Learning
a language is becoming a big challenge for particular students, both in native
and non-native country. One example, Indonesian students who learn English
language in their own country will have another story of learning process when
they learn the language in the English speaking country. Regarding this matter,
students need to increase their awareness about the language learning environment
which is appropriate to support their learning process. Therefore, it is
important to let the students know about the types of language learning
environment, that is learning a language as the foreign language and as the
mother tongue. Students can decide which one of the environment that will help
them to achieve their goal of learning. By analyzing the similarities and
differences between both types of language learning environment, students will figure
out how their learning process is being carried out effectively and
efficiently.
The
first similar thing of learning English in both native and non-native country
is that the essential of the language which is a tool for communication.
Language is defined as a form of communication using words, either spoken or
written. Meanwhile communication is a process of exchanging information between
two parties. Therefore, there must be two parties within particular area for
communication to exist while language itself is used as the medium to exchange.
In today’s world, English is treated as the global lingua franca due to the
fact that it is a required international language in areas such as
communications, science, information technology, diplomacy and also education.
English, as a language, is used as a method of communication around the world, either
directly or indirectly. English learners can use English directly as a tool for
communication by direct or face-to-face interaction. However, it is also
accepted that the language can be used to exchange information by using social
media. Thus, wherever the English learners learn the language, it is always
used as a tool to communicate ideas between two parties by using spoken or
written words.
After
knowing about the similarity, students should also notice the difference
between learning English in native and non-native countries. One thing that
differentiate them is the educational system of the native and non-native countries.
It is undeniable that the educational system has an important role in students’
language learning environment. As Steiner (1988) said that students and the
context of learning are the components of an education system. It means that
the educational system should be well-conducted in order to create excellent
students and also the learning environment. For instance, in America, the
educational focus of the government is a decentralization to give a total authority to the states and the districts in
managing their own instructional curriculum. By evolving the decentralization
model, the educational management is executed based on the exact needs and
aspiration from the society of each state and district. Generally, this policy
is in line with one of its educational goals which is to improve the social
condition of society. Moreover, the educational system in America has been
created to help and prepare the students in developing their personal skills.
Therefore, at the end of 19th century, there is a claim for changing
the curriculum and the learning method by directing the attention to the
different needs of each student. Thus, the
students will have a big opportunity in deciding their learning choices and
priorities.
Different from America’s educational system, Indonesia
has its own educational system. In short, Indonesian students will have a
different learning environment if they choose their mother tongue country
(Indonesia) as an environment to learn English. Although the implementation of
decentralization model is also running in Indonesia, but it still has several
problem that should be considered by the government itself. As Rohman and
Wiyono (2010) said that the decentralization in Indonesia has several crucial
points which are related to the implementation, such as the misdistribution of
educational service through the numbers of provinces in Indonesia and also the
frequent changing of curriculum itself. Additionally, the focus of Indonesia
educational system is the character building and the intellectuality of the
students. In line with this, the government, in this case The Minister of
Education, has improved the curriculum of education in Indonesia into the focus
of three aspects of learning, they are cognitive, affective, and behavior. In
short, learning here is to create a student which is good in every aspects of
life.
In short, knowing about the characteristics of the
types of language learning environment is very important for students. Both
native and non-native countries have their own strengths to help students in
learning a language. So, the students can take the benefits from the
similarities and differences of both language learning environments. Yet, they
should not only rely on a specific point that a country has been served.
However, the final goal here is to help the students in figuring out which
environment works best for them in order to achieve the best result in
learning.
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