English Strategy of Speaking Autodidact Learner

INVESTIGATING ENGLISH STRATEGY OF SPEAKING AUTODIDACT LEARNERS AT SELONG BELANAK

M BAYU HENDRIYADI

Study Program of Discourse Analysis

Email: bayu1166@gmail.com

 

ABSTRACT

• This study investigated strategies for developing speaking skill and the purpose of this study is to explore how do the autodidact learner learn in English. This study used descriptive qualitative research design. The participants of this study were five autodidacts learners from selong belanak.  To find the result of this research, the data was collected by two research instruments: observation and  Interview. From the data analysis, the result of this of this research shows that the autodidact applied almost all of the strategis strategies in learning English espesially on speaking were  sosial strategies and affective strategies. In terms developing or enhancing pronounciation they used  social strategies and cognitive strategies. In terms to strategy of enriching vocabulary they  used memory strategies, social strategies and cognitive strategies. In terms to improving fluency in speaking they used social strategies,  and cognitive strategies. In term to improving accent they used social strategies and cognitive startegies.

 

 

 

Key words: speaking skill, social strategies, memory strategies, affective strategies, cognitive strategies.

• Introduction
• 
  
• Speaking is one of the most basic skills in English language that learners have to communicate which involve tongue and lung, and they can produce a sound that people can receive and understand the means  of speaker then giving feedback. It is defined that speaking as an interactive process of contructing that involves producing and receiving information Burns and Joyce (1997), and louna (2004) cited in Torky, (2006, p.34)
• It is concluded that speaking is basic skills that called oral communication where people can express their ideas, knowladge and feelings that people can understand then give resppond. In addition, speaking is tool to communicate as function in order to build a relationship.
• Meanwhile, concerning the importance of speaking skills  for communication in the world,  language learning strategy has been made by many instittutions, esspecially in educational sector. Not only the teachers prrepared well but also some education school provide some facilities such as book, online resources, and conducting online class with native speakers. Language learning strategy are the concious steps or behaviours used by  language learners to enhance the acquisition, storage, recall, and use of new information (Oxford, 2011) cited in Safranj (2015, p.775). OMalley and Chamot (1990, p. 1) cited in Gani, Fajrina and Hanifa (2015, p.20)  state that "learning strategies are special thoughts or behaviors that individuals use to help them comprehend, learn, or retain new information". And Oxford (1990, p. 8) also points out learning strategies are specific actions taken by learners to help their own learning, to make the learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, more self-directed, more effective and more transferable. Every learning process requires a manner or strategy to be adapted in order to achieve the main purpose of learning  .
• . Today, an autodidact get demand of high  achievement wtihin particular field. According to Fisher.P and Fisher.R (2007, p.516) state that "The autodidact is now generally seen as someone who has acquired high levels of expertise, usually in particular field, through self-education. meanwhile According to Rogers (1983) cited in Sun and Duo (2010, p.156) indicated that  self-directed learning is to learn or to choose in learner's free manner, and he took self-directed learning as the personal process of learning how to learn, how to change and how to adapt.
• Nowdays, many  people  learn English by an autodidact through workplace and experience. According to Tough (1971) cited in Bouchard (1994, p.2) submit that learners usually engage in learning activities because of the benefits they expect to derive by doing so. In the case of workplace learning, the  organizational context is the key determinant of where, what, why, when, and how something is learned. According to Tremblay (1993) cited in Baskett (1993, p.3) pointed out that there are three dimensions to be considered when discussing self-directed learning in the workplace: initiative, planning and autonomy. Self-directed on the-job learning can mean that the individuals takes the initiative and do the planning, but the autonomy to choose how , when, when, why, what and where to learn.  Meanwhile  such as people who live at Selong Belanak beach or tourism area, They work and learning through actvity at tourism area. Eventhough  they are never have school such as formal education but they are good  in English especially in speaking. In additions, environment  such as tourism area  can be influence to people who is  learning English by an autodidact.
• However, based on the researcher observation the autodidact learners have good in English specially in speaking and also they are more confident in using English. In every days at their activity actually  they are mostly using local language (SASAKNESS), but they speak English when they have a guest. Beside that, They know English since western people (tourist) come. Meanwhille, because of the demand of places such as tourism places they must speak English when the western people come. Therefore, concerning of the observation this study will explore what is the language strategy were applied by an autodidact learner in speaking skills at Selong Belanak beach they use for learning English and how they learn.
• 
  
• Method
• Participants 

The participants of the research conducted five surf guide or people who lives in Selong Belanak. The  five participants comes from autodidact learner who was learning English language  especially in speaking by their own manner.

