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English Education: Jurnal Tadris Bahasa Inggris
pISSN 2086-6003│eISSN 2580-1449
Vol 15 (2), 2022, 282-295
English Education: Jurnal Tadris Bahasa Inggris, Vol 15 (2), 2022, 282
Introverted Learners Problems and Solving Strategies in
Speaking English
Nur Hanifa1*, Anita2, Afif Suaidi3
UIN Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin Banten
1Email: nurhanifa2545@gmail.com
Abstract. This study investigated the problems and strategies for solving
introverted learners' problems in speaking English. Qualitative research
design was used in this research. An online MBTI test was used to recruit
introverted participants. This research involved eight students at the fourth
semester of the English Education Department of UIN SMH Banten. The
researchers gathered the data through an online personality test,
questionnaire, and interview. The result of this research showed that there
were three problems introvert learners facing when they spoke English:
linguistic problems (pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary), feeling shy
or nervous, and lack of self-confidence. This study also discovered that
there were three factors affecting their problems: affective, environment,
and personality. This research found six strategies to solve introverted
learners' problems in speaking English. The strategies were as such; self-
practice as much as possible, regulating the breath, learning through social
media platforms, taking a note of unfamiliar words, listening to English
songs, and playing online games.
Keywords:
introverted learners, speaking problem, speaking strategies.
A. INTRODUCTION
Speaking is one four aspects of language skills. According to Thornbury (2005)
speaking is a part of everyday life that we take for granted. The average person
generates tens of thousands of words a day. It can assuredly be said that speaking
is one of the skills that everyone uses all over the world. Speaking allows people
to express their ideas and opinions. However, many experts agreed that speaking
with right pronounciation is one of the most difficult skills to acquire (Gilakjani
A. P., 2016) (Haghighi & Rahimy, 2017) (Sadeghi & Heidar, 2016). Most of
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English Education: Jurnal Tadris Bahasa Inggris
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Vol 15 (2), 2022, 282-295
English Education: Jurnal Tadris Bahasa Inggris, Vol 15 (2), 2022, 283
learners feel difficult to speak because they are shy, nervous, afraid to make
mistake with their pronunciation, and unconfident to say something in English
(Ramasari, 2017). In other word, learning is a process of acquiring knowledge and
skill (Gilbert & Siddique, 2020) and every language learner has some problems in
their learning. According to Anggreini, (2020) a problem is something that needs
to be answered or solved.
In order to overcome each student's problems in the learning process, a strategy is
needed. Learning strategies are specific ways of processing information that
learners use to increase understanding, learning, or retention of the knowledge.
Learners employ learning methods to help them better understand new
information and overcome language problems. However, within a ppopulation in
a class every single student has unique personality that maybe different from
another students, which can affect the learning process of students. There are
several types of personality, two of which are extrovert and introvert. According
to (Jung, 2017), extraversion is defined by an interest in the external object,
responsiveness, and a ready acceptance of external happenings, a desire to
influence and be influenced by events, and the ability to tolerate bustle and noise.
Introversion, on the other hand, directed to subjective factors. One keeps their
distance from external events, does not participate, and has a strong dislike of
society whenever he finds himself in a crowd. One feels lonely and lost in a large
group.
Based on explanation above, introverted learners, due to its nature, bound to have
more problem in learning speaking. The researchers discovered some difficulties
in speaking English, such as lack of confident, feeling shy while speaking in front
of other, or inablity to express the words.
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English Education: Jurnal Tadris Bahasa Inggris
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English Education: Jurnal Tadris Bahasa Inggris, Vol 15 (2), 2022, 284
There were several researches that have been done in regard of speaking anxiety.
The first research is from Anggreini (2020), it was revealed that there were 6
problems experienced by introverted learners in speaking English; 1) Lack of
pronunciation, 2) Lack of grammar, 3) Lack of vocabulary, 4) Lack of self-
confidence, 5) Lack of friend to communicate 6) Lack of understanding material.
Another research from Palijama (2020) found that there were two types of
problems faced by students. Those problems were linguistics and non – linguistic
problems, and the strategies that were used by the students to overcome their
problems were independent practice and peer practice.
