The particular dialect or language that a person chooses to use on any occasion is called a code 1899 Copyright © 2022 The Author IDEAS is licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0 License Issued by English study program of IAIN Palopo IDEAS Journal of Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Literature ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) ISSN 2548-4192 (Online) Volume 10, Number 2, December 2022 pp. 1899 -1920 Exploring the Students’ Attention Level in Teaching and Learning of English Risti Trias Yuliani1, Made Adi Andayani T2, Eka Wahjuningsih3 1risti3as@gmail.com 2madeandayani.fkip@unej.ac.id 3merrynining@gmail.com 123English Education Program, Universitas Jember Received: 2022-11-18 Accepted: 2022-12-31 DOI: 10.24256/ideas.v10i2.3430 Abstract This research investigated the students' attention level in teaching and learning of English. The purposes of this research were to find out the students’ attention level and to find out the most dominant factor affecting the students’attention in teaching and learning of English. This research used a descriptive design with questionnaires as the data collection method. The researcher distributed the questionnaires at the end of English class. The data collected through the questionnaires were analyzed by using Walizer's (1990) formula to answer the research questions. In this research, the result showed that the level of students' attention in teaching and learning of English was at the moderate level and the most dominant factor affecting students' attention was the internal factor. Keywords: students’ attention level, factors of attention, the dominant factor of attention, descriptive design, closed questionnaire, Walizer's formula Introduction Staying focused and paying attention is a challenge student must face in the teaching and learning process. Although the teachers play an important role in getting the students’ attention, the students must also have the intention to give their attention. According to Posner & Peterson (1990), attention is a state in which we are mentally alert to focus on an activity. Meanwhile, Prakash (2015) explains that when students focus their attention on a stimulus, they will find it easier to determine what features are following their learning objectives. When students have determined which characteristics, they should pay attention to, they place those characteristics on their consciousness. It will make it easier for students to select and learn the information. Unnecessary thoughts do not need to be involved in their consciousness. The students' attention in the English teaching and learning process is influenced by internal and external factors (Calster et al. (2018)). To maximize the learning process, educators must know in advance what is the dominant factor affecting the students' attention in English teaching and learning process. Therefore, the http://u.lipi.go.id/1457703302 mailto:1risti3as@gmail.com mailto:madeandayani.fkip@unej.ac.id Risti Trias Yuliani, Made Adi Andayani T, Eka Wahjuningsih Exploring the Students’ Attention Level in Teaching and Learning of English 1900 purposes of this research were to find out the students’ attention level and to find out the most dominant factor affecting the students’ attention in teaching and learning of English. This research used a descriptive design with questionnaires as the data collection method. A descriptive study aims to describe individuals, events, or conditions by studying the themes in them (Mertler, 2014). Thus, this study was a means of finding new meanings, describing what exists to provide an accurate explanation of individual, situation, or group characteristics. Similar studies were conducted by some researchers. Shah and Saleem (2015) investigated 420 students in the Chakwal District to know the correlation between the students' attention level and academic achievement. They found that the level of attention directly affected students’ achievements. Cicekci and Sadik (2019) conducted descriptive research that investigated the teachers' and students' opinions about the problems of students' attention during the learning process. This study showed that students' experience attention problems during learning was caused by the students themselves, their classmates, the teachers, and the environment. However, the previous studies did not lead to English subject. Among the previous studies that have been mentioned, no research conducted in Senior High School and investigated the dominant factor affecting students' attention. To fill in the gaps, I conducted a study at one of the Senior High Schools in Jember to find out how far the students’ attention level is in teaching and learning of English, as well as find out the most dominant factor affecting the students' attention. