0

THE LANGUAGE ACQUISITION OF THE ATTENTION DEFICIT

HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD) LEARNERS IN FOREIGN

LANGUAGE

A PROPOSAL

ANDI SURYA PRADANINGRAT

085 204 033

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

STATE UNIVERSITY OF MAKASSAR

2012

0

THE LANGUAGE ACQUISITION OF THE ATTENTION DEFICIT

HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD) LEARNERS IN FOREIGN

LANGUAGE

A PROPOSAL

ANDI SURYA PRADANINGRAT

085 204 033

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

STATE UNIVERSITY OF MAKASSAR

2012

0

THE LANGUAGE ACQUISITION OF THE ATTENTION DEFICIT

HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD) LEARNERS IN FOREIGN

LANGUAGE

A PROPOSAL

ANDI SURYA PRADANINGRAT

085 204 033

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

STATE UNIVERSITY OF MAKASSAR

2012

1

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background

Language teaching and language learning, especially in teaching English as a

foreign language has to deal with any kind of students. English learners are usually

normal learners. However, we can not deny that English learners are sometimes

abnormal.

Dr.Daniel Amen in his book “Healing ADHD:The Breakthrough Program That

Allows You to See and Heal the 6 Types of ADD” stated that there are many kinds of

abnormal students. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the

many kinds of abnormal students that learn English. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity

Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood disorders and can continue

through adolescence and adulthood. Symptoms include difficulty in staying focused

and paying attention, difficulty in controlling behavior, and hyperactivity (over-

activity).

ADHD is the most common childhood-onset behavioral disorder. Those who

affected have a greatly reduced ability to maintain attention without being distracted,

to control what they are doing or saying (because of impulsivity) and to control the

amount of physical activity appropriate to the situation (that is, they are restless and

fidgety). ADHD is also called attention deficit disorder (ADD) or hyperactivity. The

disorder should not be confused with normal, boisterous childhood behavior. They do

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not recognize if they have the disorder and think that other normal children are same

with them

As Stephen Krashen stated in Schutz (2007), “Acquisition requires meaningful

interaction in the target language - natural communication - in which speakers are

concerned not with the form of their utterances but with the messages they are

conveying and understanding”. By this statement, we understand that acquisition

requires meaningful interaction in which ADHD do not have.

ADHD which is combination of Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder get

some problem in learning language. As Krashen stated before, acquisition requires

meaningful interaction while ADHD is easily distracted have short attention. This

condition will not help them when they try to learn foreign language which needs

more focus and attention.

Skinner, a behaviorist in Engelska (2005) argued that language acquisition is like

any kind of cognitive behavior – it is learnt by reinforcement and shaping. He also

calls this operant conditioning – where the child goes through trial-and-error, in other

words, where the child tries and fails to use correct language until it succeeds; with

reinforcement and shaping provided by the parents gestures (smiles, attention and

approval) which are pleasant to the child. Parents, whom ignore unfamiliar sounds

and show increased attention to the reinforced phonemes, extinguish the acquisition

of phonemes and morphemes. The morphemes then become refined into words by

shaping. Parents’ accuracy will lead to total extinguishment of “baby” pronunciation

and finally, by selective reinforcement and behavior shaping, words will be shaped

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into telegraphic two-word sentences, later into sentences until the full language has

been acquired. Skinner differentiated between two types of verbal responses that a

child makes. One of them, the man is verbal behavior that is reinforced by the child

receiving something it wants. For example, when the child sees a chocolate, it can

show its own demand by calling out “choc”. As the child used appropriate verbal

behavior, he then receives chocolate and reinforcement. The other one is tact, which

is verbal behavior caused by imitating others. For instance, when a parent points at an

object and says “ball”, the child imitates this word and the parent will then approve,

which is just another form of reinforcement.

ADHD percentage in Indonesia for school age students still dubious because it

has various growing. Ekowani (2003) showed that there were an escalating about

3.33% from any kinds of ADHD from 2000-2001. The specified characters are ;

ADHD with any disorder 30 children (32.96%), ADHD with behavioral disorder 15

children (16.48%).