Based on the previous researches above, it is important to have several strategies
in order to achieve learning goal, especially for introverted learners, in speaking
English. Preliminary study were done by interviewing English students at 4th
semester of UIN SMH Banten. From the preliminary study, the researchers
obtained the real information about the problems that were faced by the students,
especially introverted students, before and during speaking English. From the
interview, students revealed that the problems were caused by some factors
including their self-motivation, environment, and personality factors. As the
result, the researchers are interested in investigating problems and the factors
affecting the problem of introverted learners in speaking English also their solving
strategies to solve their problems. The purpose of this study was to investigate the
difficulties faced by introverted learners and the factor affecting it when speaking
English, and the strategies to solve these difficulties.
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English Education: Jurnal Tadris Bahasa Inggris, Vol 15 (2), 2022, 285
B. RESEARCH METHOD
Research Design
Case study was used as the research method for this research. Case study
represents another type of qualitative research. Case study is a research method
that investigates things in order to answer specific research questions and that
seeks variety of different kinds of evidence that must be collected in order to
obtain the best possible answer to the research question (Gillham, 2000). This
research was conducted at English Education Department of UIN SMH Banten.
The campus is located at Jl. Raya Syech Nawawi Al-Bantani, No. 30, Curug, Kota
Serang. To collect the data, the researchers used purposive sampling method. The
researchers only chose introverted learners who was selected via an online
personality test, and interview. An online Myers–Briggs Type Indicator, a
personality inventory (MBTI) test was distributed in order to see and choose the
introverted learners. This test involved 39 out of 112 students of 4th semester of
English Education Department. The population were chosen because the students
in this semester have had three semesters of speaking practice in English classes.
It was reasonable to assume that they had more experience dealing with problems
in their speaking. The results showed that from 39 students, there were 24
introverts and 15 extroverts. The researcher only chose 8 students who got the
result as introverts with a score of more than 30% as participants in this study.
C. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
Findings
The finding of this study will be presented in two main sections. First, the analysis
of introverted learners’ speaking problems and the factors affecting the problems.
Second, solving strategies of introverted learners in speak English.
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English Education: Jurnal Tadris Bahasa Inggris
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Vol 15 (2), 2022, 282-295
English Education: Jurnal Tadris Bahasa Inggris, Vol 15 (2), 2022, 286
Introverted Learners’ Speaking Problems and the Factors Affecting the Problems
Based on interview, it was found that problems faced by introverted learners in
speaking are: 1) Linguistic problems, 2) Feeling shy and nervous, 3) Having lack
of self-confidence.
Linguistic Problems
Difficulty in pronouncing words correctly when speaking is a common problem
for many English students. It certainly is a problem because without good
pronounciation, the meaning of a spoken word could not only be not transfered, it
could also be misinterpreted and creating misunderstanding (Pusfarani,
Mukhrizal, & Puspita, 2021). Nevertheless, they cannot remember the words that
are asked and they cannot use these words in the relevant context (Mooneeb Ali et
al., 2020). This supported with the result of interview:
“I actually have problem in speaking English, especially from grammar and
also its pronunciation…” (AH).
Besides, DI stated:
“There are several reasons, including lack of practice in daily, lack of
vocabulary mastery and still worried about making mistakes in using
grammar.” (DI).
Based on the results of the interview, linguistic problem is one of the most crucial
problems faced by introverted learners. This problem may lead other problems.
Most of the students feel unconfident and shy to speak because of their lack of
knowledge about vocabulary, grammar and also the difficulty of pronouncing
each word in English.
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Feeling Shy and Nervous
One of the psychological problems that are faced by introverted learners are
feeling shy and nervous. Introverted learners are more concerned with their own
thoughts or emotions than with external factors. They are frequently shy and
reluctant to speak in front of the class (Elfiza, 2017) . One of participant said:
“Yes, of course I do have problems in speaking English. I feel nervous, I’m
just afraid if I will make mistakes when I speak.” (ZMZ)
From the answer, this research found that the shyness can cause the students feel
difficulty and afraid to make mistakes when speaking performance.
Having lack of self-confidence
Based on the interview, almost all introverted learners felt lack of self-confidence.
One of the participants, AR, asserted that lack of self-confidence is the problem in
speaking which he faced as an introverted student. She said:
“I just afraid if I will make mistakes when I speak, I also feel unconfident.
