Copyright©2018 P-ISSN: 1978-8118 E-ISSN: 2460-710X 241 Lingua Cultura, 12(3), August 2018, 241-246 DOI: 10.21512/lc.v12i3.4081 IMPLEMENTATION OF POSITIVE LANGUAGE TO PROMOTE EFFECTIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING CLASSROOMS FOR STATE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL Amrina Rosyada1; Ana Widyastuti2; Agustina Ramadhianti3 1,2,3Department of English Education, Faculty of Language and Arts, University of Indraprasta PGRI Jl. Nangka No. 58 C Tanjung Barat, Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia 14mrin4@gmail.com; 2anawidyastuti35@gmail.com; 3agustinaramadhianti79@gmail.com Received: 27th October 2017 /Revised: 22nd November 2017 /Accepted: 07th February 2018 How to Cite: Rosyada, A., Widyastuti, A., & Ramadhianti, A. (2018). Implementation of positive language to promote effective language teaching classrooms for state junior high school. Lingua Cultura, 12(3), 241-246. https://doi.org/10.21512/lc.v12i3.4081 ABSTRACT The research aimed to determine the influence of positive language to promote the effective language teaching classrooms in state junior high school. The effective language teaching classroom was measured quantitatively by applying a correlational research design. The method conducted several steps as procedures of investigation in analyzing the data, namely: (1) data collection,(2) data analysis, and (3) data interpretation. Engaged by 142 students of eighth-grade and four language teachers, findings have shown that there is a positive correlation between positive language and effective language teaching classrooms. The results are hoped to be as teachers’ and students’ guidance in implementing positive language to building their effective language teaching classrooms, gaining their confidence and ability to learn and use knowledge and skills to interact and fully participate in education. Keywords: positive language, effective language, classroom teaching, state junior high school INTRODUCTION Classroom as part of the environment is the place where formal learning mostly takes place. Additionally, not many learners spend their times to study out of the classroom. For these reasons, the moments where learning occurs have to be optimally benefited. This will be much determined by how teachers are able to manage and organize the classroom. Meanwhile, the learners with the age of junior high school level are characterized by high curiosity and eagerness to try new adventures and challenge new experience in the process of learning. Moreover, by the presence of advanced technology and information, students are able to find external sources to comprehend their language knowledge and implement their new language vocabulary in their real-life activities, in the classroom context or outside the classroom. In this situation, teachers are encouraged to come up with the students’ knowledge and curiosity, offer the new experience of the learning process, and implement various interesting language without the ignorance of the language principles. This present research is quantitative research. This quantitative research aims to find a significant correlation between the use of positive language and effective language teaching classrooms. The teachers encourage the students by using positive language to promote the positive language teaching classrooms. The teachers ask students to answer some questions and appreciate all the answers positively. In the classes, the teacher also chooses appropriate words to express appreciation to students regarding their engagement in the learning process. During the learning process, some teaching media such as videos and songs are also functioned as the teaching media. Students look very enjoyable in the environment of the classroom and with the words of the teachers. Students express their thoughts and share their answers freely and interactively. Students also choose and reflect their ideas in respect to their classmates and their teachers. With this situation, the effective language teaching classrooms are established. During the research, questionnaires, note-taking, and recording are taken from the environment of the classroom. The results reveal that both students and teachers need a collaborative interaction to promote their effective language teaching classrooms. This result is shown in the significant correlation value between positive language knowledge and positive language in use. It means that the more students and teachers use their positive language knowledge, the more effective language teaching classrooms can be established. Sieberer-Nagler (2015) has stated that classroom management is intended to provide students with more 242 LINGUA CULTURA, Vol. 12 No. 3, August 2018, 241-246 opportunities to learn all of the things that a teacher does to organize students, space, time, and materials so that the students’ learning can take place. Students should be able to carry out their maximum potential, which allows them to develop appropriate behavior patterns. Teachers must deal with unexpected events and have the ability to control student behavior by using effective classroom management strategies. Effective classroom management and positive classroom climate construction are essential goals for all teachers. Teachers are mostly experts in the subjects they teach, but they are very often having some problems with discipline. It is important for teachers to have an in-depth understanding of their subjects that they teach, but it is also important for them to have an understanding of the students’ interests and styles of learning. Problems that teachers have in managing students’ behavior are fundamentally problems of students’ motivation. Therefore, effective teaching practices are closely related to both management and motivation. Teacher language is one of the most important and powerful tools to motivate students’ learning motivation and to build a positive classroom environment. Researchers believe that teacher language is more than what the