Treatments can relieve many of the disorder's symptoms, but there is no cure.

With treatment, most people with ADHD can be successful in school and lead

productive lives. Researchers are developing more effective treatments and

interventions, and using new tools such as brain imaging, to better understand ADHD

and to find more effective ways to treat and prevent it.

Parents and teachers can miss the fact that children with symptoms of inattention

have the disorder because they are often quiet and less likely to act out. They may sit

quietly, seeming to work, but they are often not paying attention to what they are

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doing. They may get along well with other children, compared with those with the

other subtypes, who tend to have social problems. But children with the inattentive

kind of ADHD are not the only ones whose disorders can be missed. For example,

adults may think that children with the hyperactive and impulsive subtypes just have

emotional or disciplinary problems.

B. Problem Statement

In association with the background above, the main concern is how the ADHD

learners learn language by their dimness. Learning a language needs more focus and

more attention. That is what the ADHD affected students do not have. In this inquiry,

researcher formulates research focus as “How do the ADHD students acquire a

foreign language?”

C. The Objective of The Research

Based on the predicaments above, the objective of this research is to find out how

the ADHD students acquire a foreign language.

D. The Significance of The Research

The result of this research is expected to provide many benefits for those who

either work or not with ADHD affected. They could be teachers, parents, friends, or

educational analyst. They will get information about ADHD especially how they

acquire a language. The information is expected to give better treatment to ADHD

learners in order they can have a better education especially in foreign language.

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E. The Scope of The Research

The research is under applied psycholinguistics. This research deals with how the

ADHD learners acquire a foreign language. Since this research is a survey research

where survey research is a research doing to have a generalization of an observation,

the research will only observe how the ADHD students’ activity in acquiring foreign

language. This research will not have a deep research regard to the process how their

brain as LAD work in the language acquisition process.

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CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter consists of Previous Related Research Finding, Some Pertinent

Ideas, Theoretical Framework and Hypothesis.

A. Previous Related Researches Finding

This part discusses about the previous findings which related to the current

research. This part also discusses the relation between the previous finding and

the recent research.

1. Philippa Greathead (2011) in her article “Language Disorder and ADHD”

found ADHD student with a language disorder has problems with a particular

style of learning e.g. auditory learning, try to work with their most successful

learning style, say kinesthetic, in order to support the weaker style.

2. Lila Isaacson (2000) found that results indicated that children with LI were at

the most disadvantage regardless of the nature of the psychiatric

diagnosis. Contrary to prediction, working memory measures, used to tap the

core cognitive deficit of ADHD in executive functions, were more closely

associated with LI than with ADHD. It was concluded that caution must be

exercised in attributing to children with ADHD what might be a reflection of

problems for children with language impairment generally.

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3. Whalen and Henker in Glenn Hefley (2011) reported that children with

significant ADHD "... tend to have difficulty responding appropriately to

others in social situations due to maladaptive response patterns, style of

approach, and social information processing."

These previous findings help the current research in getting the goal of the

research. These findings also related with the recent research. Philippa Greathead’s

finding discuss about ADHD and their learning style. It is the same with the current

research, even though they are different in the focus. The other findings also have

relation to this research. Both of them studied about ADHD in communication. This

research also explores the same thing, however this research is more focused in how

the ADHD acquire a foreign language.

B. Some Pertinent Ideas

This part will explain more about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

and Language Acquisition

1. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

a. Definition

1) According to audioEnglish.net (2012) ADHD is a condition (mostly in

boys) characterized by behavioral and learning disorders

2) KidsHealth (2010) stated that ADHD is a medical condition that

affects how well someone can sit still, focus, and pay attention. People

with ADHD have differences in the parts of their brains that control

attention and activity. This means that they may have trouble focusing

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on certain tasks and subjects, or they may seem "wired," act

impulsively, and get into trouble.

b. Kinds of ADHD

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most

common childhood disorders and can continue through adolescence and

adulthood. Symptoms include difficulty staying focused and paying

attention, difficulty controlling behavior, and hyperactivity (over-

activity).