That is maybe because I do not really have experience in speaking English.”
(AR).
From her answer, it can be conclude that fear of making mistakes and having no
experience in speaking English is one of the reason introverted learners felt
unconfident.
Besides the problems, this research also found several factors that affect
introverted learners problem. They are affective factor, environment and
personality factor. First is affective factor. The term "affect" refers to an emotion
or a feeling. Affective factors include individual student factors, the influence
between students-to-students, and students-to-teacher. Students' individual factors
consist of self-esteem, barriers, anxiety, personality, motivation, attitudes, and so
on (Bao & Liu, 2021). The second problem is environment factor. Dorman et al.,
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as cited in Daniel et al., (2018) stated that students learn better when they view the
learning environment as positive and supportive. The last factor is personality
factor. The type of personality can give the big effect on learning process,
especially in speaking. It is in line with the characteristic of introverts; Introverts
prefer reading, writing, lectures, and research projects than verbal work in class.
Solving Strategies of Introverted Learners in Speak English.
This research found several strategies such as: 1) Self-practice, 2) Regulating
breath 3) Learning through social media platform, 4) Take a note of unfamiliar
words, 5) Listening to English song, and 6) Playing online games.
Self-practice
Based on the result of interview, self-practice is one of the strategies that most
used by introverted learners here. It makes the students feeling more confident
when they speak. Even if it is a self-practice, it should help due to the fact that
students who regularly practice speaking English will not only master English
vocabulary, but will also speak English fluently. Finally when they mastered
English, the students no longer feel self-conscious, embarrassed, or afraid to speak
in public.
Regulating Breath
The next strategy used by introverted student is regulating breath or relaxation.
Breathing has an important role in regulating the automatic nervous system
(ANS), which is activated when one experiences stress and anxiety. The
autonomic nervous system is activated in stressful situations, such as public
speaking, and people frequently respond by breathing rapidly and shallowly as
their heart rates increase (Kimani et al., 2021). It means when the students are
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nervous when speaking, they do relaxation process such as taking a deep breath
and trying to calm themselves down so they can think and speak clearly.
Learning through Social Media Platform
The next strategy that is used by introverted learners is utilizing technology such
as social media as learning platforms for learners. The students believe that social
media contains a variety of resources such as video, photo, caption, and others. As
the result, students who use social media for English learning find it easier to
learn and have numerous advantages (Handayani et al., 2020). It supported by DI
who said:
“I can learn English by an English course's on bbclearningenglish account at
Instagram or their YouTube channel” (DI).
The researcher conclude that introverted learners can improve their English skills
by using social media, as it is now very easily accessible via smartphones or
computers.
Take a Note of Unfamiliar Words
The next strategy is taking a note of unfamiliar words. Taking notes entails
writing down the main ideas and specific information presented. It is often
considered as an effective way to facilitate learners in learning a language
(Oxford, 1990). Based on the interview, the researcher concluded that taking note
of unfamiliar words and then studying the notes at different times could be an
alternative strategy that helps introverted learners increase their vocabulary
knowledge for better speaking performance.
Listening to English Song
English songs can be the good media which people or students can use to improve
their English as the foreign/second language. It is in line with Supeno (2018) who
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said that songs help learners improve their understanding and production of
important pronunciation features. Through listening to songs, students can
improve their English skills, not only in listening skills but also in mastering
vocabulary, pronunciation, and speaking skills.
Playing Online Games
Games are one of the many great tools for learning languages. There are many
games that can increase vocabulary knowledge and improve four skills; speaking,
reading, writing, and also listening such as Duolingo, Memrise, and etc. Games
allow them to not only learn vocabulary, but also give them a space to practice in
meaningful context, which will help them to make connections about how to use
these words in the future (Sevy-biloon, 2017).