teacher’s say. Teacher language is a tool to lift the students up to their highest potential, and in the other side, it is also a tool that can tear them down. As an expert teacher for years, Denton (2013) has stated that: “Teacher language- what we say to students and how we say it- is one of our most powerful teaching tools. It permeates every aspect of teaching. We cannot teach lesson, welcome a student into the room, or handle a classroom conflict without using words. Our language can lift students to their highest potential or tear them down. It can help them build positive relationships or encourage discord and distrust. It shapes how students think and act and, ultimately, how they learn.” During 20 years of Denton research in teaching and language use, she formulates five guiding principles for positive language in supporting effective language teaching classroom which is be direct; convey faith in students’ abilities and intentions, focus on actions not abstractions, keep it brief, and know when to be silent (Denton, 2013). Thus, this five-guidance formula allows teachers to build their classrooms where students feel safe, respected, and engaged. The more teachers use positive language in their classrooms, the more students are influenced by the positive climate of their classrooms. Once the climate of positive classrooms is created, the teachers can be called effective teachers. Related to effective teachers, many kinds of research have been investigated to identify the characteristics of this issue. One of the comprehensive investigations is held in Korea. This research investigates the characteristics of effective English teachers as perceived by 169 teachers and 339 students in high school in Korea, with a self- report questionnaire consisting of three categories: English proficiency, pedagogical knowledge, and socio-affective skills. Overall, the teachers perceive significantly different characteristics than the students in all three categories with the teachers ranking English proficiency the highest in contrast to the students who rank pedagogical knowledge the highest. The student subgroups also hold different perceptions of effective teaching. High achieving students report different characteristics than low achieving students in pedagogical knowledge and socio-affective skills, whereas the male students demonstrate different characteristics from the female students in socio-affective skills. The findings have implications for knowledge-based teacher education for current and prospective English teachers (Park & Lee, 2006). Another investigation is spread widely in the United States engaged by more than 300 teachers and 10.000 student responses in two middle schools in the western United States. By applying quasi-experimental research for over four years, the research has finally found that the school with positive climate significantly decreases tardiness, unexcused absences, and office discipline referrals compared to the school with poor positive climate. It also significantly improves in teacher ratings of school climate (Caldarella et al., 2011). The same research in the USA and engaged by 578 Californians teachers that have also found the relations among teachers’ perceptions of ELL (English Language Learners) strategies and school programs, teachers’ ratings of collective efficacy in meeting all students’ needs, and the general school climate. Descriptive data and two multiple regression analyses suggest two primary findings: teachers perceived collective efficacy for English Language Development (ELD) instruction is higher than their individual efficacy (relative to previous studies), and measures of general school-wide collective efficacy when associated with the perceived strength of ELD practices and programs. These results suggest that school-wide reforms designed to improve ELL instruction might yield greater collective efficacy (Téllez & Manthey, 2015). In Turkey, there have been numerous kinds of research reporting on the characteristics of teacher talk and the role of it with regard to learners’ learning a second or foreign language. In the present research, 16 young Turkish learners of English as a foreign language and one Turkish EFL teacher are participated. Data are collected by means of audio-recording, and then they are analyzed by conversation analysis methodology. As a result of this research, several characteristics of the participating teacher’s language use are identified. The identified categories are analyzed under two headings; construction and obstruction. Direct error correction, content feedback, prompting, extended wait time, repairing are identified as the subcategories of constructive teacher talk. On the contrary, turn completion, teacher echo, extended use of initiation-response-feedback turn-taking are the subcategories of the obstructive talk (Inceçay, 2010). Another research in Istanbul has found that emphasize of student-centered educational topics is usually on the effect of teachers’ attitudes on students’ academic success with a lack of lifespan developmental perspective. A teacher with his/her teaching methods and furthermore with his/her attitudes and behaviors provides his/her students to gain a mentally healthy personality and to have a new clear world view by leaving unforgettable traces on them. This is a pre-study to uncover how attitudes of teachers affect the personalities and performances of students. In this sense, this research will provide an emic understanding of education and the dynamics of the relationship between teachers and students beyond the limited areas of classes and courses. The sample group of research consists of totally 353 students from different departments of Istanbul Kultur University and Maltepe University. By giving a questionnaire, the students are asked to give samples of their primary school, secondary school, high school, and 243Implementation of Positive Language... (Amrina Rosyada et al.) university teachers’ positive and negative attitudes and behaviors