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An Analysis of Students’ Language Learning Strategy
and Lecturers’ Language Teaching Strategy in Writing
for Media Communication Class
Yozi Putri1* and Sitti Fatimah2
12English Department, FBS Universitas Negeri Padang, Padang, Sumatra Barat 25131, Indonesia
*Corresponding author. Email: Jhy.putri@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Language Learning Strategies or also known as LLS and Lecturers’ Language Teaching Strategies are two crucial
points that have significant role in the use of language in communication. It is definitely need extra attempts to learn
and teach English as a foreign language. This is becoming more interesting if the case was to learn and teach English
in a vocational college. Consequently, both students and the lecturers need additional efforts because of the particular
purpose of it. The purpose of vocational college is preparing the students with skills and ready to work in the field.
This paper attempted to find interesting strategies that both the students and lecturers choose to achieve the goals of
the vocational college, in a class of Writing for Media Communication in Politeknik Negeri Padang. The students
were in second year in college and the lecturers who taught them. The data were gained in the beginning of Covid-19.
Keywords: Students’ LLS, Lecturer’s Language Teaching Strategy, Covid 19 Pandemic
1. INTRODUCTION
Polytechnic trains students to enhance their skills
and ability. Sufficient practicing experiences and
learning in the classroom are the attempts that
polytechnic serves to help the students in gaining that
purpose. One of several kind of polytechnic in west
Sumatera is Politeknik Negeri Padang. PNP has several
majors and one of them is English Department. The
special thing of this major is serving a futuristic course
called Writing for Media Communication course. This
course aims to help students to enhance their ability to
write a confident and truthful news which can publish in
printed media, online media and broadcast media.
Students’ language learning strategies play an
important role for enhancing students’ writing skill
because it will help students to learn the language easier
and more effective, also to regulate their learning which
was respectively explain by Oxford [1] and Griffiths [2].
Besides, lecturer also find it challenging because
teaching writing skill obstacle is students’ limited
chxoice of words as believes by Ghabool, Marriadas and
Kashed [3]. Rozimela [4] in 2004 also believes that
teaching writing skill is difficult because it is the most
complex skill and lecturers’ neglecting and often put
aside. Therefore, a better understanding of appropriate
teaching strategies will help to manage these obstacles.
However, in this Covid-19 Pandemic, almost all
learning and teaching activity in Indonesia are changing
dramatically. WHO or The World Health Organization
classifies it as a new virus disease as SARS-CoV-2 or
other known as Severe acute respiratory syndrome
coronavirus-2 in disease terminology [5]. Relman
explains this virus attacks human respiratory system and
the transmission of this virus can spread from human to
human [6]. Therefore, keeping the physical distance and
health protocol is highly recommended to stop the virus
spread. As a result, all university students are having
classes in some online meeting applications with their
lecturers. This issue also affects students and lecturers in
the English Department of Politeknik Negeri Padang.
The data of students’ tendencies in using
strategies in this new condition of Covid-19 pandemic,
this research used Oxford SILL Questionnaire [7].
Oxford promotes the instrument and luckily, researcher
around the world used it in order to investigate students’
language learning strategies, this instrument named as
the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning or
shortened as SILL. She creates this advance
questionnaire into the 7.0 version, the latest. This
questionnaire has been used in many parts of the world,
the population and sample are learners of many different
English native speaker students and non-native English
students research. Ellis [8] believes that Oxford’s SILL
version 7.0 is widely approved because of the
comprehensive classification of learning strategies that
Oxford explains in her unique taxonomy. there was no
distinction made between strategies that were used in
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 579
Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on English Language and Teaching (ICOELT-8 2020)
Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Atlantis Press SARL.
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language learning and in language use. Each choice of
questionnaire covers different strategies. There are two
classifications of the strategy; Direct Strategies and
Indirect Strategies.
Oxford draws an explanation of both strategies’
differences into an analogy of a theatre. Indirect
strategies are considered as the director and direct
strategies are considered as the actor. Director and actor
are related one to another and work side by side.
Director acts as internal guide and supports the actor.
