KAJIAN TINDAKAN

TAJUK KAJIAN:
ENGLISH COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS AMONG STUDENTS
WITH THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS AND ENGLISH TEACHERS
AS A WHOLE

Oleh:
SUZIE @ HAZWANI ATIRA JOHN

SK TENGKU MARIAM
83000 BATU PAHAT, JOHOR
 ENGLISH COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS AMONG STUDENTS WITH THEIR
FAMILY MEMBERS AND ENGLISH TEACHERS AS A WHOLE

SUZIE @ HAZWANI ATIRA JOHN

Sekolah Kebangsaan Tengku Mariam, Batu Pahat, Johor
[email protected]

1.0 INTRODUCTION

English is also the most important or number one language in the world. It is seen as a
language that allows the world’s population to interact easily and effectively in the era rapid
development and modern technologies such as the introduction of satellite television, cellular
phones and computer networks and even almost 99 percent of the information on the
internet is in English (Ahmad Zahri Jamil, 2002). It has become very important because of
globalization and internationalization changing career structures, influencing education, skills
training and challenging design curriculum in plural culture as well as cosmopolitan
education. In this context, language proficiency English became one of the indicators of
graduates proficiency in speaking, communicating and arguing, strength thinking and
problem solving, emotional intelligence and leadership qualities.

2.0 SCHOOL DEMOGRAPHICS AND STUDY SAMPLE

This study was conducted on four students at the Tengku Mariam School, Batu Pahat Johor.
The school is located in an urban area and is close to residential areas. It is a school that is
the focus of the resident population in the housing estate areas of Taman Bukit Perdana,
Taman Kemajuan and Taman Seri Pengaram which send their children to get an education.
The following are the school demographics of the study sample:

1) Name and address of the school: SK Tengku Mariam, Jalan Lim Yew Leong, 83000
Batu Pahat Johor

2) Number of teachers: 39 people

3) Number of classrooms: 18 classes

4) Student enrollment: 543 people

5) School binaries: English and Handball

6) History of the school: On 31/8/1957 known as Primary School Grils. The school was
built in conjunction with the national independence gift by the Johor Advisory Board.
 On March 1, 1958, it was officially opened and the name was changed to Tengku
Mariam School in conjunction with the name of the second Puteri Sultan of Johor.
On 1 Jan 1959, the physical development and facilities of the school began to be
built in stages for the convenience of the students.

7) School achievement:

2009: Malaysian Cluster of Excellence School

2013: Malaysian High Performance Schools

2018: Johor State PAK 21 Showcase School and KPM High Level Thinking
Skills Cultivation Excellent School (KBAT)

2019: Student Leader Board (SLB) Pilot School

2020: School Flipped Classroom Learning Showcase

3.0 IMPLEMENTATION OF ACTION RESEARCH

3.1 First Observations

The failure of English proficiency among students is a frustrating thing for many parties.
Students can speak English during English classes but the pattern of language they use is
Malaysian English (Manglish).  Manglish is made up largely (about 99%) of English words,
interspersed with elements from at least three of the main languages of the country (Malay,
Chinese and Indian). While the vocabulary may be largely English, the grammar is not, and
sentence construction in Manglish almost seems to be without structure (Lim, 2011). This
study was conducted to examine the proficiency and use of English among family members.
Do these students actually communicate in English fully? This study also aimed to examine
English language proficiency among students with their family members and their English
teachers.

In particular, the importance of this study is expected to help the school to identify the
level of proficiency and use of English among family members so that the schools can take
certain steps to address the problems that arise based on the findings of this study. The
study also revealed to Year 4 Teamwork students a true picture of the level of their
proficiency and use of English. Thus year 4 Teamwork students can improve and step up
their efforts to master the language better towards the excellence of the national education
system. Schools need to be sensitive to the need for language proficiency and use English
among all students to be able to communicate with family members because English is the
most important medium in creating a proficient and knowledgeable community. On top of
those stated interests, it urges researcher to make this study.