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, attention is the ability to mentally focus to someone or something. Attention is one of the essential phenomena in educational psychology. The importance of attention is undeniable, and this is the ability to focus regardless of the things that can be disturbing (Posner & Peterson, 1990). Then it is specifically explained by Taylor and Parsons (2011) about the definition of students' attention. They state that students’ attention refers to students' desires, needs, willingness, and even compulsion to participate and succeed in every learning process. Students’ attention is the concentration of psychic energy in dealing with an object. In this case, students' attention is related to concentration, desire, and willingness to learn in the learning process in the classroom. Furthermore, Taylor and Parsons (2011) stated that students can be stated to pay attention if they are being active and concentrating during the lesson. From some of the opinions above, it can be concluded that students' attention is an awareness in processing information based on the students’ willingness, desire, and needs in learning. The students find it difficult to pay attention in teaching and learning of English because several factors could affect their attention. According to Calster et al. (2018), IDEAS, Vol. 10, No. 2, December 2022 ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) ISSN 2548-4192 (Online) 1901 there are two factors affecting students’ attention, namely internal and external factors. a. Internal factors are factors that exist within students. The internal factors consist of. 1. Physical condition or health, students will give better attention in good physical condition. 2. Needs, students who feel the need to pay attention to something will automatically give more attention. 3. Personality characteristics, the students' personalities will affect the quality of attention. Examples: talent, experience, intelligence, and habits. b. External factors are stimuli that occur outside students. 1. The intensity or strength of the stimulus, a stimulus that has a higher intensity will attract more attention than a stimulus with a lower intensity. 2. Attractiveness, stimuli that are very different from other stimuli will have the power to attract attention. 3. Movement, stimuli that are always changing or moving will attract more attention. The internal and external factors are interrelated. For example, if students have a high level of intelligence and desire to learn and then supported by a comfortable classroom atmosphere, the students will show a high level of attention. There were several research have been conducted by other researchers to investigate students' attention in the classroom. For instance, Rosegard and Wilson (2013) found out that boredom is a reason for students paying less attention. They use an experimental design in their study. Kogler and Gollner (2018) also used an experimental design and they had the same discovery as Rosegard and Wilson (2013) that boredom during the teaching and learning process has been considered a major pedagogical challenge that can affect students’ attention. Shah and Saleem (2015) conducted a descriptive study that aims to know the correlation between the students' attention level and academic achievement of 420 students from six secondary schools in the Chakwal district. They found that the level of attention directly affected students’ achievements. There was a study using an experimental design that used technology to determine the level of students’ attention conducted by Bunce et al. (2010), the research represented a unique use of technology named clickers. The program was used to find out how long students can pay attention in class. They found that for about 20 minutes, the students do not pay attention continuously. Haynes et al. (2016) surveyed parents of 10 third graders at a Catholic Risti Trias Yuliani, Made Adi Andayani T, Eka Wahjuningsih Exploring the Students’ Attention Level in Teaching and Learning of English 1902 Primary School. Knowing the correlation between how long the students sleep and the students' attention was the aim of this study. In their study, the researchers found that if a student slept more, the student had better attention. Cicekci and Sadik (2019) conducted descriptive research that investigated the teachers' and students' opinions about the problems of students' attention during the learning process. This study showed that students' experience attention problems during learning was caused by the students themselves, their classmates, the teachers, and the environment. In conclusion, the previous studies showed that students' attention is a common problem in the world of education. It shows that many factors could affect the students' attention. The present study tries to explore the students’ attention by focusing on how far the students’ attention level was in the English teaching and learning and discovered the most dominant factor that influenced it. Method This research used a descriptive design with questionnaires as the data collection method. A descriptive study aimed to describe individuals, events, or conditions by studying the themes in them (Mertler, 2014). Thus, this study was a means of finding new meanings, describing what exists to provide an accurate explanation of individual, situation, or group characteristics. In addition, this design also aimed to find the correlations or relationships between the selected variables and answer the questions based on current events (Burns and Grove, 2001). Then Aggarwal (2008) stated that a descriptive design was devoted to gathering information about a condition or situation that applied for description and interpretation. This type of research method not only collected and tabulated facts but also included proper analysis, interpretation, comparison, and correlation or relationship. This study was conducted at one