Research Proposal

Motivational Factors and Learning Strategies among IKM Jasin

Students in Learning English as a Second Language

Prepared by :

Noramizah binti Zainon

Student ID : 2013747185
Contents

CHAPTER ONE.................................................................................................................................... 3
1.1 Introduction................................................................................................................................ 3
1.2 Statement of the Problem ....................................................................................................... 4
1.3 Research Objectives ................................................................................................................ 5
1.4 Research Questions ................................................................................................................ 5
1.5 Operational Definition .............................................................................................................. 6
1.6 Limitation of the Study ............................................................................................................. 6
1.7 Significance of the Study......................................................................................................... 7
CHAPTER TWO ................................................................................................................................... 8
2.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 8
2.2 Good Language Learners ............................................................................................................ 8
2.3 Language Learning Strategies .................................................................................................... 9
2.4 Acquisition and Second Language Learning ........................................................................... 11
2.5 Motivation and Language Learning Strategies ....................................................................... 12
CHAPTER THREE ............................................................................................................................. 13
3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 13
3.2 Research Approach..................................................................................................................... 13
3.3 Research Design ......................................................................................................................... 13
3.4 Research Instrument ................................................................................................................... 14
3.5 Research Sample ........................................................................................................................ 14
3.6 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................... 15
Bibliography : ...................................................................................................................................... 16

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 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction

Generally, every semester 1 and 2 student in all Institut Kemahiran MARA

(IKM) is compulsory to take English courses. In IKM, the broad aims of English

courses are to enable the students to communicate in English in various social

contexts using appropriate expressions. Basically, the syllabus provided by

Bahagian Kemahiran & Teknikal, MARA to be implemented in IKM is emphasizing

on equipping these students with communication skills, particularly in spoken

English. This is seen as an important factor for the students to prepare themselves

for working environment upon their graduations.

IKM is one of higher learning institutions that provide technical education for

the students, who are focusing on improving their hands-on skills. Mostly, students

who enrol in IKM are low achiever students based on their SPM examination results

as a whole, and particularly in English language subject. Evidently, the minimum

academic qualification for the students to further studies in IKM is they only have to

pass SPM examination, with passing grade in Malay language subject (Bahagian

Kemahiran & Teknikal, MARA). Hence, most students who study in IKM are among

low English proficiency students.

Despite the fact that these students are weak in English language, they still have

to study and pass the course, for the matter of fact that being comprehensible in

English is important for them to have a good and secured job in the future. However,

based on the English final examination results for July – December 2013 session, a

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large percent of IKM Jasin students have a low achievement of English language.

The final examination results confirmed that 43% of Semester 1 and 2 students who

took English courses were in low level of English language, 41% were in

intermediate level, meanwhile another 16% were in proficient level (Unit Peperiksaan

& Persijilan IKM Jasin, 2013).

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Based on the final examination results, these questions were aroused, which

led to the intention of conducting this study. The questions would be; what actually

happen during the English lesson? Why is that some students are successful, while

a large percent of them are not? Which language learning strategies have been used

in conducting the lesson? ESL teachers, particularly who teach in IKM Jasin will be

benefited from the answers for this question, in order for them to encourage the

students in acquiring ESL, thus improving the results of English courses.

English teachers in IKM Jasin have always been seeking ways to help the

students become more successful in learning and communicating in second

language. The application of second language learning strategies is seen as a way

to promote a better success among these low-achievers. According to Oxford

(1990), second language learning and use strategies comprises of improving the

learning of second language, as well as the use of second language by the learners.

In second language learning, there are factors that must be taken into consideration.

The first factors contend with cognitive style, age, personality, attitude and

motivation, as well as aptitude (Gardner, 1985). As stated by Larsen-Freeman

(1991), the strategies in which the students use during the acquisition process is

considered as another possible factor in learning ESL.

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 As a result of lack of English language proficiency, most IKM Jasin students are

not able to acquire second language effectively. In order to improve the learning

process, apart from knowing the most important factors that influence the acquisition

process, the teacher could also start making the students aware of the language

learning strategies that they can choose and use during the learning process.

Therefore, the teachers’ role is vital in helping the students succeed in language

learning process; not only by motivating them, also by allowing the students develop

their own approaches to learning.

1.3 Research Objectives

The research objectives for this study are:

i. To determine the motivational factors of IKM Jasin students to learn English

as a second language (ESL).

ii. To identify the learning strategies used by proficient IKM Jasin students in
learning ESL.

1.4 Research Questions

The research questions for this study are:

i. What are the motivational factors of IKM Jasin students in learning ESL?

ii. What are the learning strategies used by proficient IKM Jasin students in
learning ESL?

