Attitudes towards English:
A Survey of UNPAD Undergraduates in Pangandaran Campus
Lestari Manggong
1
, Ida Farida Sachmadi
1
, Lia Maulia Indrayani
1
1
English Studies Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences
Universitas Padjadjaran, Jalan Raya Bandung-Sumedang Km. 21, Jatinangor, Sumedang, Indonesia
Keywords: Language Attitudes, Learning Model, Unpad Students, Pangandaran Campus
Abstract:
Over 20 undergraduate freshmen of class of 2016 of Universitas Padjadjaran (Unpad) in Pangandaran campus
(a branch of Universitas Padjadjaran Bandung), especially students from the Faculty of Communication and
the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences were surveyed to find their attitudes towards English. The class
of 2016 undertook English 101 (Bahasa Inggris course) with a curriculum designed differently from the
previous academic years, as Unpad implemented a new system and a new learning environment involving fun
classroom activities and interactive learning. To know about the effectiveness of the course, this study aims
to asses the sudents’ attitude towards English, learning model on English, and materials and skills in English.
The method of this research is based upon language attitudes theory, adopted from Sarnoff (1970), Omar
(1990), and Aziz (1994). The result of the survey could be used to create an appropriate learning model,
congenial English skills to teach, and develop the materials the students need for their further study in their
field of study respectively.
1 INTRODUCTION
At university level, students are required to read and
understand English, as some of the knowledge they
acquire from textbooks or scientific articles from
international journals are mainly in English. This is
one of the main reasons why English 101 (Bahasa
Inggris) is a compulsory course at universities in
Indonesia.
At Universitas Padjadjaran (Unpad), particularly
for the students of 2016, Bahasa Inggris was given in
only one credit hour in six sessions, which was a job
almost impossible to accomplish. This new and
hastily-implemented system caused the lecturers to
come up with major adjustments in the teaching
practice. The keywords applied for this new system
included “fun classroom activities” and “interactive
learning.” In the classroom, the teaching of this
course had to be conducted using more attention-
grabbing materials and fun methods. Different
approaches thus were implemented in the teaching
process. In relation to this, this study was conducted
to map out students’ attitudes towards English after
they took part in the course.
The mapping out of students’ attitudes towards
English will in the long run be used to create an
appropriate learning model, congenial English skills
to teach, and develop the materials the students need
for their further study in their field of study. In this
light, the current study therefore deals with mapping
out students’ attitudes towards English in
Pangandaran campus.
In mapping out students’ attitudes towards
English, the study was conducted by holding a
workshop on effective reading skills which was then
followed by filling out a questionaire by the students.
The workshop was part of a community service
program organized in relation to the study. The
questionaire deals with questions regarding
students’s attitudes towards English. The workshop
was conducted to measure students’ skills in reading.
The materials used in the worksop are the same
course materials they received when they attended
Bahasa Inggris course in their first semester. in the
long run, this activity is expected to give result to an
appropriate teaching model for social/humanity
students in Pangandaran campus.
In the workshop, there are stages of activities that
can be described as follows:
302
Manggong, L., Sachmadi, I. and Indrayani, L.
Attitudes towards English: A Survey of UNPAD Undergraduates in Pangandaran Campus.
DOI: 10.5220/0008217300002284
In Proceedings of the 1st Bandung English Language Teaching International Conference (BELTIC 2018) - Developing ELT in the 21st Century, pages 302-309
ISBN: 978-989-758-416-9
Copyright
c
 2022 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved

Table 1. Workshop Aactivity Stages.
No
Activity plan
1 Pretest
2 Delivering materials on reading skills (1):
searching for key topics and ideas in the text.
3 Delivering materials on reading skills (2):
look for specific explicit information.
4 Delivering materials on reading skills (3):
looking for difficult vocabularies.
5 Delivering materials on reading skills (4):
identifying text structures.
6 Delivering materials on reading skills (5):
looking for implicit information (inference).
7 Postest
Indicator of success of the activities complies with
the following format:
Table 2. Activity’s Indicator of Success
Indicator : Improved level of English reading
ability.
Base Line
(before
activities)
: The ability to read and understand
English reading is at the middle level
(middle proficiency level)
Achievement
(after
activities)
: The ability to read English at a high
level (high proficiency level).
The teaching of English also needs to pay
attention to a multicultural perspective, considering
that the students come from different parts of
Indonesia with different cultural background
(Manurung, 2011). A study on university students’
ability to read textbooks, according to Rohman
(2016), rely greatly on how they can relate to what is
presented in the texts. Students’ different experiences
is also a factor that can decide whether students can
understand or relate to the texts or not. The method
used, for instance, as proposed by Hashemian and
Heidari (2013) can adopt the relations between
learners’ motivation/attitude and success.
