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Attitude of PISMP Students in IPBA Towards English

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<strong>Attitude</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>PISMP</strong> <strong>Students</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>IPBA</strong> <strong>Towards</strong> <strong>English</strong><br />

by<br />

Azizi Hj. Basar<br />

Mohd. Naqiudd<strong>in</strong> Sumardi<br />

Hazriq Aswad Za<strong>in</strong>i<br />

The purpose <strong>of</strong> the study was to determ<strong>in</strong>e the attitude <strong>of</strong> <strong>PISMP</strong> students<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>IPBA</strong> with respect to <strong>English</strong>. All 35 students <strong>of</strong> the <strong>PISMP</strong> programme<br />

were selected to answer the survey questionnaire which was adapted<br />

from that <strong>of</strong> a previous study. The results <strong>of</strong> the study <strong>in</strong>dicated that<br />

the <strong>PISMP</strong> students generally have moderately positive thoughts and<br />

emotions about the <strong>English</strong> language and the culture <strong>of</strong> <strong>English</strong> speak<strong>in</strong>g<br />

people.<br />

1


Introduction<br />

<strong>IPBA</strong> is a teacher-tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>stitute. There are about 500 students undergo<strong>in</strong>g various<br />

courses such as the <strong>PISMP</strong> (Persediaan Ijazah Sarjana Muda Pendidikan) and Bachelor<br />

<strong>of</strong> Education (TESL) programme. The <strong>PISMP</strong> programme began <strong>in</strong> 2004. It was started<br />

as part <strong>of</strong> the Malaysian government’s effort to produce teachers for both the primary and<br />

secondary schools. <strong>PISMP</strong> students <strong>in</strong> <strong>IPBA</strong> are pursu<strong>in</strong>g various courses such as Music<br />

Education. Though they may not be B. Ed. (TESL) students, they are still expected to be<br />

pr<strong>of</strong>icient <strong>in</strong> <strong>English</strong> as the nation emphasises pr<strong>of</strong>iciency <strong>of</strong> the <strong>English</strong> language <strong>in</strong> her<br />

attempt to compete globally with education systems <strong>of</strong> other nations.<br />

Statement <strong>of</strong> the Problem<br />

Past studies (for example, Gardner and Lambert, 1959, 1972; Jayatilaka, 1982) have<br />

shown that some undergraduates lack competency <strong>in</strong> the <strong>English</strong> language because <strong>of</strong><br />

their attitude towards <strong>English</strong> (as cited <strong>in</strong> Coulby, 1984). As the <strong>PISMP</strong> students are to be<br />

tra<strong>in</strong>ed to be teachers <strong>in</strong> an education system that emphasises on the <strong>English</strong> language, it<br />

is important that they have the right attitude towards <strong>English</strong>. If not, then perhaps as Coulby<br />

suggested, they may cont<strong>in</strong>ue to lack competency <strong>in</strong> the <strong>English</strong> language. There is thus a<br />

need to determ<strong>in</strong>e the attitude <strong>of</strong> <strong>PISMP</strong> students towards <strong>English</strong>.<br />

Research Questions<br />

This study hopes to answer the follow<strong>in</strong>g questions:<br />

1. Do <strong>PISMP</strong> students have a favourable attitude towards <strong>English</strong> <strong>in</strong> general?<br />

2. Do <strong>PISMP</strong> students have a favourable attitude towards the <strong>English</strong> language?<br />

3. Do <strong>PISMP</strong> students have a favourable attitude towards the culture <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>English</strong>-speak<strong>in</strong>g people?<br />

Significance <strong>of</strong> the Study<br />

The results <strong>of</strong> this study are significant because it will reflect the attitude <strong>of</strong> <strong>PISMP</strong> students<br />

towards <strong>English</strong>. By hav<strong>in</strong>g such <strong>in</strong>formation, lecturers can better prepare their lectures.<br />

Steps can also be taken to help the students change their attitude towards <strong>English</strong> if need<br />

be. The f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g from this study can also help <strong>in</strong> plann<strong>in</strong>g new <strong>English</strong> courses and <strong>in</strong> the<br />

improvement <strong>of</strong> the exist<strong>in</strong>g ones. In the f<strong>in</strong>al analysis, it is hoped that <strong>PISMP</strong> students will<br />

make for better teachers.<br />

Limitation <strong>of</strong> the Study<br />

This study was limited to <strong>PISMP</strong> students only. As such, the f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gs may not be generalised<br />

as representative <strong>of</strong> the whole student population <strong>in</strong> <strong>IPBA</strong>.<br />

