Cultural Identity and Its Impact on Ethical Lingua

Vol. 9, No. 1, 2022

Students’ English Proficiency; A ISSN 2355-3448 (Print)
ISSN 2540-9190 (Online)
Case Study
Tatu Zakiyatun Nufus Corresponding Email
Universitas Muhammadiyah Jakarta, Indonesia Tatu Zakiyatun Nufus
Tatuzakiyatun2@gmail.com

Article’s History
Submitted 03 March 2022
Abstract Revised 08 April 2022
Cultural identity is considered as a collective, shared history among Accepted 14 June 2022
individuals affiliated by race that is fixed or stable and identity is
understood as unstable, metamorphic, and even contradictory an identity DOI
marked by multiple points of similarities as well as differences (Hall, 2003). 10.30605/25409190.369
This article aimed to describe the cultural identity that impacts English
proficiency and find out the factors that impact students’ English
proficiency, this study was done at a private school of Al-Mansyuriyah
Tangerang and four students are used as a participant to give data, the Copyright © 2022
study used observation, questionnaire, and interview. In this case, the The Author(s)
researcher identified that cultural identity affects students’ English
proficiency, especially in speaking which includes spelling, pronunciation, This article is licensed under
intonation, and structure. And based on the observation and interviews CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License
that have been done by the researcher, she found that many factors
impact English proficiency at Al-Mansyuriyah such as dialect,
pronunciation, heritage language, and language structure, based on this
finding, the researcher suggests that the teacher needs to teach the
English language in whole skills using a good strategy in conveying the
language to the student including the cultural identity of students that can
raise students’ awareness of cultural identity and English proficiency

Keywords
Cultural identity
English Proficiency
Heritage language

168
Cultural Identity and Its Impact on Students’ English
Proficiency; A Case Study
Introduction
Language is not only showing the culture of speakers but also reflects and symbolizes someone’s identity in
social communication. People are also categorized by other people according to the language they speak.
(Byram, 2016). In the community, language and culture are closely related. They tie each other. Based on
Fishman, (1977) & Giles, coupled, (1991) Culture is defined as a complex entity, which holds a set of symbolic
systems, including knowledge of norms, values, beliefs, language, arts, and customs, as well as habits and
skills learned by individuals as members of a given society (Lee, 2002). The language that is used by the
community will create a culture that will be done and be habitual or custom among the community. Then it will
release a cultural identity which is formed by the complex configuration of one’s awareness and worries of
one’s own culture of the social group that occurs in a community. Cultural identity may comprise a diversity of
features such as ancestry, territoriality, institution, values, norms, and languages, all of which make one cultural
group different from another. (Harmers, 2004)
To know how the English language has affected cultural identity, Seppala (2011) conducted a study at
Guangzhou University. About 78 students filled out the questionnaire that related to cultural identity and English
proficiency. From there, He found that the English language has an impact on the culture while the participants
of this study felt that westernization equaled better living conditions and more advanced technology. But they
expressed the contradictory feelings that the Chinese university students are harboring towards the English
language and western culture. (P. 183)

In line with the description above, the study which has been conducted by the researcher has some reasons,
firstly. The cultural identity of students at Al-Mansyuriyah Islamic Boarding School where they come from
different regions will create different cultures. Second, the use of foreign languages (English and Arabic) in
communication enables them to lose their heritage language and culture. The study is completed to describe
the cultural identity which impacts students’ English proficiency at Al-Mansyuriyah, besides that, the researcher
should find out the factors that impact students’ English proficiency in that school.

The function of culture in a human activity does not end with its role as a descriptive concept because culture
refers to group identity, where the culture is used to introduce the identity of the group community including
language, habits, norms, beliefs, and many others. In line with this, Dasylva (2007) cited in Ogunsiji (2012)
provides culture as people’s civilization and determines its identity. From these words, we know that culture is
not only the basis of community, but it also creates interaction among people. The culture is created through
language that is used among speakers, and language is used as a vehicle of culture and all forms of language
in the creation of cultural characteristics. (P. 202).

