Ari : ehemmm

Ester : yang pertama (show a part of video)

Miss Ari : iya kelihatan

Ester : pada bagian yang ini

Miss Ari :iya

ester : Miss bilang neck itu leher

Miss Ari : iya

Ester : waktu yang nranslate itu, kenapa Miss tidak bilang kalau neck itu bagian

dari tubuh antara badan dengan kepala? Tetapi langsung neck itu leher

Miss Ari : iya oke hee iya, kadang emang apa namanya, eee kayak apa ya istilahnya

kayak gitu seperti kayak reflect, jadi kaya switch langsung ke switch language

kayak gitu. Jadi kadang memang apa namanya eee secara tidak sadar memang

seperti itu kadang beberapa anak sudah tahu kalau neck itu leher, tapi ada

beberapa saat seperti eee gesture itu juga eee membantu sekali, membantu

sekali untuk anak anak bisa memahami apa yang kita maksudkan seprti itu.

Jadi memang kayak apa ya, secara tidak, secara

Ester :tidak sadar

Miss Ari : iya,tidak sadar, iya kayak gitu tu spontan, nanti biasanya neh sambil kita

menunjuk eee sambil kita apa namanya, mengartikan dalam bahasa Indonesia.

Ester : tapi kalau menurut Miss sendiri..

Miss Ari : eheemmm

Ester : eee bahasa Indonesia itu bisa mempersingkat waktu atau me eeee mengirit

waktu, waktu mengajar nggak?

Miss Ari : eee kalau buat saya sih apa namanya tidak begitu itu ya, maksudnya

pengaruhnya juga tidak begitu banyak karena kadang pun apa namanya untuk

misalnya eeee menyampaikan sesuatu itu kadang kadang tu pakai deskripsi

jadi misalnya , seperti eee misalnya menerangkan handuk seperti itu towel, eee

tidak, tidak langsung towel itu handuk tapi something for you to eee dry your

body after taking a bath, seperti itu kita memakai apa namanya, anak anak

menebak , anak anak menebak jadi tidak langsung apa namanya, towel itu

handuk, seperti itu, jadi apa namanya, eeeee, kalau didi eeee apa dibilang pe

pemaikaian bahasa Indonesia eeee pemakaian bahasa Indonesia itu

menghemat waktu mungkin iya, tapi porsinya tidak, tidak begitu apa ya,

istilahnya tidak begitu berpengaruh sekali…

Ester : ooooooo

Miss Ari : seperti itu, iya karena apa pemakaian apa namanya, eeeee, karena pemakaian

bahasa itu biasanya kita usahakan kalau memang sudah anak anak apa

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namanya mengalami kesulitan untuk memahami, kita baru pakai bahasa

Indonesia.

Ester : terus yang kedua (show another part of the video)

Nha kalau di sini…

Miss Ari : ehemmmmm…

Ester : Miss tanya ke anak-anak, bisa nggak gambarnya, berarti di sini Miss check

their understanding, mengapa memakai bahasa Indonesia?

Miss Ari : gimana? Gimana? Bisa diulangi?

Ester : pada bagian ini, Miss tanya pada anak-anak, bisa nggak gambar lehernya?

Nah mengapa pakai bahasa Indonesia?

Miss Ari : eeeeee, tadinya seperti yang saya bilang eeee, jadi kayak apa ya, kayak

eeeeee, reflect jadi memang kayak switch switch eeeeee dari bahasa, kadang

untuk apa namanya untuk aduh duh untuk get their attention, jadi biasanya,

eeee kadang ada kalanya anak anak itu bisa memakai bahasa inggris langsung

mereka bisa tahu, oooo langsung di buat seperti ini, tapi ada kalanya memang

eeee kalau apa ya eeee mereka sama sekali tidak ….. eeee saat Misss ngomong

bahasa inggrispun anak anak tu kayak nggak pay attention seperti itu,ketika

Miss swich ke bahasa Indonesia, baru anak anak ooo maksudnya Miss seperti

ini. Seperti itu, jadi eeee kenapa kok di sini saya tadi memakai eeee gambar,

coba gambarkan karena disitu instruksinya memang eeeee apa namanya,

mungkin kar karna nggak lihat itunya ya, kursinya itu memang gambar

lehernya dari yang anak ini beda dengan eeee apa yang apa harus anak anak

gambarkan disitu memang kurang, kurang apa ya, kurang jelas. Jadi Miss

pakai bahasa Indonesia seperti itu.

Ester : seperti itu, mmmmm, kemudian (show another part of the video). Miss Ari

minta anak-anak draw lehernya dengan titik-titiknya.

Miss Ari : iya

Ester : Miss Ari give instruction ke mereka buat draw, tetapi di sini Miss switch ke

bahasa Indonesia, nah mengapa?

Miss Ari : ok, eheeee

Miss Ari : iya kembali lagi, jadi mungkin apa eee intinya kalau dari yang eee apa

namanya yang saya tangkap tadi ada , ada beberapa, ada beberapa poin eee

yang sama ya kalau di apa kalau boleh, kalau boleh di rangkum, kenapa

memakai..