Director functions are focusing, organizing, guiding,
checking, correcting, coaching, encouraging, cheering,
and making sure the actor working cooperatively with
other actors. It consists of metacognitive strategies
(coordinating the actor play), affective strategies
(regulating the actor emotions) and social strategies
(encourage the actor to learn with other actors). Besides,
Actor functions are memory strategies (remembering
the line or dialogue and retrieving new dialogue),
cognitive strategies (understand the dialogue and
producing the dialogue or even improvised) and
compensation strategies (using the dialogue although
there are knowledge gaps about the meaning dialogue).
Besides, lecturers’ language teaching strategies
in this Covid-19 pandemic were almost using Internet
and technology such as computer, laptop or
Smartphone. This also encouraged students to use the
same media in order to attend the class and let the
learning activity run well. This new challenge triggered
lecturers’ to have appropriate strategies to face this new
condition.
Thus, this study focused in analyzing the
students’ language learning strategies in Writing for
Media Communication class and lecturers’ Language
teaching strategies in the same class. This study was
limited into analyzing students’ tendencies in choosing
their LLS by using Oxford SILL Questionnaire [7] and
analyzed lecturers’ teaching strategies in the beginning
of Covid-19 pandemic situation to help the other
lecturers with same conditions to enrich their teaching
strategies and tips.
1.1. Related Work
In recent years, the use of Oxford SILL is very popular
in three categories. Mistar, Zuhairi, and Parlindungan
[8] summarize the use of Oxford SILL by researchers
around the world are general categories into three
focuses; to reveal the use of strategies descriptively, to
use it as a predictor of successful learning, and to find
factors that may affect the use of learning. However, the
focus of the studies nowadays was developing a specific
language skill (speaking, listening, writing, and
reading). Also some studies that used theories of
learning strategies as theoretical bases.
Patmawati, Amri and Fatimah [9] study the
level of speaking strategies of proficient students in
English Education Department in academic year
2016/2017. On the other hand, Ardi reported learning
style at senior high school in Padang [10]. The
instrument they used to find out the strategy’s usage
level and the most used strategy is SILL by Oxford.
They found the level of students’ language strategies in
medium usage with speaking strategies mean score
point was 3.43 and the most used strategy is affective
strategies. In addition, Lestari and Fatimah in 2020
administered SILL version 7.0 questionnaire by Oxford
to 82 international student teachers in English Language
Education Program of UNP [11]. The data showed most
used strategy and least used strategy as Metacognitive
strategy and Affective strategy. They also indicated
international EFL student teachers as High Level
because the mean score was 3.80.
Sarjan and Madiana Analizing the teaching
strategis that is used by the teacher in teaching reading
comprehension in SMP 1 Wonomulyo [12]. This study
found the teacher used some strategies; Scaffolding
strategy (1), and QARs (Question Answer Relationship)
(2). These strategies were believed make the student
understand the reading text and gain more focus on the
text. Therefore, teacher was able to help students in
meaning developing that the text contained. This is
more easily understand the contents of reading.
Due to this condition of Covid 19 pandemic, the
activity of teaching and learning in almost all
universities in Indonesia are online. Online teaching and
learning might give advantage for lecturer and students.
Nasution and Fattimah [13] mention that using a
website called Pro Writing Aid is very useful for
students and every type of writers. They also describe
that this website is very attractive because students
could verify their grammatical issue by their own and
check other factors to enrich students writing products.
This website could be one example for lecturer to enrich
their teaching strategy in this pandemic situation.
2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1. Language Learning Strategies
Oxford [1] explains learning strategies is
communication in a natural setting. Hence, learning
strategies are drawn as some special techniques or
behaviours that the learners used to acquire typical
knowledge naturally. Further commonly used the
technical term in the educational area is Language
Learning Strategies (LLS). Generally, human processes
information they got by using language to understand
the typical idea and knowledge to help the development
of human life. Consequently, Therefore, the language
will facilitate human to help the idea delivered from one
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 579
193
to another human, communicatively. Therefore,
language also needs to be learned.