Moreover, as a concept of cultural identity, it raises many interpretations, as described by Hall (2003) he
theorizes that two ways of reflecting on cultural identity are; firstly, identity is understood as a collective, shared
history among individuals affiliated by race or ethnicity that is fixed or stable; and secondly, identity understood
as unstable, metamorphic, and even contradictory- an identity marked by multiple points of similarities as well
as differences. (P: 233)

Graumann (1999) also points out in Hauser (2018) that the identity concept, as used in the social and cultural
sciences regarding culture, originates from psychology. It turns up first in the psychoanalytic concept of
Sigmund Freud and was developed later into the theoretical concept of ‘self-identity’, besides that, the word
‘identification’ can be used to build a bridge connection between social identity and cultural identity, which starts
from identification concept and identify most three things that include; identifying others, being identified oneself
and identifying with others. (P. 6)

Based on Richard (2018) Language proficiency refers to one’s ability to use language for a variety of
communicative purposes, proficient users are said to have a good command of the language, for instance, they
can understand the language without difficulty, express a range of ideas clearly in speech and writing, and

Vol. 9, No. 1, 2022 | 169

interact with other speakers comfortably. For measuring language proficiency, five indicators are usually used
to assess it, they are; accuracy, fluency, complexity, appropriacy, and capacity, (Renandya, Hamied,
Nurkamto, 2018)

English is considered a foreign language and it is affected by students’ heritage language. This emphasizes
that most students are having problems and difficulty in learning English as a foreign language in non-English
speaking countries, because of this problem, the students explore their language proficiency to minimize their
poor language proficiency. Therefore, English students- teachers must respond to their needs to address their
poor English language proficiency. To support this case, Souriyavongsa et.al (2003) argued that the English
language is difficult to learn due to students not being well-motivated, encouraged, and gaining learning
strategy. Students have less practice in all skills with English speakers and a class environment that is crowded
and noisy that is filled with teaching pedagogy. (p. 183). English proficiency is the ability to use English in
communication which includes speaking, reading, writing, and listening to create student’s performance in
language skills.

Method
The study is conducted in Al-Mansyuriyah Senior High School, it is a school located in Tangerang, the students
who study there are coming from different regions and places, for instance, Sundanese, Jambi, Bangka,
Javanese, etc. these cultural diversities show the identity of their region. In this study, the researcher chooses
two cultures of diversity which show Bangka and Jambi. The participant that was analyzed to gain the data is
four students, two students are from Bangka and two students more are coming from Jambi.
The research is conducted to investigate how cultural identity impact students’ English proficiency at Al-
Mansyuriyah, and to find out the other factors that impact students’ English proficiency at Al-Mansyuriyah –
Tangerang. The study is conducted to gain the data based on the following research questions:
1. How Cultural identity impacts students’ English proficiency?
2. What are the factors that impact most students’ English proficiency?

To gain the data, the researcher used a qualitative approach with observation, questionnaire, and interview. The
observation is done in the school environment where the students studied there. And the questionnaire includes
a cultural identity questionnaire which asks about the culture of the participants (Seyyed& Masoomeh, 2016),
and English proficiency questionnaire which asks about participants’ English ability and English learning process
(Sepalla, 2011) the questionnaire consists of 12 items, beginning with the data of participants, then the items
that asked about cultural identity and English Frequency. The questionnaire is an open and closed-ended
question that asked them to give their opinions and description based on the question. The interview is done in
a semi-structured manner which led the researcher to know other factors that impact students’ English
proficiency.

In doing a study, the researcher observed the participant and the places where they study, seeing the
participants’ English academic scores from the portfolios and participants’ behavior in the school. Then, the
researcher distributes the questionnaire to participants and asks them to answer the questionnaire completely,
before filling it out, the researcher explains the way how to answer the questionnaire briefly. In conducting an
interview, the researcher asked some questions that relate to cultural identity and English proficiency. This
interview is done to know more cultural identity of participants and factors that can impact students’ English
proficiency.

After collecting data, the researcher identifies and classifies the questionnaire, transcribes the interview data,
interprets data, and reports the data. (Seppala, 2011, Sayyed. 2016). The interpreted and reported data used
descriptive analysis by determining the frequency and percentage of the gathered data to answer two research
questions related to the cultural identity of students at Al-Mansyuriyah and the factors that affect students’
English proficiency. In this stage, the researcher tried to interpret data from the source in descriptive analysis.

Results
The data were analyzed in two stages, asking about the cultural identity and English proficiency of students at
Al-Mansyuriyah. The impact of cultural identity on students’ English proficiency can be seen from the answer of

Vol. 9, No. 1, 2022 | 170

participants at Al-Mansyuriyah covers cultural identity and English proficiency, also other factors that can be
carried out from the observation and interview of the participants.
From the result that has been found, the researcher analyzes that the participant has shown cultural identity
towards their pride and love of their culture (see Table1), it can be indicated from the way they make the
descriptions about their culture with their language, they can use their language fluently even though heritage
language is not used in the school. The school of Al- Mansyuriyah did not allow students to use the Heritage
language in communication, because it would imply a cultural gap and misunderstanding about the language.
To solve these problems, the students must use Bahasa Indonesia and Foreign Languages (English and Arabic)
in daily interaction.

