LEARNING ENGLISH FOR INDONESIAN ADULT LEARNERS: WHAT THEY THINK AND WHAT THEY EXPERIENCE

Abstract

Learning English has always been a challenge for many learners in Indonesia, especially adult learners. Thus, this research aimed at describing the adult learners’ perception on learning English and their experience when learning it during secondary schools. The participants of this research were 15 school staff, aged 20 to 50 years old. Under qualitative research, the close-ended questionnaire, field-note, and documentation were used as the research instruments to collect the data from the participants. The findings indicated that despite the participants’ interest in learning English, they faced difficulties in performing it daily. This research exposed the main cause of the participants’ difficulties in composing correct sentences orally and in writing was due to unvaried English teaching and learning activities in their secondary schools, which made learners unable to perform the language on an ongoing basis. Secondary teachers are encouraged to implement more varied and interesting methods during English lessons.