The Correlation between The Students’ Needs in Learning English Writing and The English Test Result (INTRODUCTION)

The Correlation between The Students’ Needs in Learning English Writing and The English Test Result (INTRODUCTION)
 

Image: www.theage.com.au

Written by Ari Julianto


A. Background of the Study
In Indonesia, students in primary school to university level have to learn English. In one’s process of thinking, language plays an important thing, because any kinds of ideas, concepts, views, and desires are manifested through language. With the rapid progress of information and communication technology during recent decades, a vast amount of knowledge has been spreading through the borderless world. In the trend of globalization, the most important language being used among countries, institutions and individuals all over the world is the English language.

In this study, the researcher chose the topic of students’ needs in learning English writing. Every individual has a need that may vary among individuals because needs are essentially objective in nature. In learning English writing, learners or students have some needs and they share other needs common to all people. If these needs are not fulfilled it means the problems of the students in their social life appear.

A number of educators believe that student attitudes and academic success or failure are in large part due to the nature of their relationships in and with the schools problems. It is always helpful to find out about students’ needs, their prior learning experiences, the situations they are likely to use English in and which skills/language items they need to extra practice with. Armed with this information, the teacher can select and create the most appropriate and useful learning materials and activities.

Maslow (1954: 59) stated that we have seen that the chief, principle of organization in human motivational life is the arrangement' of basic needs in a hierarchy of less or greater priority or potency. The chief dynamic principle animating this organization is the emergence in the healthy person of less potent needs upon gratification of the more potent ones.

The physiological needs, when unsatisfied, dominate the organism, pressing all capacities into their service and organizing these capacities so that they may be most efficient in this service.  The principle is the same for the other sets of needs in the hierarchy, i.e., love, esteem, and self•actualization.

Many learning problems are prevented or minimized by matching teaching methods and lesson content to learners’ current aptitude and prior experience. Some learning problems are indeed due to deficits or impairments within students themselves. Westwood (2004: 2) stated that the other essential element of pedagogical knowledge is an awareness of the learning characteristics of the students they teach, including those with special educational needs. Learners have many common characteristics at various ages and stages, but individual learners also differ in many educationally significant ways. Teachers need to understand both the commonalities and the differences in order to meet students’ needs.

Nunan (1999: 150) states that a wide range of instruments and techniques is available for carrying put need analysis. He suggested that the key questions addressed here is what are the skills and linguistic knowledge needed by the students to comprehend and produce language for communicating successfully situations? Moreover,

Nunan (1999: 151) has made a list of questionnaire to be given to the learners or students to find out what they need in learning English. And from the explanation above, the researcher would like to know the correlation between the students’ needs in learning English and the English text result or assessment.

From that reasons, the researcher chose the secondary variable that is the students’ result in English test or assessment as the topic. Assessment is an integral part of the learning and teaching process. It is an ongoing process that aims to promote and improve learning.

Fundamentally, assessment involves both teachers and learners reflecting on assessment data: it should provide learners with appraisal and feedback on their performance in relation to learning objectives, so as to help them to improve on the one hand, and offer teachers information for effective planning and intervention on the other. In light of the pressure students’ needs in learning English, it is not surprising that several studies have found that satisfaction and dissatisfaction on what students’ needs may become one of the influenced factors.

Based on the explanation above, the researcher would like to know the correlation between the students’ needs in learning English writing and their achievement in English. Either students’ needs or English achievement is necessary in developing the process of teaching learning English. Without knowing what the students’ needs, it is impossible for teachers to improve the teaching and learning way.

From the reasons and explanations above, the researcher chose the correlation between the students needs in learning English writing and the students’ result in English text. This topic is considered important since
he students’ in learning English is essential even the need analysis can lead to the change of school system, curriculum and sometimes the government policy in education.

B. Identification of the Study
    The problems of this study are related to the following aspects
1. The students’ needs in learning English writing,
2. The students’ achievement in English test writing,
3. The correlation between the students’ needs in learning English writing and the students’ achievement in English test.

C. The Scope and Limitation
    The scope of this research is to investigate the students’ needs in learning English writing based on Nunan’s questionnaires and the students’ result in English test and the correlation between the students’ needs in learning English writing as a second language and their achievement in English subject lesson in school based on the semester report. As the limitation, this research is limited on the students of junior high school.  

D. Formulation of the Problem
    The problems of this research are formulated as follows
1.    What are the students’ needs in learning English writing?
2.    How is the students’ achievement in learning English?
3.    Is there any correlation between the students’ students’ needs in learning English writing as a second language and the students’ achievement in English test?

E. The Objectives of the Study
    The objectives of this study are
1. to describe the students’ needs in learning English writing,
2. to find out the students’ achievement in English test, and
3. to investigate the correlation between the students’ needs in learning English writing and the students’ achievement in English test.

 F. The Significance of the Research
    The findings of this study are expected to give a contribution to
1. the teachers who teach English especially in junior high school in which the teachers may consider what the students’ need in learning English writing,
2. the students who are facing their need problems in learning English as a second language. By understanding their needs, the students hopefully realize that their needs are sometimes essential for their success in learning English,
3. Moreover, this research hopefully will be expected to be useful for people who would like to observe the students’ problems, needs and their achievement in English test. By knowing this, they can understand the correlation between the students’ needs and the students’ results in English test.

Reference
Maslow. A.H. 1954. Motivation and Personality. New York: Harper & Row,Publishers , Inc.

Nunan, David. 1999. Second Language Teachng & Learning. Boston: Heinle &Heinl;e Publisher.

Westwood, Peter. 2004. Learning and Learning Difficulties, A handbook for teachers. Sydney: ACER Press.