2.2  Data collection

2.2.1 Instrument of the study

The aim of the research was to get the data from an autodidact learners, and the data was about what is the learning strategies were applied by an autodidact to learn English especially in speaking. The  data is the important in the research. The present researcher used two instruments in collecting the data, namely : observation and interview.

2.2.2 Techniques of collecting data

Data collection is a process of gathering  information from all relevant sources to find answer of research problems, and evaluate the result. In this case the researcher used some of methods of data collection.

• Observation

In this study, obsevation will conduct at Selong Belanak. observation  is a method of collecting data using observation to the research object. Object will be observed are the activities of learning strategies and the activities of the subject of the research. Besides that, to support the valid data the researcher also used two kinds of observation where the researcher took pictures and notes.

• Interview

interview  is one of the techniques to collect data by having one way conversation between interviewer and respondent with the purpose of getting certain information from respondent. The researcher collected the data by interviewing the object. The researcher conducted specific questions that concerned with information related to the data needed, the questions  find  out  all  about  the  learning  strategies  in  learning  speaking  of  autodidact learner. Besides that, the interviewer used recorded to the result of the interview.

•  Data Analysis

In analyzing the data, the researcher analyzed the result of research and drew the conclusion from the result and also the  suggestion  for any  further research. There  are  some  steps  as  follows:  First,  reducing  the  data,  it  is  the  process  of making summary from the main points, arranging it and categorizing it based on its classification (Moleong, 2000: 190). The researcher  selected the data taken from observation  and  interview.  Second,  displaying  the  data,  in  this  step,  the researcher described and discussed the selected data of the research in the form of systematic classification. Consequently, it is easy to be analyzed and to be understood. Last, drawing conclusion, in this step, the researcher made the conclusions and suggestions based on the displayed data.

• Result
• Observation Finding

In order to know what is the autodidact learners (Surf Guide) activities from at the beginning of a day since morning when they wake up until sleep again at Selong belanak, the researcher conducted observation on 28 of mei 2020. Based on the observation the researcher found that the autodidact learner (Surf Guide) who was living around Selong belanak actually they mostly communicated or interacted by  using locals language (SASAKNESS) even at beach (tourism area), but when they were at the beach sometimes they mixed or combined between locals language (SASAKNESS) and English when they communicated or interacted with their friends and unexpectedly they only spoke English when the western people or tourist came to Selong belamak beach such as for having  some meal and surfing stuff  or when they have customer. Otherwise, they spoke local langugae (SASAKNESS) whole days, a month and it could be a years when they did not have customer. Therefore, the demanded of the job or the place where they were live,  they should be good spoke English. Futhermore,  the autodidact learners (Surfer Guide) probably just spoke 30% English and spoke 70%  locals language (SASAKNESS) in whole day.

Meanwhile, autodidact learners (Surf Guide) are more confident in using English, even though sometimes they were wrong in pronounced words by words. Beside that when they did not know about vocabulary words sometimes they asked the customer (tourist) directly about it and sometimes they asked their friends.

In additions, environment such as tourism area had been influencer to them who was learning English by an autodidact and then the more impotantly was they have a big willing, and then they created the strong mentality on themselves.

• Interview Finding

After collected the data by observation, the  researcher also conducted interview face to face on 18 of juni 2020 with five of autodidact learners (Surf Guide) who had high and low speaking perfomance. This was conducted to confirm the learninng strategies of learning Engish espesially speaking. The researcher used an interview one-way  involving self-observation which enable to autodidact learners to think about what they generally do when learning English especially in speaking by an autodidact.  There were four questions had given to participants and during the interview, data was recorded using hand-phone recorder.

