660

The Gap between English Competence & Performance

(Performance: The Learners` Speaking Ability)
Dian Karyani Astuti, State Islamic Jakarta University, Indonesia

Abstract
The objective of this study is to investigate the factors influence the lack of performance of
English speaking in contrast the students have English competence (Grammar and
vocabulary) in terms of English as a foreign language. In this case study, the writer studied
the Indonesian students in State Islamic University Jakarta as they learn English as a foreign
language for more than seven years. The questioners as the collecting data method is given to
the 200 respondents include the internal factors (English competence, motivation, anxiety,
confidence,) and the external factor includes the environtment. The major finding of this study
is that 43% of respondents confess that they feel shy, 53% unconfident and nervous to speak
in English. They worry to make mistake in speaking though they know the English Grammar
and vocabulary. Moreover, the lack of motivation to create the English condition is another
factor too for the learners. Sometimes they don’t have friends to talk. Then, the environment
does not support them for speaking English and improving their language production.
Hopefully, this study finding will give contribution for foreign language teachers, especially
teachers of teaching english as a foreign language (TEFL) to be aware about the significance
of motivation and environment in foreign language learning to prevent the gap between the
language competence and performance.
Key words: Language competence and performance, speaking skill, TEFL, confidence

Introduction
English as a foreign language in many countries, and it becomes a compulsory subject taught in
formal school from the lowest level to university level. Even though English is a foreign
language, teaching English as a language in school to university must be congruent with the
function of language itself that whatever language, a language is means of communication that is
not only used in written form only, but also oral performance communicatively and contextually.
Unfortunately, there are still widely found that teaching English as a foreign language much and
over focuses on the English Grammar and vocabulary teaching. It seems that the structure and
English component become the most important competence for learning. The application of
conventional method of teaching makes gap between the competence and performance because
of imbalance of teaching English component and skills, especially productive skills.
As the writes own experience, since junior high school she learn English mostly use Grammar
translation method that is so old time used and it is still widely and conventionally used in the
classroom activities at present. As result, there are a lot of student are smart in Grammar but their
speaking skill is not improved. When they find a chance to speak English, they don’t get use to
do it even they have learnt English as a foreign language for more than seven years. Learning
 661

English that focuses on the ability to answer the passage questions, translating the difficult
vocabulary strengthen their competence of brain, but the speaking practice which is very limited
makes their speaking performance is stiff. As result, the students are unconfident, shy, and not
really motivated to learn English.
Concerning the fact happens in Indonesia relates to teaching English as a foreign language that
the students speaking skills is still left behind comparing to the competence, the writer encourage
to do the simple research to know the factors makes the students` performance, especially
speaking skills in not really well progressed. Finally, the writer conducts the research with title
“The Gap between English Competence and Performance”. The writer hope this research can
contribute a new idea for English teacher to have more attention to their students in learning
English as a foreign language.

Literature Review
A. TEFL: how TEFL is treated
Jerry G. Gebhard (2006) stated in Teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language book
that teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) is set in more than one level of study. TEFL
settings/EFL teachings include public school, private school, and university language program.
Indeed, in recent years, the trend has offered English as a foreign language to be taught from the
younger to the younger students or from the lowest level of study to the highest levels.
Although state school TEFL in many parts of the benefits indirectly from the lively
professional activities outline above, research and development tended to focus on postschool
rather that in-school needs in contrast to the ESL context, in which a great deal of useful school
work was done (see Language Across the Curriculum). While TEFL in the 1970s and 1980s was
great advances in the identification and use of the particular language form and function needed
in a given higher education course and occupation (see Language for Specific Purpose:
Pedagogy; need analysis). No comparable energy was devoted to the development of a rational
for EFL as school subject. When adults have current language needs that are analyzable and
imminent need that are predictable, the EFL learners in the school usually has neither; the
younger the learners the TEFL becomes TENOR (The child having “No Obvious Reason” for
studying English) and the more important are one`s educational aim in teaching the language
(Bernard Spolsky, 1999: 562).

The research is done is Indonesia as one of the country treat English as a Foreign language that
for the 2004-2005 academic year, there were 7,553,086 and 3,402,615 students at the junior high
school and senior high school levels respectively (Ditjen PMPTK, 2006). Since English is
compulsory at the junior high and senior high school levels, there are almost 11,000,000 young
people studying English annually through formal education. The student population is so diverse
that any centralized curriculum would not be able to meet the needs (Anita Lie, 2007).

Unfortunately the language function as the means of communication can be reached well as the
English competence become popular focused competence taught in schools. The impact is that
the learners while they learn English as a foreign language for more than seven years and when
they are in university level, they are forced to face the world change to use English
 662

communicatively. Because the learning experience that focuses on the teaching grammar and
vocabulary as the basic competence and imbalance of improving performance, in this case is
“speaking ability”, finally it happens the gap between English competence and performance
among English learners in Indonesia.

B. The Gap between English Competence & Performance

1. Language Competence
Language competence is a term which includes the linguistics or grammatical competence,
discourse competence, sociolinguistics competence and what might be called as textual
competence (Manitoba, 2009). Language competence refers to the knowledge of a language,
cognitive aspect in learning a language, and of course the ability to use that language to produce
meaningful production and language performance. Competence is used to describe the learner´s
capacity to produce a language (Vaclav Hemerka 2009: 15)

Language performance can be realized by the meaningful of the students’ classroom activities,
assignment and task as the implementation and application of language competence (knowledge)
they have as a result of learning the language grammatical rule, structure and vocabulary.