Oxford [1] states that LLS is an essential tool to
develop students' communicative competence and other
goals. The development of students’ communicative
competence requires interactions between students and
students or between students and Lecturer by using a
meaningful language. Good language learners are aware
of it. Oxford [1] draws an explanation of both
strategies’ differences into an analogy of a theatre.
Indirect strategies are considered as the director and
direct strategies are considered as the actor. Director
and actor are related one to another and work side by
side. Director is the internal guide to supports the actor.
Director functions are focusing, organizing, guiding,
checking, correcting, coaching, encouraging, cheering,
and making sure the actor working cooperatively with
other actors. It consists of meta-cognitive strategies
(coordinating the actor play), affective strategies
(regulating the actor emotions) and social strategies
(encourage the actor to learn with other actors). Besides,
Actor functions are; 1) memory strategies, for instance
remembering the line or dialogue and retrieving new
dialogue, 2) cognitive strategies (understand the
dialogue and producing the dialogue or even
improvised), and 3) compensation strategies (using the
dialogue although there are knowledge gaps about the
meaning dialogue).
Oxford also classified direct strategies into three
kinds that each kind is also divided into some
characteristics. The three strategies are memory
strategies, cognitive strategies, and compensation
strategies. Besides, Indirect strategies are divided into
three kinds that each kind is also divided into some
characteristics. The three strategies are meta-cognitive,
affective strategies, and social strategies.
2.2. Language Teaching Strategies
Strategies in teaching are very simple and
affected by lecturers' beliefs. This is because the way
lecturers' beliefs affecting the method that the lecturer
used in teaching. Also, strategies are simpler than
approach and method. In addition, Richards and Roger
[14] add designs after method and equal to techniques
because they believe that designs include the syllabus
model. Teaching strategies could be categorized into
five parts [15] that Hamruni describes into; 1) direct
instruction strategy, 2) Indirect Instruction Strategy, 3)
Interactive Teaching Strategy, 4) Experiential/Empirical
Teaching Strategies, and 5) Independent Teaching
Strategies. The direct teaching strategies is also known
as teacher-centred-strategy. In contrast, the indirect
teaching strategy is students-centred-strategy, teacher
only acts as a facilitator. As for the interactive teaching
strategy, it focuses on learners’ interaction to another
learner through discussion. In contrast, experiential
teaching strategy emphasize the learning by students’
experiences. Lastly, the independent teaching strategy
purpose is developing learners’ initiative in learning to
learn individually.
2.3 Oxford SILL Questionnaire
Oxford [1] promotes a widely used instrument
for investigating the language learning strategies that
she named as Strategy Inventory for Language Learning
or shortened as SILL. She creates this advance
questionnaire into the 7.0 version, the latest. Studies
about learners of many different English native speaker
students and non-native English students around the
world used this questionnaire. Surprisingly, wide
numerous researchers around the world use Oxford's
SILL version 7.0 to analysed students' LLS.
2.4 Covid-19
COVID-19 or known as Corona Virus Disease-
2019 is a type of virus that emerged in Wuhan, China in
December 2019. There are more than hundreds
countries have been contaminated by this virus. The
World Health Organization or WHO [5] calls the new
virus as Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-
2 or shortened as SARS-CoV-2. In addition, the disease
is widely known as coronavirus disease 2019. PDPI
(2020) mentions that the infection of this virus might
cause mild, moderate, or severe symptoms, and the
worst is caused death. Quoted from an official
government website of Indonesia Peringatan COVID-
19, the total infection cases up to 10 October 2020 is
6.561 people. This virus could spread by only have a
close distance to other person and easily transfer from
one to another by talking because it easily transfers
through spittle. Due to these reasons, the Minister of
Education and Culture Nadiem Makarim issued a
commandment for handling the COVID-19 outbreak.
He asked for every Department of Education at the
provincial, district, and city levels, higher education
institutions, higher education leaders, and principals
through SE Number 3 of 202 to have an online meeting
classes to prevent the face-to-face study activities. It
concerned prevention of having physical contacts. Thus,
students and lecturers having the learning and teaching
process in houses. Students and lecturers can have a
meeting, not physically face-to-face meeting, but a
meeting through an online meeting application.