3.2 Reflection of First Observations

In researcher opinion, the cause of students use Manglish is because of the society.
Currently, Manglish is used widely in Malaysia. This language is used for affective and
functional purpose by the society in life. The Malaysian English is so common among local
society especially in a big city because all the races gathered there and use Manglish as a
medium of communication whether during working hours, dealing business or just trying to
have a chit-chat with friends. There are many aspects in Manglish that differ from real
English such as in spelling, grammar, punctuation and vocabulary. Many Malay words have
become part of common usage in informal English or Manglish. The evidence of Manglish
usage can be seen in written text, on the streets and even in schools recently (Rafidah et.
al., 2014). Thus, it can effect students proficiency in English. School and family environment
also matters for students to learn and use correct English and speak English fully.

3.3 Planning

The objectives of this study are to:

1) Identify the level of English proficiency among students, family members and
English teachers.

2) To study the level of English language use among family members and English
teachers.

In a study or research conducted, it requires methods in obtaining data or research

findings. With that data sufficient, only then can a study be carried out properly. To obtain
this good data, the research method of the study must be perfect and follow its own
procedure. It's to guarantee the findings of the study produced later are completely
guaranteed quality. Someone careful researchers must ascertain the method or method
used in obtaining data, appropriate to the type of research conducted. According to Ruhizan
Mohammad Yasin et.al (2010), good data were obtained from carefully planned research
based on appropriate design, i.e. the approach used in the process of obtaining research
data.
 This research study is limited to designated location, title, time, sample and finance
such as the following:

1) The results, analysis and conclusions of this study are only relevant for year 4
Teamwork students only.

2) The researcher only used interviews instrument.

3) The use and mastery of English has emphasized aspects of reading, speaking,
writing and listening.

4) The time to conduct this research only took one month because of the covid-19
pandemic.

5) The researcher does not consider other aspects that exist in the respondent other
than the aspects studied.

6) The results of the study depend on the honesty of the respondents while answering
the questions.

The study population consisted of 4 Teamwork fourth year students. Researchers used a
number of students as respondents and the study sample only used regular interviews while
the researcher was in the classroom while teaching. The study constructed by this
researcher is a study in nature descriptive or is a study made based on a pre-existing
description there is. It is also categorized as a study in the form of quantitative mixing and
qualitative.

Denzin and Lincoln (1994) in Sonia (2004) argue that qualitative research involves a
variety of methods in a focused manner, including using approaches naturalistic (natural) to
research a subject. Cresswell (1994) defines that qualitative research as a process of inquiry
toward understanding which is based on the data collection methods commonly used when
surveying something of a social problem. Once the study sample and respondents are
obtained, the researcher next constructs some interview questions to obtaining data and
information from respondents. This interview question, the researcher divided it into several
parts, namely;

a) interview questions to students

b) interviews of teachers who teach the subject English in school.
In this study, the level of English proficiency and use among students will be studied
by using regular interviews. Researcher has chosen the usual interview method in this study
as instrument due to the following:

a) The information obtained is accurate and complete.

b) The interview is something uniform and all respondents who answer the question
will answer the same questions.

c) Interviews can save time, expense and energy for researchers.

d) Respondents may be more comfortable responding through interviews than through

questionnaires and observations.

According to Noraini Idris (2010) in Setiawan et. al. (2021), all research involves data
collection. Data refers to the information obtained by the researcher about the research
subject or study. Examples of data are demographic information such as age, gender,
ethnicity and religion; scores for tests constructed by the researcher; response to the
researcher's question, either through interviews or written answers in questionnaires. Tools
such as pencil and paper tests.

