How to Learn English More Effectively

Many people feel difficult to learn English, yet the problem could be figured out by identifying what the problems and the causes are in order to study English more effectively.  A number of people like to study and improve their speaking skill, some prefer to listening, want to have skill in reading skill, and others tend to learn writing skill. Actually, people wanting to learn a language─ particularly English─ have to become skillful at all basic components of the language.  Those things are speaking, listening, reading, and writing which are supposed to be learnt. By having those kinds of basic skills, the learners could receive some information from others and extend it to others in terms of English. The concept does not match with the reality that most people learn English because they want to gain something. There are people who only want to learn how to be able to speak, listen, read, or write because their ability and need.

All people have the same chances to master language, in this case English, because English is the international way of communication─ or an international language used by most countries in the world. Therefore, people need the language in order to make a great occasion in getting job and passing test. In terms of job, almost all job demands require the employees to have a good English proficiency because all instructions dealing with the job are written in English. Not only that, it is because many investors, general managers, and labors come from other countries. By using English, they could communicate each other in order to manage all their work effectively. In terms of education, all students have to pass English course either daily test or UN (National Examination). Indonesian government determines a high passing grade which has to be passed. If the students fail, they have to study over again. To achieve their own objectives, English learners need to find the way on how to learn English more effectively. To make it clearer, we can have great deal with the problems inquiry, the cause’s analysis, and the problem solving in order to reach the language acquisition.

Many students feel difficult when they practice their English; speaking, listening, reading, or writing. Talking about speaking, the problems which were complained are lack of vocabularies, unable to arrange sentences when they want to speak, and have no confidence to produce sound even to speak. Let us move on listening, the students have several problems, such as: unclear sound, pronunciation, accent, and unknown vocabularies. Those problems make the students difficult to get the point what the speakers said on their conversation. In term of reading, the students get headache and sleepy when they do reading activities. Furthermore, the long text and complicated vocabularies make them got bored. Let us deal with writing, the difficulties are arranging, developing idea, vocabularies and structure. Based on those things, the greatest problems are vocabularies and habit to make it become the part of the students’ culture. Take an example, Arif. S.H., is one of S1 college student of UNISMA, he said that English is very important but complicated. He need much time to improve his English by memorizing vocabularies, listening English sounds, reading English texts, and writing paragraph.

Students are difficult to understand the subjects because they do not like their English course or teacher. If you do not like one or both of them, it will make the course difficult to be learnt. The illustration is when you do not like the course, you are lazy to study. Another illustration is when you do not like the teacher; you are lazy to attend the class. We can have Satria Akbar Sigit, is one of the students of State University of Malang, as an example. He did not like the extensive reading lecture. Therefore, he has attended rarely and has never done the homework at all, up to now. In addition, friends could influence a bad effect to the English learners. They could feel reluctant, have no confidence, and get no motivation to practice their English, if their friends do not support them.

The major problem is students’ preception about English which become the back ground of their study. Many students consider that English is the most difficult and boring course. Actually, the problems which make students’ perception about English bad defeat their unconscious, so that is why they cannot develop their skill in English. The bad perception makes the English learners do not understand all even absolutely they get the point. Deal with an example, Asizah, is one of the students of State University of Malang, said that she basically know what the introduction to literature lecture said but she could not understand the lesson because she did not like the course and the teacher. Consequently, she has got nothing by the time in this semester from this course.

The matter of habit is the most difficult problem for English learners. Furthermore, the learners are difficult to read the information on papers, speak in English, listen English conversation and news, write report in good English strucure. They do not have the right time, place, and media to practice their proficiency on the particular language so it cannot be their habit¾ English. English is just a language so that is why the learners have to make English as their habit by using it every day. Not only that, the learners have to be brave to say something in English even though they make several mistakes. The English learners will be able to master the language if they struggle hard altough they try to say something not clearly and correctly like a baby. It does not matter because the English learners need a long process to have the language. As an example, the English learners¾ in English village, Pare, Kediri, East Java¾ make English language become their habit by using English as everyday language communication. That is why English become difficult because of the low quantity to practice English.

The teachers/lecturers are the imporatant element to make the learners interested in a particular language. If the teachers cannot make the student feel comfortable to learn the language, it can be a great problem. The effects of the cause are that the learners become lazy, hate the language, and get nothing. As teachers, they have to make the learners comfortable everytime they study their native language. In addition, they can make media, such as some games, speeches, small group discussions, etc. For the example, we can have a look on some opinions about a literature course in the third semester of the college students of State University of Malang. Muhammad Khoirul Anwar, is one of the students of State University of Malang, said that the lecture can manage class activities, so the students become lazy. Consequently, they got nothing because of the lecture. Moreover, most of the students say that the course is difficult but the lecturer makes the course more difficult because she cannot make the students easy to get the lesson.

Psychological aspect is the vital element in learning process. In this part, I would like to explain about unconscious thinking and motivation for describing the psychological aspect problem. Unconscious thinking will suggest someone to do something based on the perception of something. If the learners consider that something is difficult to do, in this case English, so they will like what they thing. Let us move to motivation, all people need some motivations in their life in order to get what they want to get. It is that because by having a great motivation, someone can be better person his/her own self. On the other hand, we can say that a motivation word could make someone do something which is out of his/her mind well.

We know that English is just a language. If you make it become your habit, you will master it. The simple theory that you have to use your mouth to speak, your ears to listen, your eyes to read, and your eyes and hands to write. In other words, you need to force those things become your habit. Not only that, you must encourage yourselves to brave and master of yourselves in order improve your English proficiency.

In terms of teacher, your problem can be figured out by respecting your teachers. If you hate your teacher and English it selves, you will not be able to get it. Just try to love your teachers and the subject. Abdul Wavi S.S., is one of the post graduate students, said that no complain in learning even though you do not like the teacher or the course as the strategy to solve the problems. You are supposed to find and choose your appropriate teacher or lecture for yourselves if you do not want to be taught by the teacher.

To solve the problems which are related with psychological aspect, you should try to have many motivations and spirit. Not only that, you have to know who you are by knowing your personal characteristic and your potency. Over and over, there are many motivations in learning English. Based on the origin of the motivation, there are intrinsic and extrinsic. The purpose of motivation is divided into two components: integrative and instrumental motivation. Motivation based on the level of motivation, it is divided into three levels of motivation: growth, relatedness, and existence. From those types of motivations, the English learners could encourage themselves and improve their English. Not only that, you can analyze yourselves by knowing who you are and what characteristic. There are four kinds of people’s characteristics. You are sanguine, choleric, pragmatics, or melancholic. If you are sanguine or choleric people, it means that your potential is improving speaking skill because you like to speak on daily activities. If you are pragmatic or melancholic people, it means that you are better learn English through structure, grammar, or writing, and so forth because the type of these people is to think more or not speak less. In the other words, they do not like to speak more.

In conclusion, you can learn English more effectively through three steps by identifying the problems inquiry, the cause’s analysis, and the problem solving in order to reach the language acquisition. The first step of this process, you can make a list which contains your problems. In this step, it is essential part because it will determine what your causes of getting those problems are.  After that, we can analyze all causes that make you become in trouble in learning. Furthermore, you can find the solution after knowing your problems and your causes. To make learning English more effectively, you have to make it become your habit. Not only that, you need some motivations in learning English to keep your spirit high. After all, your psychological aspects keep in good condition. The last step, you have to pray for your efforts. You have to find and read the other sources on the book and website which are stated in the references.

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