Based on wikipedia.com which retrieved on January 1st 2012,

ADHD has three subtypes, they are predominantly hyperactive-impulsive,

predominantly inattentive, and combined hyperactive-impulsive and

inattentive.

1) Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive

Most symptoms (six or more) are in the hyperactivity-

impulsivity categories. Fewer than six symptoms of inattention are

present, although inattention may still be present to some degree.

2) Predominantly inattentive

The majority of symptoms (six or more) are in the inattention

category and fewer than six symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity

are present, although hyperactivity-impulsivity may still be present to

some degree.

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Children with this subtype are less likely to act out or have

difficulties getting along with other children. They may sit quietly,

but they are not paying attention to what they are doing. Therefore,

the child may be overlooked, and parents and teachers may not notice

that he or she has ADHD.

3) Combined hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive

Six or more symptoms of inattention and six or more

symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity are present.

Most children have the combined type of ADHD. Treatments can

relieve many of the disorder's symptoms, but there is no cure. With treatment,

most people with ADHD can be successful in school and lead productive

lives. Researchers are developing more effective treatments and interventions,

and using new tools such as brain imaging, to better understand ADHD and to

find more effective ways to treat and prevent it.

The symptoms of ADHD in children are inattention, hyperactivity, and

impulsivity are the key behaviors of ADHD. It is normal for all children to be

inattentive, hyperactive, or impulsive sometimes, but for children with

ADHD, these behaviors are more severe and occur more often. To be

diagnosed with the disorder, a child must have symptoms for 6 or more

months and to a degree that is greater than other children of the same age.

Children who have symptoms of inattention may be easily distracted,

miss details, forget things, and frequently switch from one activity to another,

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have difficulty focusing on one thing, become bored with a task after only a

few minutes, unless they are doing something enjoyable, have difficulty

focusing attention on organizing and completing a task or learning something

new, have trouble completing or turning in homework assignments, often

losing things (e.g., pencils, toys, assignments) needed to complete tasks or

activities, not seem to listen when spoken to, daydream, become easily

confused, and move slowly, have difficulty processing information as quickly

and accurately as others, struggle to follow instructions.

Children who have symptoms of hyperactivity may fidget and squirm

in their seats, talk nonstop, dash around, touching or playing with anything

and everything in sight, have trouble sitting still during dinner, school, and

story time, be constantly in motion, have difficulty doing quiet tasks or

activities

Children who have symptoms of impulsivity may be very impatient,

blurt out inappropriate comments, show their emotions without restraint, and

act without regard for consequences, have difficulty waiting for things they

want or waiting their turns in games, often interrupt conversations or others'

activities.

ADHD is diagnosed via a psychiatric assessment; to rule out other

potential causes or co morbidities, physical examination, radiological

imaging, and laboratory tests may be used.

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In North America, the DSM-IV criteria are often the basis for a

diagnosis, while European countries usually use the ICD-10. If the DSM-IV

criteria are used, rather than the ICD-10, a diagnosis of ADHD is 3–4 times

more likely Factors other than those within the DSM or ICD however have

been found to affect the diagnosis in clinical practice. A child's social and

school environment as well as academic pressures at school are likely to be of

influence.

Many of the symptoms of ADHD occur from time to time in everyone;

in patients with ADHD, the frequency of these symptoms is greater and

patients' lives are significantly impaired. Impairment must occur in multiple

settings to be classified as ADHD. As with many other psychiatric and

medical disorders, the formal diagnosis is made by a qualified professional in

the field based on a set number of criteria. In the USA these criteria are laid

down by the American Psychiatric Association in their Diagnostic and

Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), 4th edition. Based on the

DSM-IV criteria listed below, three types of ADHD are classified:

1) ADHD, Combined Type: if both criteria 1A and 1B are met for the past 6

months

2) ADHD Predominantly Inattentive Type: if criterion 1A is met but criterion

1B is not met for the past six months

3) ADHD, Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type: if criterion 1B is met

but criterion 1A is not met for the past six months.