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1.5 Operational Definition

These terms are defined according to their use in the study:

1. Good language learners : the students who perform efficiently in

second language by retaining more language strategies (Stern, 1992).

2. Language acquisition : any language that has been picking up in a

subconscious process (Krashen, 2002).

3. Language learning strategies : the aware of thoughts and actions that

learners take in order to reach a learning goal.

4. Motivational factors : any internal influence that leads a person

to start, hence to persist in any activity in order to achieve a goal (Pintrich,

2003).

5. Proficient : students who obtained A- and A grades in

English courses final examination (Unit Peperiksaan & Persijilan IKM Jasin,

2013).

1.6 Limitation of the Study

This study was limited to Semester 1 and 2 students in IKM Jasin for the current

session only. Thus, the results cannot be generalized for all IKM students in

Malaysia.

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1.7 Significance of the Study

As most students who enrol in IKM Jasin are among low-proficiency English

learners, it is important for the English language teachers to be aware of these

students’ motivational factors in learning ESL. Besides, teachers also need to

identify which language learning strategies are suitable to be implemented in order to

get the students engaged in the English lesson at all times. Thus, this study is

significance for both teachers and students in IKM Jasin with the aim of improving

the English communication skills among the students.

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 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction

This chapter provides a critical review and analysis of the literature related to the

study. Generally, the state of problems and solutions in acquiring English language

are based on some variables, which include the following aspects :

i) Language learning strategies

ii) Students’ motivational factors in learning ESL.

Hence, the related literature regarding language learning strategies as well as the

motivational factors are scrutinized in this chapter to provide the grounding related to

the research questions of this study.

2.2 Good Language Learners

Good language learners who use appropriate learning strategies have been

identified as the core of awareness in achieving the significance of teaching-learning

practices. Oxford (1990) states that learning strategies require actions that are taken

by the learner to make learning more effective, more enjoyable, easier, faster, more

transferable to new situations and more self-directed. According to Stern (1975);

Reis (1985), the good language learner comprises of these criteria:

i) Has a strong drive to communicate

ii) A prepared guesser

iii) Examines speech

iv) Applies and practices

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 v) Is not inhabited

vi) Concentrates on meaning

According to Oxford (1990), direct strategies refer to the language learning strategies

that involve directly the target language. All these direct strategies require mental

processing of the language. Apart from the direct strategies, Oxford (1990, 2003)

also describes other strategies that support the production of language learning,

namely the indirect strategies. Indirect strategies include metacognitive strategies

which allow students to control their own cognition; affective strategies, which help to

regulate emotions, motivations and attitudes; and social strategies that assist the

students to learn through interactions with each other.

2.3 Language Learning Strategies

Learning strategy is generally defined as “the special thoughts or behaviors

that individuals use to help learners comprehend, learn, or retain new information”

(O’Malley & Chamot, 1990, p. 1). Furthermore, the ways that the students use to

acquire English as second language on their own are called strategies. Strategies

are also known as behaviours and thoughts that help the students to engage in

learning, thus influence the students’ encoding process (Perez, 2013). Chamot and

Kupper (1989) defined learning strategies as “techniques which students use to

comprehend, store, and remember new information and skills”. The non-observable

and observable aspects of learning strategies contribute to the actions, as well as

the thoughts of the students in order to learn the language.

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 Thompson and Rubin (1993) conducted a research on how to improve second

language (L2) students’ learning strategies. In this investigation they found out that

attempts to teach students to use learning strategies have produced good results.

The researchers emphasizes that students could acquire language effectively with

the influence of the successful strategies such as metacognitive, cognitive and social

strategies.

Shoebottom (2007) stated that good language learners reflect about how they

are learning. They will always try to understand the purpose of one particular task

given to them. Besides, good language learners are also prepared to do the try-out

and take risks. In addition, they are also realistic, in which they understand that there

is some time needed for them to be proficient in English language. Furthermore,

good language learners usually do not rely on the teachers to totally direct their

learning. They are more independent, where they will not just sitting in the classroom

and waiting for the teacher to teach. Lastly, they are organized and always looking

for chances to develop their language skills, both inside and outside the classroom.

The research above revealed the importance of understanding students’

learning strategies and personal characteristics when attempting to acquire a second

language. There is no available research that indicates this relationship for IKM

students generally and IKM Jasin specifically. Therefore, this study is particularly

interested in finding out which strategies are used by semester 1 and 2 English

language learners in IKM Jasin and to try to establish a relationship between these

and successful language acquisition.

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 Learning strategies are important for the students as they can affect the

students’ motivation, as well as in which the students select, organize and interact

with new knowledge (Weinstein & Mayer, 1986). Oxford (2003) considers that

language learning styles and strategies are among the most important

factors that help determine how – and how well the students learn second

language. Furthermore, language learning strategies and motivation should

be recognized as significant factors in contributing to the academic

success. It is apparent that one of the ways the students do to understand

information effectively for their academic achievement is by using

appropriate learning strategies. That is why the teachers should understand

the significance of language learning strategies in order to help the

students in teaching and learning process.