Discussion
The researcher found several problems in speaking English faced by the
introverted learners. Linguistic problems such as grammar and pronunciation then
followed by lack of vocabulary were the most frequently mentioned by the
introverted learners. Grammar mastery might play an important role in improving
students' speaking fluency. Most of the students struggled finding appropriate and
correct grammar. The next problem was feeling shy and nervous. The introverted
learners were feeling shy when they had to speak English. The introverted
learners were also afraid to making mistakes and unprepared for negative
reactions from others. Lack of self-confidence was also faced by the introverted
learners. Based on the findings, almost all of the introverted learners felt lack of
self-confidence and it causes the difficulty of speak. Self-confidence was an
important thing that needs to be highlighted. It is a tool to be successful in the
learning process, especially in learning speaking. Lack of self-confidence can
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causing the introverted learners unable to elaborate on their ideas. It may lead
them to believe that they have poor communication skills. The issue was that they
were simply perplexed as to how to decipher their ideas.
There were several factors that was affected the introverted speaking problems
which were found in this research. First factor was affective factor. Affective
factor was the one of the most important influences on language learning success
or failure. It can be divided into three categories; motivation, self-confidence and
anxiety. Affective factors which influenced some of introverted learners based on
the result of interview were; they often felt less of motivation in speaking English,
unconfident, and afraid of public opinions. The second factor was environment
factor. As it is known that learning is something that happens continuously, not
only formally education in schools, but also throughout the entire period of a
person's life. From the result of interview, the researchers concluded that students
needed an environment that supported them in learning English. The last factor
was personality factor. Personality factor should be known and studied because it
was closely related to the pattern of acceptance of a person by the social
environment.
The next finding was about the strategies of introverted learners to overcome their
problems. The first strategy was self-practice. The researchers concluded that
speaking practice was strategy that was mostly used by introverted learners here.
The second strategy was regulating breath or relaxation. The next strategy that
was found was learning through social media platforms. Social media is internet -
based tool and platform that increase and share information. The students used
social media not only for communication but also social for learning. They
enjoyed using use social media to entertain themselves while also learning
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English. The next strategy was taking note of unfamiliar words. From the
interview, the researchers found that taking a note was one of strategies that used
of introverted learners. Taking a note when unfamiliar words poped up was the
right solution for increasing vocabulary. The more vocabulary known the easier it
was for the students to speak English. However, this must also be followed by
self-confidence. The next strategy was listening to English song. Songs can be
very useful for learning pronunciation, as they helped them understand the
language better and learn new rules, as well as motivated and relaxed students.
The last strategy that was found was playing online games. The researcher
believed that playing online games is an interesting and fun activity to improve
speaking skill, because they have to communicate with others which foced them
out from their introverted nature.
Based on the finding of the strategies above, the researcher also asked them about
how effective the strategies were and how they know that their strategies were
effective to solve their problems. It showed that some of the strategies they
implemented were very helpful and some were not very helpful because they have
not felt any change in their speaking ability but they always did it to solve their
problems.
D. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
Conclusion
The researcher found that the introverted students in fourth semester at English
Education Department of UIN Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin Banten had variety of
problems in speaking English. The first finding showed that there were three
problems that faced by introverted learners such as: (1) Linguistic problems
(pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary), (2) Feeling shy and nervous, (3)
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Having lack of self-confidence. The researcher also found the factors that
affecting their problems such as affective factor, environmental factor, and
personality factor. Moreover, the second findings shows there are several
strategies such as: (1) Self-practice as much as possible, (2) Regulating breath, (3)
Learning through social media platform, (4) Take a note of unfamiliar words, (5)
Listening to English song, and the last strategy is (6) Playing online games. Some
strategies are considered to be able to help deal with the problem and some are not
so helpful, due to the factors that affecting the problems mentioned earlier.
Suggestion
According to the conclusions, the researcher suggests to introverted learners that
they should practice speaking more confidently; introverted learners should not be
afraid of expressing their ideas or making mistakes. The finding can also serve as
a guideline for introverted learners who are having difficulty speaking English. As
a result, the researcher advises introverted learners to apply several of strategies to
overcome difficulties in speaking English. It is recommended that the teacher
investigate the difficulties that introverted learners face in English. Once this
information is obtained, the lecturer can construct a variety of strategies that are
appropriate for introverted learners. A teacher need to provide motivation and
stimulate students' opinions in order to increase students' interest in learning
English, especially speaking. Teachers must be able to make teaching and
learning process becomes fun and enjoyable, so students can enjoy in learning
English language, especially speaking.
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