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The previously used term ADD expired with the most recent revision

of the DSM. Consequently, ADHD is the current nomenclature used to

describe the disorder as one distinct disorder which can manifest itself as

being a primary deficit resulting in hyperactivity/impulsivity (ADHD,

predominately hyperactive-impulsive type) or inattention (ADHD

predominately inattentive type) or both (ADHD combined type). The

characteristics are explained below.

DSM-IV IA. Six or more of the following signs of inattention have

been present for at least 6 months to a point that is disruptive and

inappropriate for developmental level:

Inattention:

1) Often does not give close attention to details or makes careless

mistakes in schoolwork, work, or other activities.

2) Often has trouble keeping attention on tasks or play activities.

3) Often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly.

4) Often does not follow instructions and fails to finish schoolwork,

chores, or duties in the workplace (not due to oppositional behavior or

failure to understand instructions).

5) Often has trouble organizing activities.

6) Often avoids, dislikes, or does not want to do things that take a lot of

mental effort for a long period of time (such as schoolwork or

homework).

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7) Often loses things needed for tasks and activities (such as toys, school

assignments, pencils, books, or tools).

8) Is often easily distracted.

9) Often forgetful in daily activities.

IB. Six or more of the following signs of hyperactivity-impulsivity

have been present for at least 6 months to an extent that is disruptive and

inappropriate for developmental level:

1) Hyperactivity:

a) Often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat.

b) Often gets up from seat when remaining in seat is expected.

c) Often runs about or climbs when and where it is not appropriate

(adolescents or adults may feel very restless).

d) Often has trouble playing or enjoying leisure activities quietly.

e) Is often "on the go" or often acts as if "driven by a motor".

f) Often talks excessively.

2) Impulsiveness:

a) Often blurts out answers before questions have been finished.

b) Often has trouble waiting one's turn.

c) Often interrupts or intrudes on others (example: butts into conversations

or games).

II. Some signs that cause impairment were present before age 7 years.

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III. Some impairment from the signs is present in two or more settings (such

as at school/work and at home).

IV. There must be clear evidence of significant impairment in social, school,

or work functioning.

V. The signs do not happen only during the course of a Pervasive

Developmental Disorder, Schizophrenia, or other Psychotic Disorder. The signs

are not better accounted for by another mental disorder (such as Mood

Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, Dissociative Identity Disorder, or a Personality

Disorder).

ICD-10 In the tenth edition of the International Statistical Classification of

Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) the signs of ADHD are given the

name "Hyperkinetic disorders". When a conduct disorder (as defined by ICD-

10[114]) is present, the condition is referred to as "Hyperkinetic conduct disorder".

Otherwise the disorder is classified as "Disturbance of Activity and Attention",

"Other Hyperkinetic Disorders" or "Hyperkinetic Disorders, Unspecified". The

latter is sometimes referred to as, "Hyperkinetic Syndrome".

Other guidelines

The American Academy of Pediatrics Clinical Practice Guideline for

children with ADHD emphasizes that a reliable diagnosis is dependent upon

the fulfillment of three criteria:

The use of explicit criteria for the diagnosis using the DSM-IV-TR.

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The importance of obtaining information about the child’s signs in

more than one setting.

The search for coexisting conditions that may make the diagnosis

more difficult or complicate treatment planning.

All three criteria are determined using the patient's history given by

the parents, teachers and/or the patient.

Adults often continue to be impaired by ADHD. Adults with

ADHD are diagnosed under the same criteria, including the

stipulation that their signs must have been present prior to the age

of seven. Adults face some of their greatest challenges in the areas

of self-control and self-motivation, as well as executive functioning,

usually having more signs of inattention and fewer of hyperactivity

or impulsiveness than children do.

The American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP)

considers it necessary that the following be present before attaching the

label of ADHD to a child, the behaviors must appear before age 7, and

they must continue for at least six months.

The symptoms must also create a real handicap in at least two of the

following areas of the child’s life, such as in the classroom, on the

playground, at home, in the community, or in social settings.

If a child seems too active on the playground but not elsewhere, the

problem might not be ADHD. It might also not be ADHD if the behaviors

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occur in the classroom but nowhere else. A child who shows some

symptoms would not be diagnosed with ADHD if his or her schoolwork

or friendships are not impaired by the behaviors.