Table 1: Students’ Cultural Identity (Questionnaire Data)

No Questions Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Most
disagree
1 Student’s pride in heritage 80% 15% 0% 0%
culture
2 Spending students’ childhood in 70% 10% 5% 0%
their hometown with culture
3 Using culture routine in daily 30% 30% 20% 0%
activity at home
4 Introducing culture among 15% 40% 30% 0%
friends in school
5 My culture is good and unique 50% 20% 10% 0%
6 Join the cultural event at the 55% 25% 10% 0%
school

Based on the description above, the researcher analyzed that student’s cultural identity among Bangkanese
and Jambi that impact their English Proficiency, it can be indicated from the table above that about 50% of
students’ culture affects students’ pronunciation and about 55% of students’ English speaking were affected by
the dialect from their culture (see table 2).

Table 2: Students’ English Proficiency (Questionnaire Data)

No Questions Most Agree Disagree Most
agree disagr
ee
1 English is easy to learn 10% 50% 30% 10%
2 English is important for my career 35% 55% 10% 0%
3 My culture impacts my pronunciation 20% 50% 10% 10%
4 My dialect impacts my speaking proficiency 30% 55% 10% 0%
5 My language show my cultural identity 40% 30% 20% 0%
6 I used heritage language for communication in school 10% 15% 45% 20%

Moreover, students find difficulty in acquiring language, it influences the way they utter their heritage language,
especially their speaking skills and there is an impact on cultural identity to students’ English proficiency.
Especially for Bangka students who have problems with dialect speaking. And Jambi participants have problems
with an accent or speaking in a foreign language (see Table: 3).

Vol. 9, No. 1, 2022 | 171

 Table 3: Cultural identity and its impact on Students’ English proficiency
(Interview data)
No Questions
1 What is the strength of your culture?
2 How do you preserve the culture?
3 What are the characteristics of your
culture?
4 Do you get learning difficulties in
English? Why?
5 How do you handle your difficulty in
learning?
6 What factors affect your proficiency?
Bangkanese
My culture is unique, the
traditional dress has a wonderful
side that shows the nature of
Bangka, and the language that
we have is unique and good to
be introduced to and learned by
others.
I used my heritage language at
home when I got my holiday with
my family.
● Unique
● Interesting
● Wonderful
Yes. I get it, especially in
speaking skills. My accent and
dialect impact my English
proficiency.
I practiced more with my friend
and joined cultural events.
I think my dialect and
pronunciation affect my
proficiency in English.
Jambi
In my opinion, my culture is good
with the customs and honoring
habits among people. We keep
tolerance in society. and the
language that is used is good.
I am used to communicating with
my heritage language and
listening to the song of my town
in my house with my family.
● Good
● valuable
● Different from other
Yes. I have difficulty with
Grammar and speaking. This is
because of my language
knowledge and also my dialects
which cause difficulty in
speaking.
I practice it by reading and
speaking with my friends.
My knowledge of structure, my
culture, and my language
influence my ability in English

Discussion
Based on the data above, English is considered a good language, especially in speaking skills, but it is difficult
to pronounce for Bangka students, while Jambi, like to speak using English and read novels or articles in English
but they have problems understanding rules or grammar. They considered that English will be easier without
linguistic structure, therefore the students can use English only for communication among the community. In
communication, the way students’ accent and dialect impact students’ pronunciation of English. They feel
worried when they must speak English in public, because they think that their dialect impacts English proficiency,
especially in speaking skills. (See table: 3).

From the findings above, the researcher identified that cultural identity affects students’ English proficiency,
especially in speaking which includes spelling, pronunciation, intonation, and structure. And based on the
observation and interviews that have been done by the researcher, she found that many factors impact English
proficiency at Al-Mansyuriyah, they are:

a) Dialect
Dialect is one factor that affects students’ proficiency in English, especially in speaking and reading skills.
Dialects show where the people use the language differently based on their norms, places, belief, and identity
of people. Many dialects have developed because of the influence of certain cultures. (Madison, 2019.) In this
case, the Bangka and Jambi students’ dialect impacts their speaking ability. They have little confidence in
delivering something in English, because of their dialect. The intonation of students’ utterances is quite high, and
it sounds clearer.

b) Pronunciation.
Pronunciation also gives an impact on a student’s proficiency in English. The way how the Bangka and Jambi
utter and pronounce English words is difficult. Besides that, the students are hard to distinguish between P and
F in English. Such as the words “pan, fan, fence, pen”. Therefore, the pronunciation impact students’ speaking
proficiency in English.