of the Senior High Schools in Jember. The school is using the 2013 curriculum. English subject is considered as foreign language that not all students can master so that students found it difficult to pay attention in the teaching and learning of English. There were several factors affecting the students' attention. In this case, the researcher wanted to know how far the students’ attention level was and discovered the most dominant factor affecting students' attention in teaching and learning of English. The participants in this study were students at Senior High School in Jember in one of the classes. This school has 33 classes, and it was based on suggestions from the English teacher to determined which class to use. The participants of this research were the students of XI IPS 3 because this class was purely conducting online classes so that the students’ attention in the teaching and learning process of English became a problem. XI IPS 3 class consisted of 31 students. According to the school’s policy, students took turn to come to school to carry out face-to-face learning because only 50% of students did offline classes during the pandemic. The determination was that students with odd numbers took turn with students with IDEAS, Vol. 10, No. 2, December 2022 ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) ISSN 2548-4192 (Online) 1903 even numbers. Therefore, I examined all students in class XI IPS 3 to know how far the students’ attention level in teaching and learning of English was and the dominant factor affecting students’ attention. To collect the data, the researcher used a closed questionnaire method. In a closed questionnaire, the researcher had prepared answers that the respondents filled out according to their experience, and this provided consistent results. In preparing the questionnaire, the researcher adopts Calster’s et al. (2018) questionnaire which consisted of internal and external factors affecting students' attention. The questions in the questionnaire consisted of 17 questions covering 8 internal factors showed in questions number 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, and 15; and 9 external factors showed in questions number 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 14, 16, and 17. The answers to each question consisted of 4 options, namely always, sometimes, seldom, and never. The researcher distributed the questionnaires at the end of the English class through hand delivery, where the researcher met the respondents and then distributed the questionnaires to be answered. In this study, the researcher used a descriptive design to know how far the students’ attention in teaching and learning of English was and to find the most dominant factor that influenced it. Therefore, all data were analyzed systematically to answer the research questions by using Walizer’s (1990) formula. P = F/N X 100% Notes: P = the Percentage F = the Frequency of Respondents’ Answers N = Number of Respondents ( Walizer, 1990) There were four options in the questionnaire, namely always, sometimes, seldom, and never. The researcher scored on every option based on the four-point Likert’s (1932) scales to analyze the data questionnaire. a. 4 points for always. b. 3 points for sometimes. c. 2 points for seldom. d. 1 point for never. To find out how far the students’ attention level was in the teaching and learning of English, it was calculated using Walizer's (1990) formula to find the average percentage. Then, to measure the level of students' attention in the teaching and learning of English, the researcher gave some criteria as follows. Risti Trias Yuliani, Made Adi Andayani T, Eka Wahjuningsih Exploring the Students’ Attention Level in Teaching and Learning of English 1904 76% - 100% is High 51% - 75% is Middle 0% - 50% is Low The researcher determined the dominant factor affecting students’ attention through the percentage of “always” option. The factors of students’ attention consisted of 8 internal factors shown in questions 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, and 15; and 9 external factors for questions 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 14, 16, and 17. To find the dominant factor, the researcher calculated using Walizer’s (1990) formula based on the grouping of factors consisting of the number of questions that have been mentioned. Result and Discussion The Factors Affecting Students’ Attention in Teaching and Learning of English The researcher gave a questionnaire to each student consisting of 17 questions related to the factors affecting the students' attention level in English teaching and learning process. The questionnaires were given to all students of class XI IPS 3 that were 31 students at the end of the English lesson. The data obtained through the distribution of questionnaires were presented in a table one by one with the following description. Table 4.1.1 Question 1 of the Questionnaire: I have trouble concentrating when there is movement in the room I am in. OPTION FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE Always 6 19.35% Sometimes 17 54.83% Seldom 6 19.35% Never 2 6.45% The percentage was obtained through calculations of Walizer's (1990) formula (F/Nx100%). F belonged to the frequency of respondents' answers on each option, and N belonged to the number of respondents. The highest percentage was in the answer of sometimes. The