2


Def<strong>in</strong>ition <strong>of</strong> Terms<br />

1. <strong>Attitude</strong><br />

<strong>Attitude</strong> towards <strong>English</strong> <strong>in</strong> general refers to the state <strong>of</strong> emotion and thought relat<strong>in</strong>g to<br />

the <strong>English</strong> language and the culture <strong>of</strong> the <strong>English</strong>-speak<strong>in</strong>g people (Charanjit S<strong>in</strong>gh,<br />

1998). “Culture” is operationally def<strong>in</strong>ed as <strong>English</strong> songs, television programmes and<br />

<strong>English</strong> movies. <strong>Attitude</strong> towards the <strong>English</strong> language is the total sum <strong>of</strong> the students’<br />

feel<strong>in</strong>gs, prejudice or fears about the learn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> <strong>English</strong> as the second language<br />

(Spolsky, 1969).<br />

Methodology<br />

Sample<br />

The sample from this study was selected from the <strong>PISMP</strong> students <strong>in</strong> <strong>IPBA</strong>. All 35<br />

<strong>PISMP</strong> students were selected.<br />

Instrument<br />

A survey questionnaire was used to collect the data for this study. The survey<br />

questionnaire was taken from Hamida Bee (1996). The questionnaire consisted <strong>of</strong> 20<br />

items. Respondents <strong>in</strong>dicated their level <strong>of</strong> agreement to each item <strong>in</strong> the <strong>in</strong>strument<br />

based on a 5 po<strong>in</strong>t rat<strong>in</strong>g scale, ‘1’ <strong>in</strong>dicat<strong>in</strong>g very strong disagreement and ‘5’ <strong>in</strong>dicat<strong>in</strong>g<br />

very strong agreement. To measure the attitude towards <strong>English</strong> <strong>in</strong> general, the rat<strong>in</strong>g<br />

for all the items were summed. To measure the attitude towards the <strong>English</strong> language,<br />

only the rat<strong>in</strong>g for item numbers 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 14, 18, 19 and 20 were summed.<br />

To measure the attitude towards the culture <strong>of</strong> the <strong>English</strong>-speak<strong>in</strong>g people, only the<br />

rat<strong>in</strong>g for item numbers 2, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16 and 17 were summed.<br />

Data Collection Procedures<br />

The survey questionnaire was adm<strong>in</strong>istered to the sample and verbal <strong>in</strong>structions were<br />

given to the students apart from the written <strong>in</strong>structions on the forms to ensure that the<br />

survey questionnaire was responded to correctly.<br />

Data Analysis<br />

<strong>Attitude</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>PISMP</strong> <strong>Students</strong> towards <strong>English</strong> <strong>in</strong> General<br />

In order to determ<strong>in</strong>e the attitude <strong>of</strong> the <strong>PISMP</strong> students towards <strong>English</strong> <strong>in</strong> general,<br />

the rat<strong>in</strong>g for all the items were summed. The attitude was then determ<strong>in</strong>ed based<br />

on the criteria as shown <strong>in</strong> Table 1 below. As can be seen from the table, a score <strong>of</strong><br />

between 29 to 47 <strong>in</strong>dicated an unfavourable attitude while a score <strong>of</strong> between 76 to<br />

100 was considered favourable.<br />

3


Table 1: Criteria <strong>in</strong> Determ<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g the <strong>Attitude</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>PISMP</strong> <strong>Students</strong><br />

towards <strong>English</strong> <strong>in</strong> General<br />

Score Range<br />

<strong>Attitude</strong><br />

20 - 47 Unfavourable<br />

48 - 75 Moderate<br />

76 - 100 Favourable<br />

Table 2 and Figure 1 show the attitude <strong>of</strong> <strong>PISMP</strong> <strong>Students</strong> towards <strong>English</strong> <strong>in</strong> general.<br />

As can be seen from the table and graph, there were 5 (14.29%) students with a<br />

favourable attitude, 30 (85.71%) students have a moderate attitude and none <strong>of</strong> them<br />