3.4 Implementation

The research instrument using the interview method is one method which is arguably
important and has high validity. This is because the researcher is able to obtain information
and information directly from the study respondents. Thus, in this research conducted, the
interview method became among the methods used by researcher as a means of obtaining
data and information from study respondents. The interviews conducted were relevant the
background of the respondents and the teaching and learning methods used. Before the
researcher met with the respondents of the study, which consisted of teachers who teach
English subjects and year 4 Teamwork students in Sekolah Kebangsaan Tengku Mariam,
researcher first prepared questions to be used during the interview session.

Patton (1987) in Rita (1999) stated that there are three types of interview techniques,
namely formal interview, informal interview and open interview. Fontana and Frey (1994)
Merriam (1998) in Aida et. al. (2020) also stated that there are three types of interviews,
namely structured interviews, semi-structured interviews and unstructured interviews. In this
study, researcher used structured interviews. This is because according to Merriam (1998)
the use of structured interviews aims to gather accurate information such as socio
demographic information, age, income, marital status, level of education and so on. While
semi-structured interviews are flexible and this situation allows the respondent to describe
what he or she thinks to the researcher.

The Interview technique in this study involved interviews with four students and
interviews with several selected teachers. This is to ensure that the questions you want to
ask can be answered by study respondents during this interview session. Other than that,
the information desired by the researcher can be obtained through the questions provided by
the researchers in this interview session. Next up is the instrument (interview) has the
advantage that on its own. Among them, this method allows researchers to provide
explanations if there is a vague question. Apart from that, respondents were able to give
further details on important questions.

Time constraints are not a problem in this interview session. It is because, neither the
researcher nor the respondent has ample time space to give any opinion or statement.
In addition to the method seen quite this relaxation, indirectly it can strengthen the
relationship between researcher and study respondents in obtaining as much information as
possible be required. The disadvantage is that the interview takes more time compared to
other methods. Furthermore, the presence of researchers is possibly preventing
respondents from expressing real opinions. Though thus a relaxed approach can overcome
it and these methods are actually numerous assist the researcher in obtaining the
information required to generalize the data obtained.

Before starting the assignment, the researcher had a discussion with the coordinator
to get views and guidance from her a sample selection of this study. From her point of view,
this is be found several study samples that have been selected by the researcher in
perfecting this research. It is;

i) Two English teachers were interviewed in this study.

ii) Four Year four Teamwork students taking English subject.

a) Teachers of English subjects

As the first study sample, the researchers selected teachers who teaching English
subjects to be used as a study sample. All of these teachers are English option
teachers and teaching English as their main subject. The interviews aimed to obtain
information about students who use English with family members and teachers at
school or at home. The data collected from these teachers will be used as a review of
data from the student interview information. According to Shireena Basree et.al
(2010), one of the distinguishing factors good research than bad research is a
process detailed planning.
 Detailed planning is important to reduce the risk of errors that may occur
during the course of the research. So that is why researcher make plans in advance
by holding appointments with teachers of this English subject, next inform them what
the researcher will do during the survey performed on their teaching activities.
Among those things informed by the researcher to these teachers is that there are
interview questions to them, which the questions in this need to be answered by
them. The researcher also informing them that their personal information as well as
identity is kept secret and confidential to follow the ethical requirements of research.

b) Year 4 Teamwork students who take English subject.

Interviews with students are the main data for this research and the researcher has
interviewed four female students from year four of Teamwork respondents in this
study. Just like the procedures performed by researcher on English teachers the
same procedure was performed by the researcher on these year four Teamwork
students. For information, only four students were selected as the researcher's study
sample because students' experiences and backgrounds are not the same, a semi
-structured interview method is used to gather relevant information.

During the survey, the researcher informed these students that the study was
conducted was to look at their learning activities at in English subject. In a survey
conducted on these students, researcher have informed them that there are interview
questions that need to be answered by them. This is to ensure that they do not
experience surprises during the survey activities and observations were made on
them. As with the confidentiality of personal information from English teachers,
researcher also maintain the confidentiality of personal information as well as
opinions submitted by these students.