result showed that sometimes the students found it difficult to concentrate if there was movement in a room. As stated by Calster et al. (2018), movement is the external factor which means the stimuli that are always changing or moving will attract more attention. The students were unable to concentrate and follow the lesson if there was movement in the classroom because their attention was distracted and their focus was switching to something moving. The conclusion was a movement could stimulate brain activity. Thus, when there was movement in the students’ classroom, the students’ concentration will be diverted to that movement. It was the cause of the students’ concentration problem. IDEAS, Vol. 10, No. 2, December 2022 ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) ISSN 2548-4192 (Online) 1905 Table 4.1.2 Question 2 of the Questionnaire: In general, I stay in control of my thoughts and do not let myself get distracted by interfering thoughts. OPTION FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE Always 17 54.83% Sometimes 10 32.25% Seldom 4 12.90% Never 0 0% Always answer gained the highest percentage in question 2. The students were always stayed in control and did not let themselves get distracted by interfering thoughts. The ability to control their thoughts to keep paying attention was a part of personality characteristics. According to Calster et al. (2018), the students' personality characteristics were the internal factors that would be affecting the quality of their attention. If the students decided to control their thoughts and did not let anything disturb them, the quality of students' attention would be better. The students were considered able to control their attention because the majority of students have always stayed in control of their thoughts and did not let themselves get distracted by interfering thoughts, which can be seen from the answer choices always which occupied the highest percentage. Therefore, it can be concluded that the students were able to control their attention because they can stay focused on learning and did not let anything disturb them. Table 4.1.3 Question 3 of the Questionnaire: I am easily drawn to new stimuli (for example, voices of people passing by, a sound in the house) that are not relevant to a task I am doing. OPTION FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE Always 6 19.35% Sometimes 11 35.48% Seldom 14 45.16% Risti Trias Yuliani, Made Adi Andayani T, Eka Wahjuningsih Exploring the Students’ Attention Level in Teaching and Learning of English 1906 Never 0 0% From the table above, we know that the highest percentage was in the answer of seldom. The students seldom easily drawn to new stimuli (for example, voices of people passing by, a sound in the house) that were not relevant to a task they were doing. It means the students seldom attracted to the new stimuli. Calster et al. (2018) stated that attractiveness was the external factor that could affect the students’ attention. The very different stimuli from other stimuli would have the power to attract attention. To conclude, the students seldom distracted their attention. Distraction was the process of diverting attention caused by attractiveness in something that was not the object of attention, thus obstructing the process of receiving the desired information. Table 4.1.4 Question 4 of the Questionnaire: I can be so absorbed by a line of thoughts that I become more or less unaware of my surroundings. OPTION FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE Always 7 22.58% Sometimes 9 29.03% Seldom 9 29.03% Never 6 19.35% Sometimes and seldom occupied the highest percentage. The students sometimes and seldom so absorbed by a line of thoughts that they became more or less unaware of their surroundings. Calster et al. (2018) said that was the external factor related to the intensity or strength of the stimulus. It can be concluded that if a stimulus had a higher intensity, it would be attracted more attention than a stimulus with a lower intensity. When the stimulus around students was not greater than a series of students' thoughts, that stimulus would not be affected the students’ attention. Table 4.1.5 Question 5 of the Questionnaire: When I am doing a task, I am often so focused I do not notice my surroundings. OPTION FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE Always 6 19.35% Sometimes 14 45.16% Seldom 8 25.80% Never 3 9.67% The highest percentage was in the answer of sometimes. The students sometimes focused and did not notice their surroundings when doing a task. That IDEAS, Vol. 10, No. 2, December 2022 ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) ISSN 2548-4192 (Online) 1907 was in line with Calster et al. (2018), who said that was the external factor related to the intensity or strength of the stimulus. The conclusion was that if a stimulus had a higher intensity, it would be attracted more attention than a stimulus with a lower intensity. When the stimulus around students was not greater than a series of students' thoughts, that stimulus would not be affected the students' attention. Table 4.1.6 Question 6 of the Questionnaire: I do not have difficulties to work while listening to music. OPTION FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE Always 8 25.80% Sometimes 13 41.93% Seldom 6 19.35% Never 4 12.90% We know that sometimes answer gained the