(0%) have an unfavourable attitude. Their attitude was determ<strong>in</strong>ed based on the criteria<br />

as shown <strong>in</strong> Table 1 above.<br />

Based on the def<strong>in</strong>ition <strong>of</strong> attitude towards <strong>English</strong> <strong>in</strong> general as mentioned earlier, the<br />

results <strong>in</strong>dicate that <strong>PISMP</strong> students generally have positive thoughts and emotions<br />

towards the <strong>English</strong> language and the culture <strong>of</strong> <strong>English</strong>-speak<strong>in</strong>g people.<br />

Table 2: <strong>Attitude</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>PISMP</strong> <strong>Students</strong> towards <strong>English</strong> <strong>in</strong> General<br />

Unfavourable Moderate Favourable<br />

Frequency 0 (0%)<br />

30 (85.71%) 5 (14.29%)<br />

Figure 1: <strong>Attitude</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>PISMP</strong> <strong>Students</strong> towards <strong>English</strong> <strong>in</strong> General<br />

4


<strong>Attitude</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>PISMP</strong> <strong>Students</strong> towards the <strong>English</strong> Language<br />

In order to determ<strong>in</strong>e the attitude <strong>of</strong> <strong>PISMP</strong> students towards the <strong>English</strong> language,<br />

the rat<strong>in</strong>g for item numbers 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 14, 18, 19 and 20 were summed. The<br />

attitude was then determ<strong>in</strong>ed based on the criteria as shown <strong>in</strong> Table 3 below. As can<br />

be seen from the table, a score <strong>of</strong> between 11 to 23 <strong>in</strong>dicate an unfavourable attitude<br />

while a score between 37 to 55 was considered favourable.<br />

Table 3: Criteria <strong>in</strong> Determ<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g the <strong>Attitude</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>PISMP</strong> <strong>Students</strong><br />

towards <strong>English</strong> Language<br />

Score Range<br />

<strong>Attitude</strong><br />

11 - 23 Unfavourable<br />

24 - 36 Moderate<br />

37 - 55 Favourable<br />

Table 4 and Figure 2 show the attitude <strong>of</strong> <strong>PISMP</strong> students towards the <strong>English</strong><br />

language. As can be seen from the table and figure, there were 28 (80%) students<br />

with a favourable attitude, 7 (20%) students with a moderate attitude and none <strong>of</strong> them<br />

(0%) with an unfavourable attitude. Their attitude was determ<strong>in</strong>ed based on the criteria<br />

as shown <strong>in</strong> Table 3 above.<br />

Based on the def<strong>in</strong>ition <strong>of</strong> attitude towards the <strong>English</strong> language given earlier, the<br />

results <strong>in</strong>dicate that on the whole <strong>PISMP</strong> students have good feel<strong>in</strong>gs about <strong>English</strong>,<br />

were non-prejudiced and were not fearful <strong>in</strong> learn<strong>in</strong>g the <strong>English</strong> language as a second<br />

language. The results above are consistent with that <strong>in</strong> Table 2 and Figure 1 where<br />

the <strong>PISMP</strong> students were found to have positive thoughts and emotion towards the<br />

<strong>English</strong> language.<br />

Table 4: <strong>Attitude</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>PISMP</strong> <strong>Students</strong> towards the <strong>English</strong> Language<br />

Unfavourable Moderate Favourable<br />

Frequency 0 (0%)<br />

7 (20%) 28 (80%)<br />

5


Figure 2: <strong>Attitude</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>PISMP</strong> <strong>Students</strong> towards the <strong>English</strong> Language<br />

<strong>Attitude</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>PISMP</strong> <strong>Students</strong> towards the Culture <strong>of</strong> <strong>English</strong>-speak<strong>in</strong>g People<br />

In order to determ<strong>in</strong>e the attitude <strong>of</strong> <strong>PISMP</strong> students towards the <strong>English</strong> language the<br />

rat<strong>in</strong>g for items numbers 2, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16 and 17 were summed. The attitude<br />

was then determ<strong>in</strong>ed based on the criteria as shown <strong>in</strong> Table 5 below. As can be seen<br />

from the table, a score <strong>of</strong> between 9 to 21 <strong>in</strong>dicate an unfavourable attitude while a<br />

score between 33 to 45 was considered favourable.<br />

Table 5: Criteria <strong>in</strong> Determ<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g the <strong>Attitude</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>PISMP</strong> <strong>Students</strong><br />

towards the Culture <strong>of</strong> <strong>English</strong>-speak<strong>in</strong>g People<br />