Ester : bahasa Indonesia

Miss Ari : iya, kenapa memakai bahasa Indonesia. Jadi apa namanya, sebenarnya

pemakaian, pemakaian antara bahasa inggris dan bahasa Indonesia itu tetap

masih banyak bahasa…

Ester : inggris

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Miss Ari : inggris, iya, tapi memang eeee kadang ada pandangan seperti kalau, kalau

saya ya, kalau saya istilahnya memakai apa, fully, maksudnya dalam bahasa

inggris mengajarkan anak terusss, apa namanya dengan bahasa inggris seperti

itu, mungkin anak anak tau eeee maksudnya bukan tahu, bukan, bukan betul

betul memahami jadi ya, ohh ini Miss ngomong pake bahasa inggris tapi

mungkin katakanlah hampir 60% 70 %mereka nggak, nggak, belum, belum,

belum begitu betul betul paham apa yang Miss sampaikan.

Ester : hmmmmm

Miss Ari : iyak..jadi kadang kenapa Miss pakai bahasa inggris kemudian dengan bahasa

Indonesia juga. Kalau Miss boleh bilang itu kayak suatu pembiasaan, seperti

itu…

Ester : eeee

Miss Ari : he‟eee, jadi kadang kalau anak anak misalnya kita bilang eee sit nicely,

mungkin pertama tama anak nggak akan tau tapi ketika kita bilang sit nicely

duduk yang bagus itu kita apa namanya kita instruksikan berkali-kali lama-

lama anak akan tahu tanpa Miss bilang duduk yang baik, Miss bilang sit nicely

pasti mereka tahu. Seperti pemakaian bahasa Inggris kemudian apa namanya,

Miss sedikit transalate dalam bahasa Indonesia, tujuannya seperti itu. Jadi

mengenalkan anak, apa to, Miss itu ngomong dalam bahasa Inggris ini lho.

Nah untuk lain kali tanpa menggunakan bahasa Indonesia anak-anak akan

tahu, seperti itu.

Ester : iya, poin yang kelima (show another part of the video) nah di sini, Miss build

interaction dengan si anak. Nah saat Miss berinteraksi dengan si anak,

mengapa tidak menggunakan bahasa Inggris saja, tetapi menggunakan bahasa

Indonesia? Apa karena bahasa Indonesia merupakan bahasa mereka?

Miss Ari : eee sebenarnya nggak juga, apa namanya eee... di kelas pun kita juga

interaksi dengan bahasa Inggris. Cuma kadang-kadang itu tadi kembali lagi ke

switch language itu tadi. Jadi kadang-kadang memang mungkin di awal kita

pakai bahasa Inggris, tapi kadang setelah itu kita perlu menyisipkan memakai

bahasa Indonesia. Ya karena untuk anak itu kita tidak membedakan. Kalau

untuk anak ini harus pakai bahasa Inggris terus dan yang ini pakai bahasa

Indonesia terus, tidak. Cuma, kita lihat situasi anak itu. Jadi kalu yang sering

saya alami itu saya berkata pada anak-anak seringnya pakai bahasa Inggris

dulu baru bahasa Indonesia. Tapi dalam pembelajaran fully a hundred percent

in English belum bisa tanpa saya menyisipkan bahasa Indonesia. Pernah kita

coba, Miss tidak menjelaskan dalam bahasa Indonesia, Miss mengajarkan

dalam bahasa Inggris, kemudian anak-anak diam dan bingung. Jadi memang

ada waktu tertentu tanpa memakai bahasa Indonesia pun anak-anak bisa. Tapi,

untuk sesuatu yang baru, untuk hal yang baru, memang kalau kita rasa vocab

itu anak-anak belum pernah dengar kemudian itu asing buat mereka dan

misalnya kita sudah bantu pakai deskripsi, deskripsi nggak bisa kita pakai

gesture, anak-anak nggak tahu, nah itu kita baru pakai bahasa Indonesia.

Kadang ada istilah inipun anak-anak kadang nggak tahu. Misalnya, beberapa

anak tahu tenggelam itu apa, tapi untuk beberapa anak-anak nggak tahu. Ada

yang mengistilahkan tenggelam itu berendam. Jadi pemakaian bahasa

Indonesia pun tidak semuanya mengalami punya level yang sama.

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Ester : kemudian, poin yang kelima (show another part of the video) nah di sini

Miss motivate, kenapa kok nggak no no no no tired?

Miss Ari : jadi apa yang kita rencanakan dengan situasi di dalam kelas itu kadang

berbeda. Dan perbedaannya itu tidak cuma sedikit, banyak sekali. Jadi dalam

perencanaan kita oke we speak English, kita harus ngomong dalam bahasa

Inggris. Entah itu dalam deliver the material, ataukah instruction, ataukah

motivate the students memang kita harusnya dalam bahasa Inggris, tapi kadang

situasi sedikit banyak berpengaruh. Jadi ketika anak-anak moodnya kurang

bagus, dan pemakaian bahasa Inggris bukannya tidak effective tetapi kurang

effective. Kadang anak-anak lebih mengena kalau memakai bahasa Indonesia.

Jadi ya seperti itu, situasi kelas berpengaruh pada pemakaian bahasa Inggris

dan bahasa Indonesia.