highest percentage in question 6. The students sometimes did not have difficulties working while listening to music. Calster et al. (2018) stated that this was the external factor related to the intensity or strength of the stimulus. If a stimulus had a higher intensity, it would attract more attention than a stimulus with a lower intensity. In conclusion, if the stimulus were comparable, the more intense stimulus would attract more attention than the subtle one. Thus, when the students put their focus on doing their works and listening to music at the same time with the same intensity of the stimulus, then the stimulus around the students with a smaller intensity would not affect the students’ attention. Table 4.1.7 Question 7 of the Questionnaire: It is hard for me to stay on one activity for a whole hour. OPTION FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE Always 11 35.48% Sometimes 10 32.25% Seldom 9 29.03% Never 1 3.22% The highest percentage was in the answer of always. The students always experience difficulty staying on one activity for a whole hour. This belongs to their Risti Trias Yuliani, Made Adi Andayani T, Eka Wahjuningsih Exploring the Students’ Attention Level in Teaching and Learning of English 1908 habits or experiences, which were part of personality characteristics (internal factor). Calster et al. (2018) stated that the students' personality characteristics would affect the quality of their attention. To conclude, there was a correlation between personality characteristics and students' attention. In this case, the quality of students' attention would decrease because they cannot stay on one activity for a whole hour. Table 4.1.8 Question 8 of the Questionnaire: During an activity, unrelated mental images and thoughts come to my mind. OPTION FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE Always 6 19.35% Sometimes 10 32.25% Seldom 12 38.70% Never 3 9.67% Seldom answer occupied the highest percentage. The students seldom had unrelated mental images and thoughts that came to their mind during an activity. Unrelated mental images and thoughts that suddenly appear and distract the students' attention can become a habit. The habit was the internal factor that was part of personal characteristics. According to Calster et al. (2018), the students' personality characteristics would affect their attention quality. If the students were always had unrelated mental images and thoughts that came to their mind during an activity, the quality of the students' attention would decrease. In conclusion, the students still had a good quality of attention because they seldom had unrelated mental images and thoughts that came to their mind during an activity. The students need to be maintained and increased their attention in order to create a better quality of attention. Table 4.1.9 Question 9 of the Questionnaire: I often put hold to an activity because I suddenly think about another one I have to start or continue. OPTION FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE Always 8 25.80% Sometimes 12 38.70% Seldom 7 22.58% Never 4 12.90% The table above showed that the highest percentage was in the answer of sometimes. The students sometimes put on hold to an activity because they suddenly thought about another one they had to start or continue. This habit would distract the students' attention because they cannot focus on just one activity. According to Calster et al. (2018), the habit was the internal factor that was part of IDEAS, Vol. 10, No. 2, December 2022 ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) ISSN 2548-4192 (Online) 1909 personal characteristics, while the students' personality characteristics would affect the quality of their attention. Thus, if the students did that activity repeatedly, the quality of students' attention would decrease. Therefore, the students need good control of their personality characteristics to increase their quality of attention. Table 4.1.10 Question 10 of the Questionnaire: I generally stay focused on a single task until it is finished. OPTION FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE Always 9 29.03% Sometimes 13 41.93% Seldom 8 25.80% Never 1 3.22% In question 10, the answer of sometimes gained the highest percentage. The students sometimes stayed focused on a single task until it was finished. Doing the tasks one by one was a form of need. In line with Calster et al. (2018), the students who feel the need to pay attention to something would automatically give more attention. The students with this characteristic would find it easier to focus on one activity by ignoring distracting things that would arise. It can be concluded that the students already had a good focus on the activity being undertaken. This can be seen through the attitude of students who sometimes stayed focused and gave more attention to a single task until it was finished. Table 4.1.11 Question 11 of the Questionnaire: I can easily ignore my surroundings. OPTION FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE Always 8 25.80% Sometimes 13 41.93% Seldom 5 16.12% Never 5 16.12% The highest percentage was in the answer of sometimes. The students sometimes easily ignoring their surroundings. This showed that the stimuli around them did not easily attract the students’ attention. Calster et al. (2018) stated that Risti Trias Yuliani, Made Adi Andayani T, Eka Wahjuningsih