Tabel 01

No

Participants

First autodidact strategies  in lerning English

 In terms to improving pronounciation

In terms to enriching vocabulary

In terms to improving speaking fluency

In terms to improving accent

1

HB

Listening and seeing people when they talk

watching a English movies and listening English music

asking a tourist

Practicing with tourist when I hangout

gathering with tourist people and than followed their accent

2

RK

teaching customor, hangout

watching English movie and listening English movie

asking my friends and chating or sent  message

Practice when teaching surf

wacthing americans movie

3

SA

Listening when people talked in English

Watching in youtube about English and watching English movie

Asking friends, look up in dictionary apps

Practicing when offering surf lesson or food

hangout with England people

4

AL

listening when people talked and asking a friends abaout what the meaning of the words

Watching  English movie and asking a friends

asking a guest when I do not know meaning of the words

speaking with my friends and sometimes sharing with my friends

wacthing Americans movie and than I practice

5

AZ

listening when someone talking used English and asking friends

listening English music and I play U-dictionary apps also

I learned from apps game and look up in dectionary apps

watching English movie, listening English music and than practicing with tourist

watching americansEngliish

Base on the tables above the researcher found that the most learning strategy of speaking  autodidact learner (Surf Guide) used  who is living around selong belanak beach was listened or  pay-attention when tourist talk with others guides, collecting vocabulary by asking a friends, practiced with friends and also they learning English espesially on speaking  through made relationship with tourist.

• Discussion

4.1 Autodidact strategy in lerning English 

Form the result of interview the researcher note that the most  learning strategy used by autodidact learner (Surf Guide) in learning English espesially on speaking were listening and seeing people when they talk such as increased interaction with a friends or tourist by asking, cooperating with others and emphatizing with others.

4.2  In term to developing pronounciation

• In terms to developing or enhancing pronounciation of autodidact learner (Surf Guide) that they trained their pronount by repeating  or imitating sounds of  tourist or their friends word and then talked  by themselve,  sometimes they shared how to pronounced well of words with a tourist, when they got wrong then tourist help to fix them or help them  pronounced a words in good way, and also they watched English movie, youtube, and listened to the music while tried to sang the lyrics of English song.

4.3  In terms to enrich vocabulary

• In terms to enrich vocabulary of autodidact learner (Surf Guide), they asked tourist or their customer when they did not know about the words which was they wanted to mention, but also sometimes they asked their friends about the words. Beside that they also used a phone to  ecountered vocabulary such as made  communicated on  phone by sent a message through apps like  whatsaap, intagram, facebook and then when they did not know  about a words, they looked up the meaning in a dictionary. They also watched English movie.

4.4  In terms to make fluency

In order to make their fluency better revered to the place and their job (Surf Guide)  they spoke English with tourist or with their customer  everyday and then practiced with a friends, and mostly  practiced when they teach surf, when they hangout with customor and when they offering food. And than sometimes they talking to themselves.

•  In terms to improving accent
• In order to improve  their accent, they mostly listening English music, as like rapper song , wacthing English movie as like harry poter sometimes they hangout with tourist and asking the sound of word when they do not know how to mention it and than tried to followed their accent
• Conclusion
• However, based on the data were found the researcher concluded that:
• The autodidact learner (Surf Guide) strategies in learning English espesially on speaking were  social strategies and affective strategies
• In terms developing or enhancing pronounciation they used  social strategies and cognitive strategies
• In terms to strategy of enriching vocabulary they  used memory strategies, social strategies and cognitive strategies
• In terms to improving fluency in speaking they used social strategies,  and cognitive strategies.
• In term to improving accent they used social strategies and cognitive startegies.

Meanwhile, concerning  through the data had taken by observation and interview the frequently of learning strategy used by an autodidact learners in learning English espesially on speaking were social strategy, memory strategy, affective strategy and cognitive strategy.

 

 

• REFERENCE

Torky, S. (2006). The Effectiveness of a Task- Based Instruction Program in Developing the English Language Speaking Skills of Secondary Stage Students. Ain Shams University. Retrieve on 27 May 2020. https://www.academia.edu/28704526

Gani, S., Fajrina, D., & Hanifa, R. (2015). Students' Learning Strategies for Developing Speaking Ability. Studies in English Langugae and Education, 2(1).

Fisher, P., & Fisher, R. (2007). The "Autodidact", the pursuit of subversive knowledge and politics of change. Studies In The Cultural Politics Of Eduation, 28(4), 515-529.

Su, M.-h. M., & Duo, P.-c. (2010). EFl learners' language learning use as a predictor for self-directed learning readiness. The Journal Of Asia Teofl, 7(2), 153-176.

Bouchard, Paul (1994). Self-directed profesional and autodidactic choice: A framework for analysis

Baskett, H. M. (1993). Work place factors which enhance self-directed learning. CANADA: Group for interdisciplinary research on autonomy and training, montreal (Quebec).