as well as to tell how it affects their personality development and performances by giving samples. The most important findings of the research have evidenced that teachers’ positive attitudes have positively influenced students’ personality as well as their live performances. Based on these findings, teachers’ role in lifespan education as beyond a simple knowledge transformation is discussed (Ulug, Ozden, & Eryilmaz, 2011). In Indonesia, the research on how teachers comprehend and establish the positive language teaching and learning environment is applied in Bogor. The research has found that the existence of positive English language teaching and learning environment are important aspects for the teachers to support the success of English learning in the classrooms setting. The situation found could be created by the influence of the teachers’ teaching style, the physical environment of the classroom, and the consideration of the use of their learners’ native language in class (Putra, 2013). Such issues have also been investigated in another investigation. The research is conducted to examine the contributions of leadership, supervision, and working motivation to Indonesian elementary school teachers’ performance and policy recommendations. Engaged by 122 teachers in Jambi province, Sumatra, Indonesia, the findings have indicated that there is a significant contribution of leadership, supervision, and working motivation on teachers’ performance (Hadiyanto et al., 2017). Promoting effective language teaching classrooms is one of the teachers concerns which are for the sake of achieving success in language teaching and learning process. When such environment exists in the classroom, it is believed that the learners would be highly motivated, much more interested in participating within the classroom activities and experience more fun and challenging process of learning the language. Regarding the need of establishing such environment, it will be very interesting and beneficial to research how junior high school teachers comprehend the concept of positive language to promote and establish effective language teaching classroom for the learners and the learning process. Teaching languages to young learners need positive language as one of the tools to develop effective language teaching classrooms. It is convinced that classroom management has become one of the teaching skills that every teacher has to possess. Thus, it is expected that classroom management in the positive environment should be developed and managed, both by the teachers and the students. METHODS The research basically aims to determine the degree of association between the implementation of the positive language and effective language teaching classrooms for state junior high school. The degree of association is measured quantitatively by analysing the relationship between positive language and effective language teaching classrooms. This research approach is quantitative correlational research (Creswell, 2012). There are two variables of the research, positive language and effective language teaching classrooms. Therefore, the research is statistically calculated the data with the product moment correlation coefficient to express the linear relationship between positive language and effective language teaching classrooms. The research design can be seen in Figure 1. Figure 1 Research Design Descriptions: X: Positive Language Y: Effective Language Teaching Classroom The correlational analysis is determined by comparing the significant value of r observed and r table; when the r observed is higher than r table. It means there is a significant correlation between the positive language and the effective language teaching classrooms, and on the contrary. The instruments used in this research are students’ and teachers’ questionnaires. One participant is given two measures of questionnaires which are related to positive language and effective language teaching classroom. The questionnaires are administered at one point in time during the research. The questionnaire consists of the open-ended questionnaire for teachers and close-ended questionnaire for students. The research is conducted in SMP N 98 Jakarta, located in Jagakarsa district, South Jakarta. The population of this research is all the 8th grade language teachers and 8th-grade students of SMP N 98 Jakarta, in the academic year of 2017/2018. There are four language teachers and 216 students as the population. From the population, all language teachers and 142 students are chosen purposively as the sample. The data are analyzed based on researchers’ note-taking, recording, the students’ answers, and teachers’ answers to their questionnaires. The data collection adopts the instructional steps in conducting a correlational study from Creswell (2012) who identifies three important steps of investigation, namely: (1) observing, where note taking and video records are employed to students and teachers during the research. Once the recordings are taken, the researchers make an implementation log for the positive language and the effective language teaching classroom formula as the feedback. (2) Interviewing, where questionnaires are assigned to students and teachers at one point in time during the research. The questionnaires should cover all information about the teachers’ perceptions and students’ perceptions of the positive language in use and the effective language teaching classrooms. (3) Documenting, where the data are collected from the state junior high schools that are standardized by the government. It means the potential threats can be ignored. The scores of questionnaires are collected and documented after one point in time of the research. The documented data then are being analyzed. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS Based on the data documentation, this research is engaged by four language teachers and 142 students of 8th grade in the academic year of 2017/2018. The teachers are comprised of two English teachers and two Bahasa teachers. The English teachers are all females while the Bahasa teachers are one male and one female. Teachers’ age is around 50 years old ranged from 49 years old to 59 years old. The teachers’ teaching experiences are more than 10 years ranged from 17 years to 39 years. Students are 244 LINGUA CULTURA, Vol. 12 No. 3, August 2018, 241-246 comprised of four classes which are class VIII-A with 35 students, class VIII-B with 36 students, class VIII-D with 36 students, and class VIII-F with 35 students. All students are aged from 13 years old to 14 years old. For the total sample of 142 students, there are 53 male students and 89 female students. Based on the results of the research data collection, the researchers conduct a descriptive analysis that performed a general data of the research. The analysis of data descriptive can be performed in Table 1. Table 1 Students’ Descriptive Data No. Descriptions Positive Language Knowledge Positive Language in Use 1 Class A- English 77 89 2 Class D- English 82 93 3 Class B- Bahasa 75 72 4 Class F- Bahasa 77 79 From Table 1, the researchers perform the general information about positive language knowledge and positive language in use for students. The data are statistically calculated and performed in percentage. It can be seen that all respondents have equal knowledge about positive language. For all students, the percentage value is higher than 70%, which is the minimum value is 75% and the maximum value is 82%. It means that students have sufficient knowledge about positive language. Moreover, for positive language in use, the respondents have the high-level implementation which ranges from above 70% to more than 90%. Table 1 shows that the minimum value is 72% while the maximum value is 93%. This situation means that students generally use positive language in their language learning process and daily activities in their classrooms. Among the classes, the data also show that class D gets the highest percentage both for the students’ positive language knowledge and positive language in use. Meanwhile, class B gets the lowest percentage both for students’ positive language knowledge and in use. Thus, it can be said that the sufficient knowledge of the positive language that the students have, the better a positive language in use in their classrooms can be established. The situation is not promoted as a single action by the students but also supported by the teachers’ conditions, both in teachers’ positive language knowledge and in use. Four language teachers are divided into English teachers and Bahasa teachers, the descriptions of the data can be seen in Table 2. Table 2 shows that all of the teachers have sufficient knowledge on positive language ranged from 76% to 88%, and they can apply the knowledge on positive language in use satisfactorily ranged from 80% to 90%. Among four language teachers, the teacher in class D has the strongest knowledge of the positive language with the percentage of 88% while the teacher in class F has the weakest knowledge of the positive language with the percentage of 76%. In the implementation of positive language in use, a very interesting situation appears. The teacher in class F with the lowest percentage of the knowledge has a better value of positive language in use, much better than the teacher in class A. With the percentage of 76%, the teacher in class F can implement the knowledge into the positive language in use of 85%. Oppositely, the teacher in class A that has much stronger knowledge of the positive language of 82% can implement the positive language in use of only 80%. Meanwhile, the teachers in class D and B have an equal percentage for the implementation of positive language in use which is 90%. It can be said that both teachers effectively build the positive language teaching classrooms. Table 2 Teachers’ Descriptive Data No. Teachers Positive Language Knowledge Positive Language in Use 1 Class A-English 82 80 2 Class D-English 88 90 3 Class B-Bahasa 82 90 4 Class F-Bahasa 76 85 According to the research findings, moreover, the researchers conduct the correlational analysis to determine the significant correlation between the variables; which are the positive language knowledge and in use that promoting the effective language teaching classrooms. The data show a very interesting correlation coefficient value between positive language in use and the effective language teaching classrooms. The correlation coefficient value in each class can be seen in Table 3. Table 3 Significant Correlation Class N rxy rtable VIII-A English 35 0,345 0,334 VIII-D English 36 0,167 0,329 VIII-B Bahasa 36 0,161 0,329 VIII-F Bahasa 35 0,113 0,334 Table 3 shows that all classes have a positive correlation coefficient value. This result indicates that as variable if one increases, the other variable increases too. In this case, the correlation shows that as the positive language in use increases, the effective language teaching classrooms increases too. Though, Table 3 shows explicitly that only one class gets the moderate correlation which is class VIII-A; while another three classes get weak correlation value, which are class VIII-D, VIII-B, and VIII-F. Based on the research hypothesis, when the r research is higher than r table, it can be said that there is a significant correlation between the variables. Thus, it can be seen that the significant correlation only takes place in class VIII-A. It means that there is a significant correlation between the positive language and the effective language teaching classrooms in class VIII-A; while in other classes there is no significant correlation. The correlational analysis clearly shows that even the teacher in class A has the lowest percentage of positive language in use, the effective language teaching classrooms can be established. Based on the researchers’ note-taking during the observation and the result data of the students’ 245Implementation of Positive Language... (Amrina Rosyada et al.) questionnaire, the