Score Range<br />

<strong>Attitude</strong><br />

9 - 21 Unfavourable<br />

22 - 34 Moderate<br />

33 - 45 Favourable<br />

Table 6 and Figure 3 show the attitude <strong>of</strong> <strong>PISMP</strong> students towards the culture <strong>of</strong> <strong>English</strong>speak<strong>in</strong>g<br />

people. As can be seen from the table and figure, there were 5 (14.29%)<br />

students with a favourable attitude, 29 (82.86%) students with a moderate attitude and<br />

only one (2.86%) student with an unfavourable attitude. Their attitude was determ<strong>in</strong>ed<br />

based on the criteria as shown <strong>in</strong> Table 5 above.<br />

Based on the operational def<strong>in</strong>ition <strong>of</strong> culture as mentioned earlier, the results above<br />

<strong>in</strong>dicate that generally, <strong>PISMP</strong> students have positive feel<strong>in</strong>gs, were non-prejudiced<br />

and were not fearful <strong>of</strong> <strong>English</strong> songs, <strong>English</strong> television programmes and <strong>English</strong><br />

movies. The results above are consistent with the results <strong>in</strong> Table 2 and Figure 1 where<br />

the <strong>PISMP</strong> students were found to have positive thoughts and emotion towards the<br />

culture <strong>of</strong> <strong>English</strong>-speak<strong>in</strong>g people.<br />

6


Table 6: <strong>Attitude</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>PISMP</strong> <strong>Students</strong> towards the Culture<br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>English</strong>-speak<strong>in</strong>g People<br />

Unfavourable Moderate Favourable<br />

Frequency 1 (2.86%)<br />

29 (82.86%) 5 (14.29%)<br />

Figure 3: <strong>Attitude</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>PISMP</strong> <strong>Students</strong> towards the Culture<br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>English</strong>-speak<strong>in</strong>g People<br />

<strong>Attitude</strong> <strong>of</strong> the Sample as a Whole towards <strong>English</strong> <strong>in</strong> General, the <strong>English</strong><br />

Language and the Culture <strong>of</strong> <strong>English</strong>-speak<strong>in</strong>g People<br />

In order to determ<strong>in</strong>e the attitude <strong>of</strong> the sample as a whole towards <strong>English</strong> <strong>in</strong> general,<br />

<strong>English</strong> language and the culture <strong>of</strong> <strong>English</strong>-speak<strong>in</strong>g people, a composite mean for<br />

the sample was obta<strong>in</strong>ed based on the related items.<br />

For attitude towards <strong>English</strong> <strong>in</strong> general, a composite mean was obta<strong>in</strong>ed for all the<br />

items; for attitude towards <strong>English</strong> language a composite mean was obta<strong>in</strong>ed on items<br />

number 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 14, 18, 19 and 20; for attitude towards the culture <strong>of</strong> <strong>English</strong>speak<strong>in</strong>g<br />

people, a composite mean was obta<strong>in</strong>ed on item numbers 2, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13,<br />

15, 16 and 17.<br />

The attitude <strong>of</strong> the sample as a whole was then determ<strong>in</strong>ed based on the criteria<br />

as shown <strong>in</strong> table 7. A composite mean between 1.0 to 2.9 <strong>in</strong>dicate an unfavourable<br />

attitude while a composite mean <strong>of</strong> between 4.0 to 5.0 <strong>in</strong>dicated a favourable attitude.<br />

7


Table 7: Criteria <strong>in</strong> Determ<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g the <strong>Attitude</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>PISMP</strong> <strong>Students</strong><br />

Composite Mean Range<br />

<strong>Attitude</strong><br />

1.0 - 2.9 Unfavourable<br />

3.0 - 3.9 Moderate<br />

4.0 - 5.0 Favourable<br />

Table 8 and Figure 4 show the attitude <strong>of</strong> the <strong>PISMP</strong> students on the whole towards<br />

<strong>English</strong>. As can be seen from the table and figure, the <strong>PISMP</strong> students’ attitude towards<br />

the <strong>English</strong> language has the highest mean <strong>of</strong> 3.61, followed by the <strong>PISMP</strong> students’<br />

attitude towards <strong>English</strong> <strong>in</strong> general (mean=3.42) and the students’ attitude towards<br />

the culture <strong>of</strong> <strong>English</strong>-speak<strong>in</strong>g people, which has the lowest mean <strong>of</strong> 3.21. As can be<br />

seen <strong>in</strong> the table and graph, the means <strong>of</strong> all items are above 3.0.<br />