In qualitative studies, the rapport between researchers and respondents is necessary

to reduce anxiety and build trust (Glesne, 2016). Rapport facilitates the researcher to obtain
sufficient information for his research where the built -in rapport enables the respondent to
provide a variety of personnel information or act in a familiar situation and feel safe without
being influenced by the presence of the researcher. In this research, the researcher will work
together with selected students as a sample. The rapport between the researcher and the
student is one of the important factors in determining the success of this research. Since the
researcher is the teacher to the students selected as a sample, the rapport that has been
formed makes it easier for the students to express their feelings during the interview session.
 Each student involved in this research was given a briefing on the confidentiality
factors and the time for the interview session. They were also assured the results of the
interviews did not affect their safety or other implications for their school, friends and
parents. The research aims to produce useful information for English teachers in school.
Students are also appreciated for their willingness to provide information and contributions in
research. They are also reminded to be open -minded and sincere when giving information
when interviewed. Afterwards, a meeting schedule was arranged with the students in terms
of time and place to conduct interviews with the researcher. The time of research can be
specified below:

Table 1 Research Timeline

No Activities Month
Mid May-Mid June (4 weeks)
W1 W2 W3 W4
1 Proposal Preparation
2 Instrument preparation
3 Observation in the school
4 Analysing data from observation
5 Conducting interview
6 Analyzing data from interview
7 Writing and guiding report of the research
8 Analyzing data and writing of the research

3.5 Second Observation

Code data into categories. The researcher identifies different segments of the data that
describe related phenomena and labeling these parts using broad category names. It is an
inductive process of data analysis. The researcher creates codes for the problem passed in
public speaking program which used for analyse data in field note. The codes are as follows:

Table 2 Coding
Code Category
Researcher R
Teacher T
Student S

The researchers provide the organizing ideas and use to explain what they have learned
from the study. So the researcher describes and identifies the major concepts or issues that
the researcher uses to interpret and explain the data.
 Research uses a case study approach which is a research approach that displays
the real situation in which the respondent goes through real life (Patton, 1990). Research
reports such as this will attempt to provide a detailed picture of how respondents interact
with their lives especially when communicating in English with their family members or
English teachers at school. As previously described, the purpose of this study was to
understand and identify the level of English proficiency among students, family members
and English teachers.

A content analysis approach such as that proposed by Miles and Huberman (1994),
Burn (1995) and Merriem (1998) was used to analyse the interview data. Content analysis is
used to identify themes, concepts and meanings. Coding categories and subcategories were
developed as soon as the first data collection was performed (based on Burn, 1995’s
recommendation). Further, based on the recommendations of Miles and Huberman (1984),
coding categories and subcategories are analysed continuing, meaning each category is
refined case by case so that certain categories can describe the situation that occurs in the
cases studied.

3.6 Reflection of Second Observations

This study tried to find the students’ problems, the factors, and the strategies to overcome
with the problems in speaking English daily with their family members or English teachers at
school. After giving and making interview and observation, the researcher found that
students of Year four Teamwork had many problems it comes from their internal and
external factors. The students’ still lack of understanding of grammatical patterns, incorrect
pronunciation, and they limited of vocabulary mastery, minimum opportunities, students’
interest, mother tongue use, seldom to practice and less discipline, fear of making mistake
and environment factors.

Besides, they also have a psychological problem such as lack motivation. The main
factors of students’ problems because the environmental factors which do not support them
to implement English in daily language communication. From this factor also have a big
effect for students that they lack of motivation and seldom to practice English. From the
definition above, the researcher obtained the data through the observation and interview with
some teachers and also some students of Year four Teamwork at Sekolah Kebangsaan
Tengku Mariam, Batu Pahat.

4.0 CONCLUSION
After analyzing the research findings, the researcher was able to conclude of the student’s
problem faced in speaking English daily language program are include; fear about making
mistake, incorrect pronunciation, lack of understanding of grammatical patterns, limited of
vocabulary mastery, minimum opportunities, students’ interest, mother tongue use, seldom
to practice and less discipline. Besides, the researcher has a finding research in students
speaking problem, that the problem is faced because of some psychological factors such as
fear of making mistakes, shyness, lack confidence, and lack of motivation. This is big effect
that occurs by students in speaking English.