2. How Students Learn Language

What is learning? Answers to this question depend as much on the

orientation of the definer as on the nature of learning. For a strongly

committed behaviorist, learning is the modification of behavior brought

about by experience. For most cognitive psychologists, learning is the study

of how information is sensed, stored, elaborated and retrieved. Others would

stress the importance of meta-cognition (learning to learn), or reflection on

experience as well as experience per se. Humanistic psychologists are more

likely to insist that personal growth and development are at the heart of

learning, while constructivists argue that learning is primarily concerned

with how people develop different conceptions and constructions of reality.

George Brown (2004) explained 5 (five) conceptions of learning as

below:

a. Learning as an increase in knowledge. The student will often see

learning as something done to them by teachers rather than as

something they do for themselves.

b. Learning is memorizing. ‘Learning is about getting it into your

head. You’ve just to keep writing it out and eventually it will go

in.’

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c. Learning is acquiring facts or procedures that are to be used. ‘‘Well

it’s about learning the thing so you can do it again when you’re

asked to, like in an exam.’

d. Learning is making sense. ‘Learning is about trying to understand

things so you can see what’s going on. You’ve got to be able to

explain things, not just remember them.’

e. Learning is understanding reality. ‘Learning enables you to

perceive the world differently.’ This has also been termed

‘personally meaningful learning’.

These different views of learning are themselves examples of

constructivism at work, of how different people view learning. Each view

leads to a different emphasis and consequent neglect of other features of

learning. Each view has different implications for course design, the tasks of

the teacher, methods of teaching, the construction of learning opportunities

and methods of assessment.

Students learn, with varying degrees of success, through reading,

memorizing, thinking, writing, note-taking in lectures, observing, listening to

and talking with others and by doing things. They may learn in structured

situations such as lectures, courses or learning packages; in informal

situations, such as browsing through books or on the Net; and through casual

conversations with peers.

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However, these above descriptions of how students learn do not

explain how students learn, nor do they account for why students learn. For

answers to these questions one has to turn to various perspectives and

theories of learning. These may be placed on a continuum with behaviourism

at one end and radical humanistic approaches at the other. In between are

Gestalt psychology, cognitive psychology, studies of student learning, and

constructivist, reflective, and humanist theories. As one moves along the

continuum, the theories become less positivistic, less concerned with control

and prediction and more ostensibly concerned with social values.

3. How Teachers Teach Language

Modern ESL (EFL) methodology is characterized by a great variety of different

methods and approaches developed for teaching English both to children and adults.

Turketi (2010) stated that most of methods are universal (Communicative Language

Teaching, Content-Based Instruction, Task Based Language Teaching, The Silent

Way, etc), though some are oriented to suit a particular type of learners and learning

goals (ESP - English for Specific Purposes).

a. Total Physical Response

The Total Physical Response Method developed by Dr. James J. Asher,

a professor of psychology at San José State University, California, has its

roots in the coordination of speech and action where, according to this

approach, language learning is facilitated by physical (motor) activity

(Richards, 2001). Asher defines this process as “a body-language

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conversation” when a teacher speaks and a student “answers with a physical

response such as looking, smiling, laughing, turning, walking, reaching,

grasping, holding, sitting, running and so forth” (Cook, 2001). Asher finds the

Second Language Acquisition process similar to the child’s First Language

acquisition, where communication between a parent or a care-taker and a child

consists predominantly of commands to which the child responds physically

before beginning to retort verbally (Richards, 2001).

The other advantage of the TPR method is that it normally requires no

translation. All the vocabulary needed to be learned is presented via actions,

real objects or pictures. Since ADHD children are mostly visual learners, this

is more beneficial for their second language learning than translating words

directly from their first language into the target one and vice versa. Students

can see what each vocabulary item represents and associate it with a particular

object, action or an attribute, but not with the corresponding word in their

native language, which also makes their Second Language acquisition more

natural, similar to the process of their First Language acquisition.