Exploring the Students’ Attention Level in Teaching and Learning of English 1910 attractiveness was stimuli that were very different from other stimuli; it would have the power to attract attention. If the students placed their focus on one activity, then the surrounding stimulus would not influence their attention. To conclude, the students had a good quality of attention because they sometimes easily ignoring their surroundings. They were not easily attracted by stimuli around them. Ignoring unnecessary things and staying focused on one activity was a form of attention. Table 4.1.12 Question 12 of the Questionnaire: Sometimes I interrupt an activity to check an unrelated detail. OPTION FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE Always 5 16.12% Sometimes 13 41.93% Seldom 8 25.80% Never 5 16.12% Sometimes answer occupied the highest percentage in question 12. The students sometimes interrupted an activity to check an unrelated detail, and it can become a habit. The habit was the internal factor that was part of personality characteristics. According to Calster et al. (2018), the students' personality characteristics would affect the quality of their attention. If the students repeatedly interrupt an activity to check an unrelated detail, it would decrease the quality of the students' attention. The conclusion was that the students had a bad habit because sometimes they interrupt an activity to check an unrelated detail. In order to create a better quality of attention, the students must reduce the bad habit by focusing on one activity until it was finished so that they do not divide their attention. Table 4.1.13 Question 13 of the Questionnaire: When I am working on my computer, I often go on the internet to visit websites that are unrelated to my work. OPTION FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE Always 11 35.48% Sometimes 3 9.67% Seldom 9 29.03% Never 8 25.80% From the table above, we know that the highest percentage was in the answer of always. The students always went on the internet to visit websites unrelated to their work while working on their computers. That was a habit that students should avoid because it would influence the quality of students' attention. That was in line with Calster et al. (2018), who said that habit was the internal factor that was part of personality characteristics, while the students' personality characteristics would IDEAS, Vol. 10, No. 2, December 2022 ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) ISSN 2548-4192 (Online) 1911 affect the quality of their attention. To conclude, the quality of the students' attention was not good because they always went on the internet to visit websites unrelated to their work when they were working on their computers. The personality characteristics control need to be improved by not doing unnecessary things unrelated to their work. If students were able to control their personality characteristics, they would increase the quality of attention. Table 4.1.14 Question 14 of the Questionnaire: I can easily concentrate on a task, even when there is movement in the room I am in. OPTION FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE Always 9 29.03% Sometimes 12 38.70% Seldom 9 29.03% Never 1 3.22% In question 14, the answer of sometimes gained the highest percentage. The students sometimes easily concentrating on a task, even when there was movement in their room. According to Calster et al. (2018), a movement was the external factor which means the stimuli that were always changing or moving would attract more attention. It can be concluded that the students had a good quality of attention because they sometimes easily concentrating on a task, even when there was movement in their room. If the students still concentrated on a task even when there was movement in the room they were in, it can be said that they can control their attention. Table 4.1.15 Question 15 of the Questionnaire: I can spend several minutes on a question and try to dissect it. OPTION FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE Always 10 33.25% Sometimes 7 22.58% Seldom 9 29.03% Never 5 16.12% Risti Trias Yuliani, Made Adi Andayani T, Eka Wahjuningsih Exploring the Students’ Attention Level in Teaching and Learning of English 1912 Always answer occupied the highest percentage. The students always spent several minutes on a question and tried to dissect it. When the students found the need to focus on one question and try to dissect it for several minutes, they would give more attention to it. Calster et al. (2018) said that students who feel the need to pay attention to something would automatically give more attention. Thus, the students who felt the need to pay attention to something had a great quality of attention. It can be seen through the majority of students who answered that they always spent several minutes on a question and tried to dissect it. Table 4.1.16 Question 16 of the Questionnaire: I have trouble thinking when there are noises, even if these noises are not intense. OPTION FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE Always 9 29.03% Sometimes 15 48.38% Seldom 5 16.12% Never 2 6.45% We know that the highest percentage was in the answer of sometimes. The students sometimes had trouble thinking when there were noises, even if these noises were not intense. They would attract to other stimuli, and it would