2 METHODS
Several studies on attitudes towards English or in
learning English have been conducted. Asmah (1990)
studied a case among Malaysian students on their
attitudes in the learning of English. Fadlalla (2017)
conducted a study on Dongo;a University students on
their attitudes and motivation towards English.
Mondal (2012) commenced a study on students at
secondary level education in Bangladesh on their
attitudes towards English alnguage learning.
The implementation of this activity adopted the
method used by Aziz (1994) in a survey he conducted
for UKM students. The definition of language
attitudes is derived from Sarnoff (1970), which
explains that language attitudes are "disposition to
react favourably and unfavorably to a class of
objects"; and also Omar (1990) which defines the
concept as "the way an individual feels ad thinking
about something or someone" (Sarnoff and Asmah in
Aziz, 1994, p.87). M. Sallehudin Abd. Aziz, who
examines the language attitude of University of Kuala
Lumpur (UKM) students towards English, writes that
in examining attitudes, one must also consider
another important element, namely motivation. He
cites Gardner's (1985) explanation of the relationship
between attitude and motivation. According to
Gardner, motivation is a combination of effort and
willingness to achieve the goal of language learning
and a good attitude towards that learning (Aziz, 1994,
p. 87). In this study, the motivation of students on
English learning will also be examined.
The compilation of the questionnaire is based on
Likert Scale, which invented a method for measuring
characteristics and personality traits of a person. This
attitude measurement scale consists of questions with
five alternative answers. The choice of answers is
divided into four alternatives, namely (1) STS
(Sangat Tidak Setuju): Strongly Disagree; (2) TS
(Tidak Setuju): Disagree; (3) R (Ragu-ragu): Not
Sure; (4) S (Setuju): Agree; (5) SS (Sangat Setuju):
Strongly Agree. The questionnaire given consists of
three themes, namely (1) English teaching model; (2)
English content needs and skills; (3) Further study on
English.
Basically, the questionaire consists of 27
questions, written in Indonesian. Indonesian was
chosen instead of English because students would
understand the question better as they are still at the
early stage of learning English. The content of the
questionaire is as follows:
1. English Teaching Model
1) The teaching method which centers on the
students gives more freedom to explore my
English skills.
2) To develop English speaking skills, students
need to begiven the chance to do a role-play
or a presentation in the classroom.
3) In Bahasa Inggris course, I find it highly
important to learn how to solve a problem.
4) In Bahasa Inggris course, I find it highly
important to participate in activities on
inquiry (finding a concept independently).
Attitudes towards English: A Survey of UNPAD Undergraduates in Pangandaran Campus
303

5) I am willing to participate in Bahasa Inggris
course if the lecturer uses several different
learning methods.
6) I am willing to participate in Bahasa Inggris
course if students are involved in a
discussion.
7) I enjoy English songs in the classroom.
8) I enjoy games and assignments in English in
the classroom.
9) I enjoy lecturer-students communication in
English during class session.
10) I like to be given the chance to communicate
in English with other students during class
session.
11) I am more interested if English is taught with
creativity.
12) An enjoyable teaching method is when the
lecturer gives lecture.
13) Lecturers need to invite native speakers at
least once in class session.
2. English Content Needs and Skills
14) I am aware that English skills are very
important as it gives more chance in getting
a job.
15) I am motivated to read English magazines
and newspapers, to listen to English news,
and to watch English programs.
16) Learning English is important because I use
it in daily activities.
17) I think that learning English helsp me to
learn other foreign languages.
18) During class session, I prefer more if the
lecturer emphasizes on four language skills
(listening, speaking, reading, and writing).
19) I am more interested in attending Bahasa
Inggris course if the lecturer emphasizes on
speaking skills.
20) I am more interested in attending Bahasa
Inggris course if the lecturer emphasizes on
writing skills.
21) Through Bahasa Inggris course, I want to
understand films or TV programs in English
without reading the subtitle.
22) Through Bahasa Inggris course, I want to
learn about the lifestyle and habitual
activities of people in England and America.
23) I want to be able to pronounce English
words like the British or Americans.
3. Further Study on English
24) I want the university to have a further
Bahasa Inggris course so that I can make
friends with people living abroad through
correspondence (by airmail or email).
25) I think there needs to be a Bahasa Inggris
course which is specifically to improve
TOEFL or IELTS score.
26) I want the university to have a special
Bahasa Inggris course which gives the basic
skills in reading books and academic
journals in English easily.