Another beneficial quality of TPR is that the grammar of the target

language is taught implicitly. As it has already been mentioned, ADHD

children are characterized by poor analytical skills and it is normally easier for

them to perceive grammar structures and internalize them intuitively. The

human brain in general is better at memorizing whole patterns and chunks of

information rather than some isolated items. Before starting to manipulate

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nouns, verbs and adjectives in a sentence; children are able to internalize a

considerable amount of phrases, words and even whole sentences, using them

in oral speech as ready-made units. In general, the TPR method makes the

language learning process enjoyable and satisfying, but it is important not to

overuse this method in one’s teaching practice. ADHD children are easily

attracted by a novelty, but on the flip side can also quickly tire if similar

activities are repeated often. Experience has taught me that blended with a

combination of other language teaching methods, the TPR approach plays a

key role in progressing ADHD students, while also serving well as a warm-up

or a break between other activities during a lesson.

b. The Silent Way

The Silent Way method was founded by Galeb Gattegno in the early 70s

as an educational theory based on the cognitive principles of the learning

process. Gattegno in Turketi (2010,p.29) stated that a considerable amount of

his work is dedicated to the problems of language acquisition where he

regards language as “a substitute for experience”. He pointing out that the

second language learner “cannot learn another language in the same way

because of what he now knows”. Gattegno finds it imperative for a learner to

mobilize his or her inner abilities, figuring out its meanings and functions

inductively, with the teacher only providing enough of language materials and

visual prompts in order to stimulate the students’ autonomous learning. The

teacher remains silent most of the time thus giving the students enough space

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to contemplate their own language practice abilities. He believes that in

silence students are able to concentrate on the task and its accomplishment

much better. The teacher also facilitates students’ self-correction and helps

them to develop awareness of their own learning.

When “hiding” some sounds (or words, if a word chart is being used)

deliberately, students’ curiosity is provoked. They start waiting for some new

color (or word) to be opened to them as a new sound or a vocabulary item,

making their attention more focused. It is essential to introduce only a small

number of sounds and words each time, else the ADHD mind will be confused

EASILY and start to wander off the topic.

The Silent Way method stimulates self-awareness and self-correction,

the essential skills that most ADHD students lack in their learning arsenal. In

everyday surroundings it is hard for them to monitor their output, even if

aware how to complete the task correctly. They seldom stop to use this

knowledge as normal students might, too many times acting impulsively and

in haste. SW makes the self-correction visual and tangible (and so, easier and

more manageable for ADHD learners) with only physical objects – rods,

colored charts and hands (fingers) used for this purpose. A SW teacher does

not have to correct students’ grammar or pronunciation by highlighting what

the errors were. Instead, he(she) may point to a particular color on the Sound

Chart, or to a rod (symbolizing a word, sound or a morpheme) which poses

the problem in the utterance, encouraging learners to correct the mistakes

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themselves. If the student is still confused and does not locate the error, a

teacher may opt to use other learners as a resource, engaging their help with

the student repeating the correct version as a follow-up. This helps to develop

learners’ attention, cooperation and awareness, which is beneficial for all

students in the classroom and vital for those with ADHD.

4. Language Acquisition

a. Definition

1) Based on Wikipedia (2012) Language acquisition is the process by

which humans acquire the capacity to perceive and comprehend

language, as well as to produce and use words to communicate.

2) Noam Chomsky postulated in Singhal (2010) that the mechanism of

the language acquisition is derived from the innate processes. Innate

is something which is already there in mind since birth. The theory

proposed by Chomsky is proved by the children living in same

linguistic community. Moreover, they are not influenced by the

external experiences which bring about the comparable grammar.

He thus proposed his theory on language acquisition in 1977 as "all

children share the same internal constraints which characterize

narrowly the grammar they are going to construct." He also

proposed that all of us live in a biological world, and according to

him, mental world is no exception. He also believes that as there are

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stages of development for other parts of the body language

development can also be achieved up to a certain age.

b. Kinds of Language Acquisition

Why is there interest in studying languages? To answer this

important question, Noam Chomsky proposed linguistic theories.

Chomsky’s language acquisition theories are the most important in the

world of linguistics.