From all the problems difficulty in speaking that faced by students, the researchers
have underlined some important factors problems that faced by students such as
environmental factors which do not support to implement English in daily language
communication. Therefore, this problem is needing English teachers and the head of English
Panel to pay attention to overcome the problems, how to make effective program by using
interested strategies in learning English in order to make students interest in speaking
English and also should provide some activities that facilitate them in speaking English as
well as possible.

Actually, the English teacher in school has applied some strategies to achieve the
goal of learning English. The English teachers chosen difference strategies to make students
enjoy in learning speaking in school not only apply in inside classroom, but it can be applied
outside classroom. This is the way of teacher to increase students speaking in their daily
communication. The strategies needs evaluate by the teacher to know the feedback of
students in learning English.

Based on the result of the research finding, the writer would like to give some
suggestion for the following people:

1) For the teacher Hopefully, the teacher should evaluate all the strategies that have
been applied in school to get the program effectively.

2) For Students The students are hoped to practice English at time, and they should
realize that English is very important for them to face the globalization era.

3) For the future researcher for the future researchers who want to conduct research
with the same subject, the result of the research can be used as an additional
reference or further research with different discussion.
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Aida Shakila Ishak, Nurul Naimah Rose, Nor’izah Ahmad, M. Taufiqqurahman & Mohd Yusri
Mustafa. (2020). The Perception and Use of Social Media by the Parent of Student at
University Malaysia Perlis. Retrieved May 30, 2021, from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338486770_The_Perception_and_Use_of_
Social_Media_by_The_Parent_of_Student_at_Universiti_Malaysia_Perlis
Ahmad Zahri Jamil (2002). “Melayu, Bahasa dan Budaya.” Dewan Bahasa. Aida Walqui
(2000). “Contextual Factors in Second Language Aquisition”. Eric Digest.Hlmn. 01-05

Creswell, John W. 2012. Educational research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating

Quantitative and Qualitative Research.

Glesne C. (2016). Becoming Qualitative Researchers: An Introduction. Retrieved June 1,

2021, from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/290989627_Becoming_Qualitative_Resear
chers_An_Introduction

Lim Chin Lam. (2011, October 14). Primer on Manglish. The Star Online. Retrieved May 27,
2021, from https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/viewpoints/mind-our-
english/2011/10/14/primer-on-manglish/

Patton, M. Q. (1990). Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods (2nd ed.). Sage

Publications, Inc

Rafidah Abd Karim, Farahidatul Akma Awaludin, Mahfuzah Rafek & Mohamad Syafik Ya
Shak. (2014). ESL Teachers’ perceptions on the use of Manglish in the classroom.
4th Social, Development and Environmental Studies International Conference.
Retrieved May 27, 2021, from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316138640_ESL_Teacher's_Perceptions_o
n_the_Use_of_Manglish_in_the_Classroom

Rita S. Y. Berry. (1999). Collecting data by in-depth interviewing. British Educational

Research Association Annual Conference. University of Sussex, September 2-5.

Ruhizan Mohamad Yasin, Nazeri Mohamad & Ramlee Mustapha. (2010). A survey on the
Design and Technology-based subjects: Students’ perspective. International
Conference on Learner Diversity 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2021, from
https://cyberleninka.org/article/n/468516

Setiawan Hardono, Zunaidah Razali & Suzianah Sahar. (2021). Excellent Student Project
System (exSPRO) application: As an integrated data storage system students’
 quality innovation products. International Journal of Engineering Science Invention
(IJESI), 10(2), 44-49.

Sonia Ospina. (2004). Qualitative Research. Retrieved May 30, 2021, from
https://ualr.edu/interdisciplinary/files/2010/03/Qualitative_Research.pdf