27) Towards the end of my study, I want to have
the basics in English that can support me in
acquiring jobs.
The questionaires were given to the students via
the lecturer’s assistants. The students were asked to
complete the questionaire in class and to return them
to the lecturer’s assistants.
The completed questionnaires were analyzed
using descriptive statistics by calculating the number
of voters for each statement, and comparing the
number of Agree and Strongly Agree (S + SS) with
the number of Strongly Disagree and Disagree (STS
+ TS) voters. From the comparison, there is a
tendency of each study program to look at the three
themes mentioned above. The interpretation
percentage of the answer’s options is described in the
following table:
Table 3. Percentage of Choice of Answer (Wiji, 2014 in
(Abdullah et al., 2017)
Range Interpretation
0 Nothing
1-25 A little
26-49 Nearly half of it
50 Half of it
51-75 Mostly
76-99 Almost entirely
100 Entirely
Each statement item will be interpreted based on
the size in the table above. Then, from the total
answers, an English learning model that students
expect will be acquired.
The following section will describe the results of
the analysis of the tests and questionnaires that have
been given.
3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The first part of the questionaire deals with students
attitudes towards English teaching model. For this
part, 13 questions were posed. In order, from the first
to the third themes, the result is as follows:
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For the first theme (English Teaching Model), the
highest voter fell on question 2 with 86.36% of
students voted “Agree”. The second highest were
questions 3 and 6, with 81.81% students voted
“Agree”. The third highest was question 5, with
77.27% students voted “Agree”. Next in line was
question 10, with 68.18% students voted “Agree”.
After that was question 1, with 63.63% students voted
“Agree”. Question 8 was next, with 59.09% students
voted “Agree”. Question 11 was next, with 54.54%
students voted “Agree”. Question 13 was next, with
50% students voted “Agree”. Question 7 was voted
“Strongly Agree” by 45.45% of students, and the
same percentage of students voted “Agree” on
question 4. Question 9 had the lowest “Agree” vote,
with only 40.9% of students. This percentage was
also seen on question 12, equally voted for
“Disagree” and “Not Sure.” In summary, the data can
be described in the following:
Table 4. Percentage of Choice of Answer (Theme 1)
Question
number
Disgaree Not
Sure
Agree Strongly
Agree
1 63.63%
2 86.36%
3 81.81%
4 45.45%
5 77.27%
6 81.81%
7 45.45%
8 59.09%
9 40.9%
10 68.18%
11 54.54%
12 40.9% 40.9%
13 50%
For the second theme (English Content Needs and
Skills), the highest voter fell on question 14, with
86.36% of students voted “Strongly Agree”. The
second highest was question 23, with 63.63%
students voted “Agree”. The third highest were
questions 21, 18, and 19, with 59.09% students voted
“Strongly Agree,” “Agree,” and “Agree”
respectively. Next in line were questions 17 and 20,
with 45.45% students voted “Agree”. After that was
question 22, with 40.9% students voted “Agree”.
Lastly, only 31.81% of students voted for “Not Sure”
for question 16. In summary, the data can be
described in the following:
Table 5. Percentage of Choice of Answer (Theme 2)
Question
number
Not Sure Agree Strongly
Agree
14 86.36%
15 54.54%
16 31.81%
17 45.45%
18 59.09%
19 59.09%
20 45.45%
21 59.09%
22 40.9%
23 63.63%
For the third theme (Further Study on English),
the highest voter fell on question 27, with 77.27% of
students voted “Strongly Agree”. The second highest
was question 25, with 59.09% students voted
“Agree”. The third highest were questions 24 and 26,
with 54.54% students voted “Agree.” In summary,
the data can be described in the following:
Table 6. Percentage of Choice of Answer (Theme 3)
Question
number
Not Sure Agree Strongly
Agree
24 54.54%
25 59.09%
26 54.54%
27 77.27%
From the survey, using the interpretation based on
Wiji (2014) in Abdullah et al. (2017), it can be
described that:
1. For English Teaching Model
1) Mostly agreed that the teaching method which
centers on the students gives more freedom
to explore English skills.
2) Almost entirely agreed that to develop English
speaking skills, students need to begiven the
chance to do a role-play or a presentation in
the classroom.
3) Almost entirely agreed that in Bahasa Inggris
course, it is highly important to learn how to
solve a problem.
4) Nearly half of it agreed that in Bahasa Inggris
course, it is highly important to participate
in activities on inquiry (finding a concept
independently).
5) Almost entirely agreed that they are willing to
participate in Bahasa Inggris course if the
lecturer uses several different learning
methods.