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3. METHOD
This is a descriptive quantitative study and used
descriptive qualitative method. Cresswell [16] states that
quantitative data, such as scores on instruments, gain
specific numbers that can be analyzed statistically. He
also believes that it provides useful information to
describe trends about a large number of people. In this
case, a descriptive quantitative method will be used to
investigate the level of students’ LLS average level in a
class of Writing for Media Communication class. Also,
the descriptive quantitative method will use to find out
the most used LLS and the least used LLS by students.
There were 52 students as the respondents of
Oxford SILL Questionnaire. The Questionnaire were
consisted of 50 questions. The answers were divided
into 5 different answers based on the scale of Likert; 1)
Never, 2) Seldom, 3) Sometimes, 4) Usually, 5) Always.
The respondents or the students had to choose one of 5
scale in each questions.
Meanwhile, the descriptive qualitative method
used to investigate the strategy that the lecturers’ used in
the class that affected by Covid-19 pandemic. The
lecturers were questioned with 20 questions related to
teaching strategies during the beginning of Covid-19
Pandemic. There were 2 lecturers who interviewed. The
data were rich in descriptions of steps, tips and
solutions.
4. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
4.1 Students’ Language Learning Strategies
The final score of SILL by Oxford that used for
students in the class of Writing for Media
Communication level is explained in the table below.
No
The Strategies
Mean
Score
Level of
Frequency
Used
1
Cognitive Strategies
4.01
High Use
2
Metacognitive Strategies
3.95
High Use
3
Social Strategies
3.90
High Use
4
Memory Strategies
3.86
High Use
5
Affective Strategies
3.54
High Use
6
Compensation Strategies
3.53
High Use
Table 2.1 LLS level used by students
The total score that became the Mean Score of this table
is 3.80. Based on Oxford Categorization, the Mean
score above 3.50 are considered as the High Level. The
respondents using Cognitive strategies the most and
Compensation strategies the least.
4.2 Lecturers’ Language Teaching Strategies
The overall result of lecturers’ explanation from
interview indicated the differentiate of teaching
strategies before and after Covi-19 Pandemic. Due to
the new condition and no experiences to teach by
distance in a class of full of practice with direct
explanation and correction, lecturers tended to find
unfamiliarity condition. Lecturers’ tended to taught
what they already prepared and taught the material by
online meeting. The media that often used by the
lecturers in teaching writing for Media Communication
were; Zoom Meeting and Google Meet. Students tended
to show less interest by turning of the camera and less
interaction in the class than usual.
However, the real challenge of this Covid-19
Pandemic condition was the difficulty to let the students
experience the field practice. Therefore, the lecturers
resolved the condition by giving the students some
solutions; 1) a fake condition of role-play, 2) students’
online research, and 3) students Peer Reading. The fake
condition let the students to pretend gathering the
information outside their house. Such a mini role-play
with their family. Then, in order to create truthful news
products the students were asked to research some
details about the news they interested to and rewrite the
news with some evidence. Last, all news products that
created by the students were being reviewed by the
other students before become a final news products.
This study found that the students and lecturers
who learned and taught in Writing for Media
Communication class were having an awareness of the
leaning strategies importance and believed that it was a
part of their language learning process. The used of
some strategies presenting these learners as High users
for all categories of LLS. The students found as the
High users for Cognitive strategies (M=4.01) and it
helped the learners’ learning process in practicing,
receiving and sending messages, analyzing and
employing (summarizing). The students also found as
the least used strategy of the Compensation strategy
(M=3.53) and it showed the lack of guessing and
applying images and sounds. Then, the study also
showed that the lecturers were actively did their best to
overcome the sudden pandemic in the very beginning of
no face-to-face meeting without any experiences and
strategies in a glance.
Based on discussion above, the researcher
discovers students in this Covid-19 pandemic conditions
tended to use Cognitive strategies because they practice
by their own and lecturers tended to create impromptu
strategies to let the learning activities run still.
Hopefully, lecturers and students will find better
strategies to face this further condition better in order to
gain more than before.
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 579
195
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