One of the greatest linguists of all times, Noam Chomsky asserts

that language is innate. He wrote his famous book, “Language and

Mind” in 1972, in which he proposed his famous theories on language

acquisition. In this book Chomsky wrote, “When we study human

language, we are approaching what some might call the 'human essence,'

the distinctive qualities of mind that are, so far as we know, unique to

man." According to Chomsky, language is one characteristic that is

unique to humans among all other living beings. Chomsky’s theories

have made it easier to understand the evolution and development of the

languages.

Chomsky's theories on language are based upon the importance of

linguistics in modern sciences. According to him, to study languages, it

is important study human nature that lies in human mind.

Noam Chomsky postulated that the mechanism of the language

acquisition is derived from the innate processes. Innate is something

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which is already there in mind since birth. The theory proposed by

Chomsky is proved by the children living in same linguistic community.

Moreover, they are not influenced by the external experiences which

bring about the comparable grammar. He thus proposed his theory on

language acquisition in 1977 as "all children share the same internal

constraints which characterize narrowly the grammar they are going to

construct." He also proposed that all of us live in a biological world, and

according to him, mental world is no exception. He also believes that as

there are stages of development for other parts of the body, language

development can also be achieved up to a certain age.

c. Steps in Language Acquisition

Recent advances in functional neuro-imaging technology have

allowed for a better understanding of how language acquisition is

manifested physically in the brain. Language acquisition almost always

occurs in children during a period of rapid increase in brain volume. At

this point in development, a child has much more neural connections

than he or she will have as an adult, allowing for the child to be more

able to learn new things than he or she would be as an adult.

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Attenton DeficitHyperactivity Disorder

Language Acquisition ofForeign Language

The Process of AcquiringForeign Language

AverageAge

Language Development

6 months Cooing, changes to distinct babbling by introduction of consonants1 year Beginning of language understanding; one-word utterances12–18months

Single word use; repertoire of 30-50 words (simple nouns, adjectives,and action words), which cannot as yet be joined in phrases but are usedone at a time does not use functors (the, and, can, be) necessary forsyntax, but makes good progress in understanding

18–24months

Two-word (telegraphic) phrases ordered according to syntactic rules;vocabulary of 50 to several hundred words; understands propositionalrules

2 years New words every day; three or more words in many combinations;functors begin to appear; many grammatical errors and idiosyncraticexpressions; good understanding of language

3 years Full sentences; few errors; vocabulary of around 1,000 words4 years Close to adult speech competence

Table.1 Steps of Language Acquisition

C. Conceptual Framework

Figure.1 Conceptual Framework of the Research

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This research which focused on how the ADHD students acquire foreign

language, in this case the foreign language is referred to English. Since the ADHD

students have different way in acquiring a language, this research will study about

how they communicate with the language they acquire. This study will observe how

the process of foreign language acquisition in ADHD learners.

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CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHOD

This chapter will elucidate the research design, variables, population, sample,

instrument of the research, procedure of collecting data, and technique of data

analysis.

A. Research Design

This research will use qualitative method. The object of this method is

to describe how the ADHD the students’ acquiring language. Nana Sudjana

(2010) wrote the characteristic of qualitative method as follows:

i) Using the natural environment as source

ii) Descriptive analytic

B. Variable

Variable of this research is the language acquisition of ADHD students

as single variable. Language acquisition is an innate process while someone

acquires a language. In this study, the language acquisition refers to the

acquisition of English as a foreign language by the ADHD learners.

C. Population

Population of the research will be the ADHD students in SLB

Pembina Sulawesi Selatan Sentra PK - PLK. The amount of the population is 2

(two) students.

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D. Sample

The sample of this research is the ADHD students in SLB Pembina

Sulawesi Selatan Sentra PK-PLK. Since the number of population is very

small, the sample is taken by using total sampling technique that is taking the

whole population as the sample of this research. The number is 2 (two)

students.