The results <strong>in</strong>dicate that as a whole, the <strong>PISMP</strong> students have fairly positive feel<strong>in</strong>g<br />

and emotion towards <strong>English</strong> <strong>in</strong> general, the <strong>English</strong> language and the culture <strong>of</strong> the<br />

<strong>English</strong>-speak<strong>in</strong>g people. The results above are consistent with the earlier results.<br />

Table 8: <strong>Attitude</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>PISMP</strong> <strong>Students</strong> towards <strong>English</strong><br />

General Language Culture<br />

Mean 3.42<br />

3.61 3.21<br />

Figure 4: <strong>Attitude</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>PISMP</strong> <strong>Students</strong> towards <strong>English</strong><br />

8


Conclusion<br />

The f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gs from this study show that the attitude <strong>of</strong> <strong>PISMP</strong> students towards <strong>English</strong> <strong>in</strong><br />

general, the <strong>English</strong> language and the culture <strong>of</strong> <strong>English</strong> speak<strong>in</strong>g people are at moderate<br />

levels. This <strong>in</strong>dicates that the <strong>PISMP</strong> students on the whole, have fairly positive feel<strong>in</strong>gs<br />

and thoughts about <strong>English</strong> language and culture <strong>of</strong> the <strong>English</strong> speak<strong>in</strong>g people. They are<br />

also generally non-prejudiced and non-fearful towards the learn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> <strong>English</strong> as a second<br />

language.<br />

Implications/Recommendations<br />

The moderate attitude <strong>of</strong> <strong>PISMP</strong> students towards <strong>English</strong> implies that the lecturers can<br />

better prepare their lectures. It is recommended that steps should be taken to help the<br />

students improve further their attitude toward <strong>English</strong> by plann<strong>in</strong>g new courses and the<br />

improvement <strong>of</strong> the exist<strong>in</strong>g ones. One <strong>of</strong> the th<strong>in</strong>gs that can be applied dur<strong>in</strong>g the learn<strong>in</strong>g<br />

sessions is the use <strong>of</strong> teach<strong>in</strong>g methods such as listen<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>English</strong> songs or watch<strong>in</strong>g<br />

<strong>English</strong> movies. It will help the students a lot by improv<strong>in</strong>g their listen<strong>in</strong>g skill. What is vital<br />

here is that the materials must be related to the course and at the same time, they must<br />

be fun. Besides, the lectures can be held <strong>in</strong> different places like Self Access Centre and<br />

library. By do<strong>in</strong>g this, the students will not get bored easily with the surround<strong>in</strong>gs.<br />

9


References<br />

Charanjit S<strong>in</strong>gh s/o Darbara. (1998). <strong>Attitude</strong>s <strong>of</strong> undergraduates towards <strong>English</strong> <strong>in</strong> Two<br />

Faculties at the University <strong>of</strong> Malaya. Unpublished master’s thesis, University <strong>of</strong><br />

Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.<br />

Gardner R.C. (1960). Motivational variables <strong>in</strong> 2 nd -language acquisition. (Abstract <strong>of</strong><br />

doctoral dissertation,Mc Gill University). In R.C. Gardner and W.E Lambert <strong>Attitude</strong><br />

and motivation <strong>in</strong> second language learn<strong>in</strong>g. Rowly. Massachusetts : Newbury House<br />

Publishers.<br />

Hamida Bee. (1996). Factors Influenc<strong>in</strong>g the performance <strong>of</strong> UUM matriculation students<br />

<strong>in</strong> learn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>English</strong>. Unpublished master’s thesis, University <strong>of</strong> Malaya, Kuala Lumpur,<br />

Malaysia.<br />

Jayatilaka, T.D. (1982) Motivational and attitud<strong>in</strong>al variables <strong>in</strong> the learn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> <strong>English</strong> as<br />

a second language : A case study <strong>of</strong> Malaysian University students. Unpublished<br />

doctoral dissertation, Georgetown University.<br />

Spolsky, B. (1969). Attitud<strong>in</strong>al aspects <strong>of</strong> second language learn<strong>in</strong>g. Language Learn<strong>in</strong>g,<br />

19, 271-283.<br />

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