influence the students' attention because they found it difficult to think if there were noises. According to Calster et al. (2018), attractiveness was the external factor that could affect the students' attention; the stimuli that were very different from other stimuli would have the power to attract attention. The conclusion was that the circumstances could affect the students' attention. Not all of the students were able to focus their attention if they were in a noisy place. The noisy place would reduce the quality of students' attention because their attention could be distracted, and they would have trouble thinking. Table 4.1.17 Question 17 of the Questionnaire: I am often the first one to notice something has changed in a room. OPTION FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE Always 5 16.12% Sometimes 14 45.16% Seldom 8 25.80% Never 4 12.90% In the last question, the answer of sometimes gained the highest percentage. The students sometimes the first to notice something had changed in a room. Something different would have the power to attract attention, and it would influence the students' attention if they were not feeling comfortable with it. That was in line with Calster’s et al. (2018) statement that attractiveness was the external IDEAS, Vol. 10, No. 2, December 2022 ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) ISSN 2548-4192 (Online) 1913 factor that could affect the students' attention. The stimuli that were different from other stimuli would have the power to attract attention. In conclusion, the students had a good quality of attention because they were sometimes the first to notice something had changed in a room. However, the students' attention would be distracted if they were not comfortable with the changes that occur in the room. The Students’ Attention Level in Teaching and Learning of English The researcher used a descriptive design to analyze the data. The collected data from the questionnaire were analyzed systematically to determined the students' attention level using Walizer’s (1990) formula. The researcher scored on every option based on the four-point Likert’s (1932) scales to analyze the data questionnaire; 4 points for always, 3 points for sometimes, 2 points for seldom, and 1 point for never. Table 4.2.1 The Recapitulation of Students’ Answers on Questionnaire No Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0 1 1 1 2 1 3 1 4 1 5 1 6 1 7 1 ARJ 4 3 2 4 3 4 3 3 4 2 3 4 4 3 4 4 3 2 AKA 1 3 2 3 2 1 3 3 2 3 2 3 4 2 2 3 2 3 ANS 2 4 2 2 3 3 2 2 2 3 4 3 3 4 4 2 2 4 BCA 2 3 2 1 2 4 4 4 2 4 3 1 1 4 2 3 1 5 DBH 3 4 2 2 3 4 4 3 3 3 4 2 1 3 2 4 3 6 EMA 3 3 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 4 2 1 1 4 4 3 4 7 FA 3 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 3 2 3 3 3 3 8 HM 4 2 3 1 4 3 2 4 2 3 4 3 4 4 2 4 3 9 INA 2 3 3 2 3 4 2 3 3 2 3 3 2 3 3 2 3 10 IP 2 4 3 3 2 3 2 2 3 4 3 2 2 2 2 3 2 Risti Trias Yuliani, Made Adi Andayani T, Eka Wahjuningsih Exploring the Students’ Attention Level in Teaching and Learning of English 1914 No Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0 1 1 1 2 1 3 1 4 1 5 1 6 1 7 11 IMD 3 2 3 1 1 2 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 3 2 3 3 12 JJS 3 4 2 2 4 2 3 2 2 4 3 3 3 4 4 4 3 13 LAO 3 4 2 4 2 3 4 2 4 2 4 3 4 3 2 3 2 14 MKW 1 4 2 1 3 3 3 2 1 4 2 1 4 4 4 3 1 15 MW 3 2 4 3 3 4 4 3 4 2 4 2 2 2 1 2 1 16 MAP 3 4 2 1 4 4 1 1 3 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 17 MDKS 3 4 3 3 3 3 4 2 3 3 3 4 3 2 2 3 3 18 NSQ 3 4 3 3 4 2 2 1 4 3 3 3 4 3 4 4 3 19 NF 4 3 4 3 3 3 4 4 4 2 1 1 4 2 1 4 2 20 NAA 2 4 3 2 4 2 3 3 2 3 4 3 1 4 3 3 4 21 NTA 3 3 4 2 2 2 3 4 4 2 3 4 4 2 4 3 3 22 P 3 4 3 4 3 3 4 3 2 4 3 2 2 3 4 3 2 23 PNR 4 3 4 3 2 3 4 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 1 3 4 24 RAK 3 4 3 4 3 2 2 2 3 2 3 2 2 3 4 3 2 25 SDL 3 4 2 3 4 3 4 2 4 3 3 3 4 3 3 3 2 26 SA 3 4 4 2 3 1 3 3 3 3 1 3 4 4 3 4 4 27 SKS 4 3 2 4 1 3 2 4 1 1 3 4 2 2 2 4 3 28 TNK 2 4 3 3 2 4 4 2 3 4 1 3 1 3 3 2 4 29 VEA 3 3 4 2 2 1 3 4 4 3 2 4 4 3 4 4 3 30 WR 4 4 3 4 3 3 2 2 3 3 4 3 2 2 1 2 3 31 YA 3 4 2 4 3 4 4 2 3 3 1 2 1 2 3 1 3 F 1478 Notes: 4 = always 3 = sometimes 2 = seldom 1 = never F = the total scores of the respondents' answers on each option From the table above, the researcher noticed that the value of F was 1478. F value was the total scores of the respondents' answers on each option, namely 4 points for always, 3 points for sometimes, 2 points for seldom, and 1 point for never. IDEAS, Vol. 10, No. 2, December 2022 ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) ISSN 2548-4192 (Online) 1915 Furthermore, from the data obtained, the researcher presented a table containing the frequency of respondents' answers to each question as follows. Table 4.2.2 The Value of N OPTION 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 ALWAYS 6 17 6 7 6 8 11 6 8 9 8 5 11 9 10 9 5 SOMETIMES 17 10 11 9 14 13 10 10 12 13 13 13 3 12 7 15 14 SELDOM 6 4 14 9 8 6 9 12 7 8 5 8 9 9 9 5 8 NEVER 2 0 0 6 3 4 1 3 4 1 5 5 8 1 5 2 4 N 31x17x4=2108 Notes: 31 = the number of respondents 17 = the number of questions 4 = the maximum score From the table above, the researcher noticed that the value of N was 2108. N value was obtained from the multiplication among the number of respondents (31), the number of questions (17), and the maximum answer score (4). To know the students’ attention level in teaching and learning of English, the researcher was calculate it using Walizer's (1990) formula to find the average percentage. P=F/N x 100% = 1478/2108 x 100% = 70.11% MODERATE Notes: P= the percentage F= the total scores of the respondents' answers on each option N= the total of the respondents' answers multiplied by the maximum score The criteria used to measure the level of students’ attention were as follows. 