Environmental Immersion in the Process of Strengthening Foreign Language Learning

Abstract

Environment is where we live, where we grow and flourish. It provides us with plenty of both opportunities and challenges as well as support from others who live with us. All these chunks in life push us to learn various new things including languages. Therefore, this study aims to uncover how far these environmental factors push you in foreign language mastery by looking at
some interviews and observation data from around 20 (twenty) youths half of whom have been working in some companies and the other half are students in University at an age ranging from 18-22 years old and from elementary to preintermediate level
of English. All of them were given some questionnaires to fill up. These questionnaires led them to give answers concerning
what environment they have been growing up in and how it affects their motivation and attitude towards English. The findings are showing how far the environment where they live has influenced them to learn English, to like English, and to have a positive attitude and motivation in mastering this foreign language. Some of them might not be exposed to English at an early age, therefore, they might still feel English is very foreign and weird to learn. Meanwhile, the ones exposed to English stories, etc., from an early age feel English is something they need to learn further and speak. It has become familiar to them to listen and speak English from an early age. The expected finding of this research is to help both parents and teachers of the young learners to at least give ideas on how to introduce a foreign language to the young learners starting from a very young age to have an impact when they grow older in their foreign language mastery.