LANGUAGE LEARNING GUIDE APPLICATION AND SITE FOR

LANGUAGE LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Rafif Aufa Nanda

Abstract:
This paper discusses about language learning problems within the society, especially the Indonesian society, and its problem
solving by developing a language learning guide mobile application and site. Some of the common problems shared among
language learners are inexistence of a communicative skills-based curriculum in schools, spread of language learning methods and
materials which make self-learners cannot decide how to start learning languages, and lack of language learning materials for
learning some minor languages. These kinds of problem are being solved by using a device that helps people in doing these things.
The device that is going to be developed is based on metacognitive language learning strategies. One of the metacognitive
strategies in learning language according to Oxford (1990:136) is planning the learning. Thus, the problem solver offered in this
paper will be developed in form of a language learning guide based on CEFR (Common European Framework References for
Language) by using technology-based media, i.e. application and site. This plan seems to have a good opportunity for helping
language learners as many people utilise their smartphone in their daily life, including for education, such as using language
learning applications.

Keywords: language learning, metacognitive, CEFR, application, site

INTRODUCTION
The development of technology in these modern days allows people to get connected with
other people without “being limited” by a certain border, i.e. territorial border. This rapid
development leads people to compete with each other from any parts of world to develop science
and technology in their own regions. To get information and knowledge, people often need to
exchange information and knowledge with people from other regions. In doing information and
knowledge exchange, people need a tool to communicate with each other, i.e. a language.
Language is a tool that people utilise to interact with each other. A certain society in a
certain region may have different system of language(s) with the other languages that other
societies have. For instance, to say ‘a four-legged thing used as a place where a man or woman
sits on’ in Malay (Indonesian) would be different with to say it in Polish, i.e. kursi in Indonesian
and krzesło in Polish. Not only different in the way they say, but they also may have different
system of other grammatical aspects, such as gender of nouns, cases, etc.
The Indonesian national education system has made learning foreign languages, such as
English, as a mandatory subject for the lower secondary school students (SMP) and the upper
secondary school students (SMA) and one of the requirements in passing the National
Examination, as quoted from the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of
Indonesia’s the Computer-based National Examination (UNBK) schedule. While in the primary
schools, learning English is not a mandatory subject anymore and the government has erased the

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official curriculum of English in primary schools since 2013. The schools that still provide
English subject makes teachers to provide their own materials (Sulistyo, et al, 2019:10).
Language learning is not only done in formal educational institutions, but also some other
cultural centres and language institutes. Unfortunately, not all people have chance to learn
languages at those institutions. Some of them decide to learn it/them by themselves by using
internet for searching language learning materials. The large amount of language learning
materials on internet makes self-learners sometimes confused how to start learning that/those
language(s). Unexperienced self-learners would take the materials they found without knowing
the competences they should know.
This paper endeavours to provide a solution through literature review method to plan a
mobile application and site which provide language learning guide to assist learners learning with
competent teachers, native speakers, and self-learners. The application and site will help learners
to know what should they learn and check the things they have learnt by themselves. The books,
scientific journals, and some internet resources were used in doing literature review in the
research on the topic that is being discussed below.

METHODS
Learning language has many strategies. According to Oxford (1990:24), there are six
language learning strategies, i.e. memory, cognitive, compensation, metacognitive, affective, and
social strategies. Those six strategies are divided into two classification, those are direct and
indirect strategies. The strategies belong to direct strategies, according to Oxford (1990:37) are
memory, cognitive, and compensation strategies, while to indirect strategies, as in Oxford
(1990:135) are metacognitive, affective, and social strategies. While in O’Malley and Chamot
(1990:44–45), language learning strategies are classified into three classifications, i.e.
metacognitive, cognitive, and social or affective strategies. These two theories have differences,
but both theories share the same explanation about the metacognitive strategies. Several of the
language learning strategies classified as metacognitive strategies are planning and evaluating
what are being and have been learnt.

FINDINGS AND ARGUMENT

People in these modern days always utilise technology in their daily life, especially in
education, for example using sites and mobile applications for learning languages. One of those
examples is Duolingo, as stated in the official site (2018) that it is used by more than 300 million
users. Seeing this example, technology-based learning is preferred by people due to flexibility.
Learning language has several aims, one of them is to communicate with other people. To
reach fluency, people need to learn four main skills that are usually being examined in tests, i.e.
oral comprehension (listening), oral production (speaking), written comprehension (reading), and
written production (writing). While Canale (1983) in Driscoll and Frost (1999:73) states, there

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are four main competences in communication, i.e. grammatical, sociolinguistic, discourse, and
strategic/pragmatic competences. More or less, those two different views concerning the main
four skills of communication are similar, since both of them state the importance of spoken and
written competences.
To measure language competence or proficiency, there are several references offered by
various institutions, such as CEFR (Common European Framework Reference for Language),
HSK for Mandarin Chinese, etc. The most common reference used is CEFR which was
composed by the Council of Europe. The CEFR is not only used for European languages or Indo-
European languages, but also languages of various countries outside Europe, etc.
These phenomena are the reason of this plan. The mobile application and site planned in
this paper are language learning guide for learners which provide detailed points of competences
which should be learnt by language learners. Learners could use this medium to learn any
languages they want, without having difficulties to look for CEFR-based language learning
materials, especially for those who learn with native speakers with no teaching competence and
for self-learners who could not find any suitable learning materials. The main purposes of the
application and site are planning, organising, and evaluating everything that should be and has
been learnt.

CONCLUSION
The language learning phenomenon in these modern days shows the utilisation of
technology-based learning methods is preferred by people. Technology-based learning methods
are preferred because of its flexibility. The spread of technology-based language learning
materials on internet makes people feeling difficult to find suitable materials for their learning.
To respond on this phenomenon, I decide to plan an application and a site to assist them in
learning with the methods suit them. The application and site language learning guide are
designed to assist people in learning languages. The principles of the application and site are
based on metacognitive language learning strategies as the functions of the application and site
are planning, organising, and evaluating the things learnt.

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