E. Instrument of The Research

The instruments of the research are observation and interviews to both

the teacher and ADHD students in SLB Pembina Sulawesi Selatan Sentra PK-

PLK. The observation is used to get information about how the ADHD

students acquire language while the interview is aimed to get more

information about how the ADHD acquire foreign language. The research will

use written fields notes in the observation where the researcher notes

everything during the observation. The research also conduct the semi

structured interview where the researcher prepares the main questions and will

give another related questions based on the answers.

F. Procedure of Collecting Data

To collect the data, the researcher will observe the situation when

ADHD students are learning language. There are three phases in collecting the

data. The first step, the researcher will observe the class to know the situation.

The observation will be continued to see how they learn foreign language. The

second step, the researcher will conduct an interview to the teacher and

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parents of the ADHD students regarding to the result of previous step. The last

step, researcher will analyze the data and will get additional supporting data if

needed.

G. Technique of Data Analysis

The data collected through the observation will be analyzed in

qualitative way by written field notes, while the interview data will be

discussed. The interview will use free guided interview method, where there

will be main questions and followed by another related questions.

Emerson (1995) defines field notes in ethnography (a term referring

generally to descriptive writing in anthropology, and also to subfield

of sociology) as 'accounts describing experiences and observations the

researcher has made while participating in an intense and involved manner'. A

key source, containing case materials about field note writing—for example,

about the relationship between field notes and memory, and about the

interconnections among field research process, field notes and post-fieldwork

ethnographic work—is the 1990 collection edited by Roger

Sanjek, Fieldnotes: The Making of Anthropology.

Fieldnotes should be written as soon as possible after leaving the

fieldsite, immediately if possible. Even though we may not think so when we

are participating and observing, we are all very likely to forget important

details unless we write them down very quickly. Since this may be very time-

30

consuming, students should plan to leave a block of time for writing just after

leaving the research context.

Chiseri-Strater and Sunstein (1997) have developed a list of what

should be included in all fieldnotes:

1. Date, time, and place of observation.

2. Specific facts, numbers, details of what happens at the site.

3. Sensory impressions: sights, sounds, textures, smells, taste.

4. Personal responses to the fact of recording fieldnotes.

5. Specific words, phrases, summaries of conversations, and insider

language.

6. Questions about people or behaviors at the site for future investigation.

7. Page numbers to help keep observations in order.

After getting the data by field notes, the data will analyze by

identifying it. We will find the relation between the data and the goal of the

research. This research will analyze the process of acquiring foreign language

in ADHD, match the data we get from the observation and compare it to the

focus of this research.

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QUESTIONS

Teacher’s interview

1. How do you perceive ADHD?

2. What are the difficulties in dealing with ADHD learners?

3. How is the language acquisition of ADHD learners in learning language,

especially foreign language?

4. What is the best method in dealing with ADHD learners regard to their

language acquisition in foreign language?

Parents’ Interview

1. Do you know about ADHD?

2. How do you deal with it?

3. In acquiring language, does ADHD have different way?

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Creswell, John W. 2008. Educational Research. New Jersey,USA: Pearson Edu.Inc

Greathead, Philippa. 2011. Speech Language Pathologist. An article from http://www. addiss. co.uk/languagedisorders.htm retrieved on 15 January 2012 at3.55 p.m.

Hefley ,Glenn .2011. ADHD and Social Interactions. http://www.4-adhd.com/article5.html. retrieved on 15 January 2012 at 5.03 p.m

Lila Isaacson.2000. The Interface between ADHD and Language Impairment: AnExamination of Language, Achievement, and Cognitive Processing. CambridgeUniversity Press. Great Britain.

Riduwan. 2010. Belajar Mudah Penelitian. Bandung: Alfabeta

Sanjek, Roger. 1990. Fieldnotes: The Making of Anthropology. Cornell UniversityPress

Singhal, Vandana. 2010. Chomsky's Theories on Language. An article fromhttp://www.brighthub.com/education/languages/articles/71728.aspx retrievedon 15 January 2012 at 5. 31 p.m.

Sudjana, Nana and Ibrahim. 2010. Penelitian dan Penilaian Pendidikan. Bandung:Sinar Baru Algensindo.

Turketi, Natalia. 2010. Teaching English To Children With ADHD). AYMAT IT.Vermont, USA.