A Case Study: How A Learner Learns and Acquires English as A Foreign

Language
A. Introduction
1. Background of the Case Study
In Gouin's theory, which states that children have a better ability to master
language than adults (Brown HD, 2000) until children are used as objects of study by
researchers to get their way of absorbing language and this is what many apply in
teaching a second language or foreign language to adults. Many experts who assume that
the acquisition of a second language must be the same as the first language this is
interpreted as children getting a first language so that this makes many educational
institutions and parents of students who teach foreign languages such as English to their
children, this done so that children can understand English from an early age at least
provide knowledge about English to them. This was also acknowledged by some college-
level students who stated that if they obtained English, that is, since elementary school, in
this study case, they were found if they realized that English as a foreign language was
very important in this modern era. Because of that they studied English. In this paper the
author will try to explore socio-cultural competencies, formula competencies, linguistic
competencies, discourse competencies and strategic competencies..
1.1 Background of A Foreign Language Learner
In this case study, the data was obtained through interviews with a student about English
as a foreign language and the role of English language in life. Where the speaker comes from
one of the health universities in Bengkulu and she is twenty years old that currently entering
the fifth semester. She is a woman who was born in a village in the province of Bengkulu and
has parents who come from this village so for her language in daily life that using the local
language or regional language. Since he was a child he was familiar with local languages
such as Seluma, Manna, Bengkulu Language and Indonesian.
Then for English he had started to know English since entering elementary school
because at that time English was one of the compulsory subjects taught when he entered the
third grade of the basic school which at that time taught vocabulary and forms of sentences
and not to communicate because at that time their teacher only introduced English language
to them. It can be seen from the scope of teaching and learning that they only preach
 vocabulary such as fruit names, professional levels, part of body and animals. Until entering
the fifth grade and six basic schools they began to be introduced to various forms of
sentences and functions such as the present tense, past, continuous, and future. Very clearly
at this stage they did not use English to communicate. This is also the same when he entered
junior high school and senior English high school language which was obtained only for the
purpose of national exams instead of communication.
Until when he entered college he also got the same thing as before where he memorized
many English vocabulary related to the world of health because in the world of health many
people use the term in English so they are required to be able to communicate in English. It
was at this time that he began to take courses to improve his English proficiency but he took
courses so he could understand communication in the world of health or could be categorized
in the scope of ESP.
But when discussing the issue of attraction he said if he was very interested in English he
really wanted to be people who were fluent in communicating with English but the influence
of memorizing techniques since he was in elementary school had made him have a
perception if English language was a difficult thing. this was also proven when asked about
the four skills in language such as listening, speaking, reading and writing, he stated that the
easiest for him was reading him because of. in just reading a text and drawing conclusions
about the topic of the text.
1.2 Rational
This interview was conducted using English, especially for the resource person, but the
interview experienced obstacles because the resource person had limitations in expressing his
ideas in English. This is due to the limitations of the vocabulary that is owned by the resource
person so that the writer must use two languages, namely English and Indonesian so there is
no miscommunication in this interview. Even so, the speaker has tried to use English that he
understood. And the vocabulary that he uses to express his idea is the vocabulary that is
widely used by a doctor to his patients like when I say the word "patient" in the sentence "I
hope you have the patience to learn English well" which means a patient. it will cause
miscommunication if it is not mixed with Indonesian, I think in this interview it is very clear
that a student's effect on the techniques used by a teacher in teaching the second language the
author feels that all the subjects must also consider techniques and the method used to teach
 should not be a difficult lesson coupled with teacher techniques that are too stressful for
students to add to bad perceptions of a lesson.
1.3 Assignment Outline
This paper will discuss the following rights:

A. Part 1 explains the background of this paper, which explains why the author intends to do
a case study of how a student learns and obtains English as a foreign language,
B. Part 2 will present an investigation of leaner data samples: discussion and analysis of
leaner strengths and weaknesses based on
i) Samples of oral and
ii) Sample written data. Next, on
C. Part 3, the author will present recommendations in the future
D. Part 4 is a conclusion