76% - 100% is High 51% - 75% is Moderate 0% - 50% is Low Risti Trias Yuliani, Made Adi Andayani T, Eka Wahjuningsih Exploring the Students’ Attention Level in Teaching and Learning of English 1916 The calculation result using Walizer’s (1990) formula was 70.11%, which was included in the moderate level of attention. Shah and Saleem (2015) stated that the level of students' attention was divided into three categories, namely high level, moderate level, and low level. Students with a high level of attention also had high academic achievement. Likewise, students with a moderate level of attention had moderate academic achievement, and students with a low level of attention fail. Therefore, the result of this study showed that the level of students' attention in teaching and learning of English was at the moderate level, and this was the answer to research question number one. The Most Dominant Factor Affecting Students’ Attention in Teaching and Learning of English To know the most dominant factor affecting students’ attention, the researcher determined it through the percentage of “always” option. The table below showed the frequency of “always” answers for each item. Table 4.3.1 OPTION 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 ALWAYS 6 17 6 7 6 8 11 6 8 9 8 5 11 9 10 9 5 The table above showed that there were 6 respondents who answered "always" on the question number one, 17 respondents who answered "always" on the question number two, 6 respondents who answered "always" on the question number three, etc. The questions in the questionnaire consist of 17 questions covering 8 internal factors and 9 external factors, shown in the table below. Table 4.3.2 NAME OF FACTORS NUMBER OF QUESTIONS FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE Internal factors 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15 77 31,04% External factors 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 14, 16, 17 64 22,93% To find the most dominant factor, the researcher calculated the data using Walizer’s (1990) formula based on the grouping of factors above. The precentage of the internal factors: P= F/N x 100% = 77/(31x8) x 100% = 31.04% Notes: P= the percentage F= the frequently of students’ answers on always option IDEAS, Vol. 10, No. 2, December 2022 ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) ISSN 2548-4192 (Online) 1917 N= the number of respondents multiplied by the number of questions on the internal factors The percentage of the external factors: P= F/N x 100% = 64/(31x9) x 100% = 22.93% Notes: P= the percentage F= the frequently of students’ answers on always option N= the number of respondents multiplied by the number of questions on the external factors Based on the results above, we know that the internal factors' percentage was higher than the external ones. Calster et al. (2018) said that the students' attention was influenced by internal and external factors experienced by students. The internal and external factors were interrelated. Both internal and external factors had a role in influencing the students' attention. However, the result of this study indicated that the internal factors had a greater influence than the external factors. Therefore, it can be concluded that the most dominant factor affecting students' attention level in teaching and learning of English was the internal factors; and this was the answer to research questions number two. Conclusion In conclusion, this study aimed to explore the students' attention level in teaching and learning of English. The answer to research question number one, namely “how far is the students' attention level in teaching and learning of English” was in the moderate level of students' attention. Then, the answer to research question number two, namely “what is the most dominant factor affecting students' attention in teaching and learning of English” was the internal factor. After conducting the study, the researcher would like to recommend several suggestions related to the students' attention level in teaching and learning of English. For students, they were suggested to understand the factors that make it difficult for them to learn English. By understanding their own strengths and weaknesses, the students were expected to be able to overcome their difficulties and be able to increase their attention in teaching and learning of English. For teachers, it would be better if they could assist students by using an Risti Trias Yuliani, Made Adi Andayani T, Eka Wahjuningsih Exploring the Students’ Attention Level in Teaching and Learning of English 1918 approach that suited the students' needs. By taking the appropriate approach, it hoped that it would increase the level of students' attention in teaching and learning of English. For other researchers who want to conduct research on the level of students' attention, it would be better to conduct research with different perspectives so that studies on this topic were more developed. 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