moderate correlation value in class VIII-A is not dominantly performed based on positive language from the teacher. Many other variables promote the effective language teaching classrooms. Comprehensively, students indicate several variables in promoting effective language learning classrooms. Among the variables, students prefer to have good learning material as the dominant variable to establish the effective language teaching classrooms. In orderly, the variables are learning the material, teacher’s language, classroom environment, teaching aids, and the teacher’s personality. The statistical data of the effective language teaching classroom variables can be seen in Figure 2. Figure 2 Effective Teaching Factors The effective teaching factors are arranged in high to low contribution as showed in Figure 2, namely; learning material, teacher’s language, classroom environment, teaching aids, and teacher’s personality. The results show 23,01% for learning material, 21,24% for teacher’s language, 19,47% for classroom environment, 18,58% for teaching aids, and 17,70% for teacher’s personality. The research shows some similarities to the previous researches. This current research results in 23,01% of learning material and 21,24% of teachers’ language. It means that students prefer teachers with sufficient learning material rather than the teacher’s language. It is parallel to the results of students in Korea who perceived knowledge- based teacher education for their current and prospective English teachers. Moreover, the current results also put teacher’s language and classroom environment as the second and the third main contributions of the effective learning classrooms. This is similar to the research in Californians’ students, USA. Both pieces of research agree that effective language teaching classrooms can be established by the contributions of the positive language environment. Meanwhile, another result of this research shows that only 17,70% of teachers’ personality affects the language teaching classrooms. Contrary, the previous research in Turkey finds that teachers’ positive attitudes have positively influenced students’ personality as well as their live performances. With the results, the process of teaching languages to young learners needs positive language as one of the tools to develop effective language teaching classrooms. It is convinced that classroom management has become one of the teaching skills that every teacher has to possess. Thus, it is expected that classroom management in the positive environment should be developed and managed, both by the teachers and the students. Though, the presence of the advanced technology and information, positive language has its own contribution to the learning process. Positive language at its place after the learning material still gives positive correlation to the effective language teaching classrooms. This situation means that classes with the higher positive language in use have the higher effective language teaching classrooms. Both teachers and students have the responsibility and significant contribution to establish the effective language teaching classrooms. It is not only from teachers to student and students to teachers but also among teachers and among students itself. The more students and teachers use the positive language in the language teaching classrooms, the more effective language teaching classrooms can be established. With these descriptions, it is clearly proved that the effective language teaching classrooms can be supported by many tools. One of the most important tools is the use of positive language, both by the teachers and the students. Based on the result data and the hypothesis analysis, it can be said that the effective language teaching classrooms are promoted by positive language as the main tool and supported by other tools. CONCLUSIONS From the hypothesis test and the discussion of the findings, the positive language in use is proved to be effective in promoting positive language teaching classrooms in state junior high school. It can be seen from the results of the hypothesis analysis which define the significant correlation between the score of positive language in use and effective language teaching classrooms criteria, whether it is in moderate or low correlation value indeed, there are other variables that influence the effective language teaching classrooms, such as teacher’s personality, learning material, teaching aids, and classroom environment. It can be said that the effective language teaching classrooms is promoted by positive language and many variables or tools. It means that classes with the higher positive language in use have the higher effective language teaching classrooms. Both teachers and students have significant contributions to the effective language teaching classrooms. It is a wonder that the student-teacher contributions significantly promote the effectiveness of language teaching classrooms, in parallel. The research needs another instrument and deep analysis for this matter. Since the research has a limitation in time allotment, it is determined to continue the research on student-teacher parallelism in promoting effective language teaching classrooms. Moreover, the research is furtherly set to be a parallel contribution of school and home environment in establishing students’ positive performances. The final conclusion can be said that beyond the presence of advanced technology and information, teachers and students have their own important contributions to the learning process. Teachers and students need variable tools to establish the effective teaching classrooms. One of the important tools is positive language that they have to preserve positive language as their identity, as part of their classrooms culture. The more students and teachers use the positive language in the language teaching classrooms, the more effective language teaching classrooms can be achieved. 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