Vol. 9, No. 1, 2022 | 172

c) Heritage language
The definition of heritage language was proposed by Valdess (2000) that quoted by Polinksy (2007) as
individuals raised in homes where a language other than English is spoken and who are to some degree bilingual
in English and heritage language is used. And it was the earliest acquisition of language before other languages.
(p. 369). From the definition, the writer found that the crucial criterion is that heritage language was the first in
order of language acquisition before the child gets another language to be the dominant language, when the
children have used another language more in society, then it will cause loose heritage language.
Based on the questionnaire and interview, the researcher found that heritage language is one aspect that
impacts students’ English proficiency, the students have previous knowledge about heritage language, and they
must acquire another language at school, therefore the valorization of language is dependent on the setting and
interlocutor.

d) Language structure
Language structure is one factor that affects students’ English proficiency in Al-Mansyuriyah. students feel that
the learning structure is difficult and it creates students’ anxiety in using language. Based on the interview above,
students had difficulty understanding Grammar and used it in daily communication. Therefore, the structure gives
impacts students’ English proficiency and influences speaking skills in English.

Conclusion
Cultural identity has become an interesting issue that is used to identify the people as the particular character of
the group communication system that emerges in particular and certain-situation. From the description above,
the researcher concluded that cultural identity gives an impact on students’ English proficiency at Al-Mansyuriyah
Senior High School, especially in speaking skills and also language structure. Dialect, Pronunciation. Heritage
Language and language structure are considered factors that affect students’ English proficiency at Al-
Mansyuriyah.
To sum up, the cultural identity shows the culture of students in school, and they preserve the culture by joining
the cultural events that are held annually in school. Besides that, they still use the culture in their home while
they are at home. Finally, cultural identity in Indonesia is varied, and everyone must appreciate the culture and
language that people have to avoid cultural gaps and misinterpretation of attitude and act in doing something,
especially for educators who meet many people and students from different cultures then we must appreciate
the culture of our students. And give them awareness to preserve the language & culture.

References
Byram M. (2016) Language and identities. Preliminary study; language of education, language policy division
Strasbourg. (www.com.int/lang)
Hauser, R (2018) Cultural identity in a Globalised World? A theoretical approach towards the concept of cultural
identity.
Harmers, F. Josiane, & Blanc H.A. Michael. (2004) Bilinguality and Bilingualism, 2nd ed. Cambridge University
Press
Hall, S (2003) Cultural identity and diaspora. In J. E. Braziel and A.Mannur (eds) theorizing diaspora, Oxford:
Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 233-246.
Lee, J.S (2002) the Korean language in America: The Role of cultural identity in Heritage language learning,
language, culture, and curriculum, 15:2, 117-133, DOI: 10,1080/07908310208666638
Madison, E., Chapel L. (2019). The aspects of language. https://study.com/academy/lesson/how-language-
reflects-culture-affects-meaning.html
Ogunsiji Y., Farinde R.O,& Adebiyi C.O (2012) Language, Gender, and Culture. British Journal of Arts and Social
Science. ISSN: 2046-9578, Vol.6. no. 2.
Polinsky M., Kagan O. (2007) Heritage Language: in the ‘wild’ and the classroom. Language and Linguistics
Compass 1/5: 368-395, 10.1111/j. 17449-818x.2007, 00022.x pp. 368- 395
Renandya, W.A., Hamid, F., & Nurkamto. (2018) English language proficiency in Indonesia: Issues and
Prospects. Asia TEFL. http.//dx.doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2018.15.3.4.618
Rohman N, A. (2016) factors affecting the level of English Proficiency. A case study among undergraduate
students of the IIUM.

Vol. 9, No. 1, 2022 | 173

Seppala, M. (2011) The effects of the English Language on the cultural identity of Chinese University Students.
The University of Jyvaskyla, Department of Language English.
Seyyed M R A & Masoomeh B. (2016) the impact of cultural identity and attitudes towards foreign language
learning on pronunciation learning of Iranian EFL students. British Journal of English linguistics. Vol. , no.
4.pp-34-45,
Souriyavongsa, T.., Rany S., Abidin.M, J.Z., &Meei, L.L. (2013) factors causes students low English language
learning: a case study in the National University of Laos, international Journal of English Language
Education, I(1),p. 179-172
Cookie. Muriel Saville, (2003) the ethnography of communication; an introduction; 3rd ed. Blackwell publishing.

Vol. 9, No. 1, 2022 | 174