2.4 Acquisition and Second Language Learning

Learning a language and acquire it are two different processes

(Krashen, 2002). Learning is considered as gaining formal knowledge, in

which it is to understand about a language. On the other hand, acquisition

is the unconscious process that takes place during the real conversation

(Krashen, 2002). According to Chomsky (1959) as cited in Medano and Cano

(2009), all of us are born with an innate capacity to learn our mother

tongue. Based on Larsen-Freeman, and Long (1994), motivation to communicate

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becomes part of the family, whereby it makes children succeed in learning

their mother tongue.

2.5 Motivation and Language Learning Strategies

In ESL research, motivation has been showing consistent significance impact

on learning outcomes. The researcher concluded that motivated learners play a

significant role in language learning because they seem to help them avoid failures

(He, 2004 as cited in Cho Stoffa, 2009). Dornyei and Clement (2001) as cited in

Bernaus and Gardner (2008) proposed that the motivational strategies could be

divided into four categories. The first category deals with classroom condition, which

includes appropriate teacher behaviours, good relationship with other classmates

and a pleasant classroom atmosphere in learning a language.

The second category focuses on engendering students’ motivation by

enhancing their language-related attitudes, increasing their goal and creating

realistic beliefs of the language learners. The third category involves maintaining

motivation by setting sub-goals, improving the quality of learning experience as well

as promoting self-motivating learner strategies. Meanwhile, the forth category deals

with encouraging positive self-evaluation of the students, providing motivational

feedback and increasing students’ satisfaction. On top of that, Gardner and Lambert

(1972) claimed that motivation to learn a language depends on the positive attitudes

towards the language area and the desire to communicate in the target language.

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 CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

This chapter will explain on the methodology, which covers research

approach, research design, research instrument, sample of the research as well as
the data analysis.

3.2 Research Approach

This study will be conducted based on qualitative approach, where the

researcher will try to establish as much as information collected from the sample.

The researcher also will be more concerned with understanding situations from the

participants’ viewpoint. Besides, this study is not intended to make any

generalization which is beyond the studied situation. The readers are given

accessibility to assess the applicability of this study to any similar occurrences.

3.3 Research Design

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 In order to answer the both research questions, survey research design will

be implemented. In survey research design, the main way in which the information

will be collected is through asking questions. The answers to these questions by the

members of the group (samples) will constitute the data of the study. A cross-

sectional survey is appropriate to be used for collecting the data. A cross-sectional

survey collects information from a sample and the information is collected at just one

point in time (Frankel, J.R., Wallen, N.E. and Hyun, H.H., 2012, p. 394). This survey

research design is somehow appropriate to be used in this study as the objectives of

this study are to determine the motivational factors and identify the learning

strategies among IKM Jasin students.

3.4 Research Instrument

In order to answer the first research question (RQ1), structured interview will

be used to collect the data. Structured interview consists of a sets of questions

designed to elicit specific answers from the respondents, hence the data can later be

compared and contrasted in order to shape responses to the researcher’s

perceptions. The respondents will be asked fifteen questions that will lead to

answering of RQ1. As for the second research question (RQ2), a set of

questionnaire will be used for the purpose of collecting the data. The questionnaire

will be using the frequency to measure the students’ use of language learning

strategy.

3.5 Research Sample

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 The target population for this study is all semester 1 and 2 students of IKM

Jasin. The samples for the study would be all semester 1 and 2 students who

obtained A- and A grades in English final examination paper for July – December

2013 session. In order to get the samples, purposive sampling will be used, where

the samples will be selected based on the specific purpose of the research. It is

appropriate as this study is aimed to identify the motivational factors of the students,

which encourage them to have good achievement in English course and to

determine the language learning strategies employed by these proficient students.

3.6 Data Analysis

The data collected for this RQ1 will be analysed using content analysis, which

is a technique that requires observation of the samples from the researcher through

human behaviour. This observation will somehow help the researcher to analyse the

samples’ communications from their responses. The interview will be recorded and

transcribed for the data analysis. The responses will be analysed, in which the

results and discussions will be used to make a generalization which represents the

whole population. Meanwhile the data for RQ2 will be analysed by using descriptive

statistics, in which to identify the scoring items in the questionnaire, frequency, mean

and standard deviation will be calculated. All the data will be analysed using a

statistical hardware, based on descriptive statistics.

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Bibliography :

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8. Larsen-Freeman, D. (1991, Summer). Acquisition research: Staking out the
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