Ester : kemudian selanjutnya (show another part of the video) nah ini pada saat Miss

dengan Nayaka (a student‟s name), maksud Miss itu kan spaya Nayaka tidak

terlal aktif. Nah mengapa switch ke bahasa Indonesia?

Miss Ari : jadi memang pembelajaran dalam kelas itu supaya tidak kaku, begitu. Jadi

kadang memang ada anak-anak tertentu yang jadi istilahnya gini, kalau ngajar

ya kasih materi sudah terus saya ajari dalam bahasa Inggris selesai tanpa anak

tahu artinya itu apa. Tapi masalah behavior anak-anak kita jga harus dikte.

Kalau untuk kasus ini mengapa Miss menggunakan bahasa Indonesia, karena

untuk menyampaikan dalam bahasa Inggris itu, nggak sah dalam bahasa

Inggris, dalam bahasa Indonesia pun satu anak ini extra. Kita sudah memakai

bahasa Indonesia pun dengan nada yang keras pun anak ini, ya oke aku tahu

Miss bilang aku nggak boleh seperti ini aku nggak boleh seperti ini, dia tahu.

Itu jga tidak apa ya, ya dia tidak hanya sekedar tahu tapi tidak aa kesadaran

untuk mengubah, jadi cuma tahu. Apalagi kalau memakai bahasa Inggris,

mungkin nggak tahu sama sekali. Jadi mengapa kok Miss memakai bahasa

Indonesia, ya mungkin karena lebih mengena, seperti itu. Kalaupun Miss

menjelaskan dalam bahasa Inggris, itupun Miss langsung switch ke bahasa

Indonesia.

Ester : nah point yang ketujuh (show another part of the video) nah di video ini Miss

bilang “nanti anak-anak akan mewarnai beberapa gambar” mengapa Miss

switch ke bahasa Indonesia?

Miss Ari : jadi kembali lagi, intinya sebenarnya apa ya mungkin masalah pembiasaan

itu tadi. Jadi karena terbiasa switch language antara first language dengan

second language jadi secara nggak sadar itu seperti itu. Jadi bahasa Inggris

kemudian bahasa Indonesia. Jadi kalau nggak, dibalik, bahasa Indonesia dulu

baru bahasa Inggris. Kemudian bisa Miss katakan kenapa kadang dipakai

bahasa Indonesianya dulu Miss baru bahasa Indonesianya atau sebaliknya itu

tadi? Ya mungkin karena itu tadi karena reflek karena pembiasaan itu tadi,

pemakaian bahasa Indonesia dan bahasa Inggris secara bergantian.

Ester : kemudian, harapan Miss ketika menggunakan bahasa Indonesia saat

mengajar bahasa Inggris itu apa? Bisa lebih dari satu.

Miss Ari : harapan ketika Miss memakai bahasa Indonesia saat mengajar bahasa Inggris.

Mungkin dengan memakai bahasa Indonesia, yang pertama bisa membantu

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anak-anak memahami apa yang Miss sampaikan ketika materi itu disampaikan

di dalam bahasa Inggris. Jadi pemakaian bahasa Indonesia itu sangat

membantu, itu yang pertama. Kemudian yang kedua, dengan memakai bahasa

Indonesia otomatis perbendaharaan kosakata anak-anak dalam first language

itu juga bertambah. Karena memang mungkin dirumah mereka mengenal

beberapa istilah seperti ini, kemudian di sekolah ketika Miss menjelaskan

materi yang baru ototmatis vocab mreka akan bertambah. Kemudian untuk

yang ketiga, ada beberapa kasus yang mana ada anak yang first language nya

bukan bahasa Indonesia, dengan mereka mendengar atau sering mendengar

bahasa Indonesia, pemakaian bahasa Indonesia dalm pembelajaran mereka

juga tahu. Oh kalau dalam bahasa sehari-hariku ini itu kalau dalam bahasa

Indonesianya tuh ini. Kalau anak-anak sudah mengenal perbendaharaan atau

kosakata yang baru itu otomatis mereka kita harapkan mereka bisa

mempraktekkan. Jadi kalau aku mau bilang ini pun bahasa Indonesianya tuh

ini jadi yang aku pakai itu ini. Jadi ada satu kasus itu “Miss aku meh rono”

(Javanese: I want to go there) nah anak-anak yang lain nggak tahu artinya “aku

meh rono” itu apa, cuma satu dua anak yang paham karena first language

mereka bahasa Jawa. Tetapi ketika Miss bilang “Miss, aku kesana, Miss I am

going there” mugnkin anak-anak sekali dua kali mereka masih perlu proses.

Tapi ketika mungkin sudah beberapa hari atau minggu depan ketika mau

bilang „aku meh rono” mereka nggak akan berani lagi. Mereka akan bilang

“Miss aku kesana”. Mungkin fungsinya bahasa Indonesia seperti itu. Jadi

mereka yang first languagenya bukan bahasa Indonesia, membantu mereka

untuk oh aku mendapatkan kosakata yang baru.

Ester : terima kasih Miss atas waktunya

Miss Ari : iya sama-sama