Attitudes towards English: A Survey of UNPAD Undergraduates in Pangandaran Campus
305

6) Almost entirely agreed that they are willing to
participate in Bahasa Inggris course if
students are involved in a discussion.
7) Nearly half of it strongly agreed that they
enjoy English songs in the classroom.
8) Mostly agreed that they enjoy games and
assignments in English in the classroom.
9) Nearly half of it agreed that they enjoy
lecturer-students communication in English
during class session.
10) Mostly agreed that they like to be given the
chance to communicate in English with
other students during class session.
11) Mostly agreed that they are more interested
if English is taught with creativity.
12) Nearly half of it disagreed and were not sure
that an enjoyable teaching method is when
the lecturer gives lecture.
13) Half of it agreed that lecturers need to invite
native speakers at least once in class session.
2. For English Content Needs and Skills
1) Almost entirely strongly agreed that they are
aware that English skills are very important
as it gives more chance in getting a job.
2) Mostly agreed that they are motivated to read
English magazines and newspapers, to listen
to English news, and to watch English
programs.
3) Nearly half of it were not sure that learning
English is important because they use it in
daily activities.
4) Nearly half of it agreed that they think that
learning English help them to learn other
foreign languages.
5) Mostly agreed that during class session,
students prefer more if the lecturer
emphasizes on four language skills
(listening, speaking, reading, and writing).
6) Mostly agreed that they are more interested in
attending Bahasa Inggris course if the
lecturer emphasizes on speaking skills.
7) Nearly half of it agreed that they are more
interested in attending Bahasa Inggris
course if the lecturer emphasizes on writing
skills.
8) Mostly strongly agreed that through Bahasa
Inggris course, they want to understand
films or TV programs in English without
reading the subtitle.
9) Nearly half of it agreed that through Bahasa
Inggris course, they want to learn about the
lifestyle and habitual activities of people in
England and America.
10) Mostly strongly agreed that they want to be
able to pronounce English words like the
British or Americans.
3. For Further Study on English
1) Mostly agreed that they want the university to
have a further Bahasa Inggris course so that
they can make friends with people living
abroad through correspondence (by airmail
or email).
2) Mostly agreed that they think there needs to be
a Bahasa Inggris course which is
specifically to improve TOEFL or IELTS
score.
3) Mostly agreed that they want the university to
have a special Bahasa Inggris course which
gives the basic skills in reading books and
academic journals in English easily.
4) Almost entirely agreed that towards the end of
heir study, they want to have the basics in
English that can support them in acquiring
jobs.
A summary of this interpretation can be seen as
follows:
1. English Teaching Model,
1) almost all consider that student-centered
teaching gives more freedom to explore
English proficiency,
2) almost all of them consider that to develop
English speaking skills it is necessary to use
varied learning methods: presentation and
discussion / role playing / watching / movies
and most like inquiry methods (martial arts
concepts), games and tasks.
3) almost all want to be given the opportunity
to communicate in English with other
students, but only half of whom do not mind
speaking or listening to English explanations
with lecturers during lectures.
4) almost all think that lecturers need to bring
native speakers at least once in English
lectures.
5) only half of them do not like the lecture
method in English lectures.
2. Content Needs and English Skills, students:
1) all students are aware that English
proficiency is very important considering
job opportunities and almost all are
encouraged to read British magazines and
newspapers, listen to English news and
watch programs in English.
2) nearly half of them think that English is
important because it uses it in everyday life,
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but almost all argue that learning English
helps him to learn other foreign languages.
3) almost all assume that in English lectures are
more likely when lecturers emphasize four
language skills (listening, speaking,
reading), with priority speaking skills.
4) almost all also consider that through English
lectures, want to be able to understand
British film and TV programs without
looking at subtitles and most of them want
to learn about lifestyle and habits abroad like
Britain and America.
5) all students want to be able to speak English
like English or American.
3. Further Studies on English:
1) Almost all want an advanced English course
to be friends with people living abroad by
exchanging letters and e-mails, and can read
books and journals in English easily
2) Almost all consider that there should be
English lectures specifically preparing for
the ability to increase the TOEFL or IELTS
score, and all require English language that
supports the world of work.
In order of priority, an appropriate learning
model, congenial English skills to teach, and
developed materials the students need for their further
study, need to be designed as follows:
1. Activities for English Teaching Model
1) Singing English songs in the classroom.
2) A role-play or a presentation in the classroom.
3) Solving a problem.
4) Involve students in a discussion.
5) Use several different learning methods.
6) Practice to communicate in English with other
students during class session.
7) Student-centered teaching method which
gives more freedom to explore the students’
English skills.
8) Games and tasks in English in the classroom.
9) Teaching English with creativity.
10) Invite native speakers at least once in class
session.
11) Participate in activities on inquiry (finding a
concept independently).
12) Lecturer-students communication in English
during class session.
13) Lecture.
2. English Content Needs and Skills
1) Students are aware that English skills are very
important as it gives more chance in getting
a job.
2) Students want to be able to pronounce English
words like the British or Americans.
3) Through Bahasa Inggris course, students want
to understand films or TV programs in
English without reading the subtitle.
4) During class session, students prefer more if
the lecturer emphasizes on four language
skills (listening, speaking, reading, and
writing).
5) Students are more interested in attending
Bahasa Inggris course if the lecturer
emphasizes on speaking skills.
6) Students are motivated to read English
magazines and newspapers, to listen to
English news, and to watch English
programs.
7) Students think that learning English help them
to learn other foreign languages.
8) Students are am more interested in attending
Bahasa Inggris course if the lecturer
emphasizes on writing skills.
9) Through Bahasa Inggris course, they want to
learn about the lifestyle and habitual
activities of people in England and America.
10) Learning English is important because they
use it in daily activities.
3. On Further Study on English
1) Towards the end of my study, students want to
have the basics in English that can support
them in acquiring jobs.
2) Students think there needs to be a Bahasa
Inggris course which is specifically to
improve TOEFL or IELTS score.
3) Students want the university to have a further
Bahasa Inggris course so that they can make
friends with people living abroad through
correspondence (by airmail or email).
4) Students want the university to have a special
Bahasa Inggris course which gives the basic
skills in reading books and academic
journals in English easily.
Based on the results of the questionnaire, it can be
concluded that the students FIKOM and FISIP Unpad
Campus Pangandaran have the following opinions:
1. For the English lecture model, students
expect student-centered instruction, as this
gives more freedom to explore students'
English proficiency in role-playing,
presentation, problem-solving, discussion,
Attitudes towards English: A Survey of UNPAD Undergraduates in Pangandaran Campus
307

singing, game and bring in expert speakers.
Half still want a lecture method and do not
like the activity of seeking concept
independently. They also enjoy
communication with other friends in English
but choose not to communicate in English
with lecturers.
2. In terms of the need for English content and
skills, students are keen to lecture four skills
(listening, speaking, reading and writing),
with an emphasis on speech. Students also
hope to understand the movie without reading
subtitles, and can learn about the culture and
lifestyle in the UK or America and all want to
speak English as English or American.
3. In the case of advanced English lectures,
students want English lectures to
communicate via e-mail with foreigners,
TOEFL / IELTS preparation, understand
books and journals in English, and all
students want to have English language that
can support the world of work .
4 CONCLUSION
Students like varied learning methods such as
presentations, discussions, listening to songs,
watching movies, games, but few still want learning
by lecture method, not with the discovery of the
concept independently.
1. Students like varied learning methods such
as presentations, discussions, listening to
songs, watching movies, games, but half still
want learning by lecture method, not with
the discovery of the concept independently.
2. The content of the material they want is one
that enhances the four skills of reading,
writing, listening, and speaking; they also
prefer learning language skills rather than
writing. All of these students can speak in
English like English or American.
3. Almost all of them want Advanced English
learning especially that enables them to
improve the TOEFL/IELTS score and
enable them to understand textbooks and
journals in English.
Since this study was conducted in Pangandaran
campus of Unpad, it is clear that this only applies to
the students there, and the result of the survey is only
beneficial for students of the same faculties (Faculty
of Communication and Faculty of Social and Political
Sciences). In a wider scope, the students’ attitudes
may also be applicable to those in the study field of
social sciences and humanities.
5 SUGGESTIONS
From this study, it is expected that this can be useful
for the sustainability of teaching and learning process
of higher quality English Course in Unpad
Pangandaran Campus. By looking at the interest of
students who want an improvement in their oral and
written proficiency in English, there is either an
Further English Lecture Course or a short course of
four English skills or TOEFL / IELTS preparation or
an English language reading course.
Another suggestion is the preparation of learning
models based on the results of the survey above. In
addition, this language teaching model can be
compiled by studying various teaching methods,
some of which have been mentioned above.
Especially for writing skills can be added also with
the description proposed Rosida Tiurma Manurung in
her writing about teaching language while building
character of nationality and multicultural issues.
Some of his suggestions-which can be said to be
challenging and varied-are teaching with the task of
interviewing the community, the analysis of literary
works on multiculturalism, observing a community
group, and doing theater activities with national
themes, which are then written in a report in English
(Manurung, 2011, p.239-240).
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