The target of having language competence is to be able in producing the correct utterance,
meaningful spoken language, and well-performance language structure.
Concerning English is a worldwide used international language, especially as a foreign language
in countries, good English competence from learning activities, of course, is aimed to be used as
one of the communication medium bridges the cross cultural people whose English is not as their
native language. Learning English as a foreign language is not merely simple learning the
vocabulary, structure or the grammar only, however, more than just cognitive intelligence.
Additionally, it must be a very fatal mistake in some countries where English is taught in school
in order the students has good English competence for passing the English exam and doing such
English text exercise and ignoring other skills which explore the performance of English as a
language. The conventional practical English teaching as a foreign language which focuses on
the cognitive aspect and emphasizes the reading skill is still widely implemented, giving the
proof that grammar translation method is still existing. Witnessing and undergoing English as a
foreign language is taught focuses on the cognitive intelligence or the competence only, the
writer think that there should be done a research about the impact of this reality. The assumption
that there will be a gap between English competence and performance will be happened if the
English teaching is focused on the language competence and lack of performance practice for the
students.
If the reality tells that English competence becomes the main goal of English teaching and
learning with lack of special attention of English performance, in this term is specified for
speaking skills, it would approximate the language theory refers to the structural view (Jack C.
Richards, and Theodore S. Rodgers 1992: 17) that language is a system of structurally related
element of coding of meaning. The target language learning is seen to be the mastery of element
of this system which is generally defined in terms of phonological units (e.g., phonemes),
grammatical units (e.g., clauses, phrases, and sentences), grammatical operations (e.g., adding,
 663

shifting, joining, or transforming element) and lexical items (e.g., function words and structures
words) (Jack Richard, 1992: 17). Chomsky`s competence theory/linguistics theory deals
primarily with abstract grammatical knowledge/ability the speaker posses that enable them to
produce the grammatically correct sentences in language (Jack R. Richard 1992: 70). Chomsky`s
theory of transformational grammar proposed that fundamental theories of language derived
from innate aspect of the mind and the students learn underlie “competence”. These theories
underlie the teaching English as a foreign language focuses on the structure and grammar as the
essential competence which students should master first.

2. Language Performance
De Kort and Leerdam, as quoted in Scha, performance denotes the production of actual
utterances as a result of certain psychological processes (Vaclav Hemerka 2009: 15). A very
important thing in teaching English as a foreign language is that understanding well what
actually the function of a language and what a language is in order to balance the students
competence and performance that language. Language is the system of speech sound by which
human being communicate with one another (Paul Roberts 1958: 18). Language is means of
communication, language is a system for the expression of meaning, and language is viewed as a
vehicle for communicating meaning and messages (Jack C. Richards, and Theodore S. Rodgers
1992: 130). These theory underlie that language is not limited in knowing the language itself, but
also it is needed the ability to use communicatively and meaningful. To strengthen this, then,
Hymes`s theory proposed an idea which bridges the competence and performance that
communicative competence was a definition what the speakers need to know in order to be
communicatively competent in speech community.

Jack C. Richards and Theodore S. Rodgers in their book Approaches and Methods in Language
Teaching, a language is viewed as a vehicle for communicating meaning and messages. It results
the knowledge about the rules and form of a language and the ability to verbalize this
knowledge. Learning is undergone by students by formal teaching in the school.

3. The Gap between English Competence and Speaking Performance

The gap between English competence and performance by students can happen because of some
reasons. The writer specified the performance in this paper is “the speaking skill”.

The first reason is the implementation of a conventional and traditional language teaching
method that focuses the learning and teaching to grammar and structure aspect. This method of
teaching is known as grammar translation method that still widely used in some countries. Just
try to imagine if the students learn English emphasized the grammar, they are asked to make
correct sentences-well structure, analyze them. The students learn English as a foreign language
for years started from learning simple vocabularies, memorize them, and then pronounce them.
After that, in higher level of education they are introduced by English grammar and they are
asked to do English paper test about grammar.
 664

The second reason, the skills taught in school are not balance learned and practiced. The
teaching and learning in school still widely focuses on the reading comprehension that the
students are asked to read, understand it, and then answer the questions. Almost of the class
activities is about grammar and text activity. The listening section activity and speaking are
rarely practiced. This reason shows that the traditional teaching system is still applied and it
affects the students` mastery in learning English as a foreign language. The English competence
that is much priority master by the students and is spent so much time are not well balanced with
speaking practice to improve oral production and communicative performance. Even though the
speaking skill is taught in school or university, but time allocation is not prevalent. Speaking
skills is also tested and taken score by teachers. Unfortunately based on the writer experience,
the English learning that emphasize the cognitive aspect or competence, the affective aspect does
not really get great and maximum attention. As result, when performing speaking skill in the
class, the performance is not as good as the grammar competence which is mastered by the
students because of the lack of practice.

The reality happens in teaching and learning of English as a foreign language in some school for
years even in Elementary school, Junior and Senior High School give impact to the English
proficiency in university level that the grammar and vocabulary as the learners’ English
competence is passively used for speaking in practice and real world. As result, when the
learners in university level must face the condition to have English proficiency and they must be
able to speak English as a foreign language and international language, they are not used to do
that. It seems that there are some affective filters when the students want to speak English or
making performance. Those affective filters hypothesis that Krashen sees the learners` emotional
state or attitude are (Jack C. Richards, and Theodore S. Rodgers 1992: 133);
1. Motivation
Learners with high motivation generally do better.
2. Self-confidence
Learners with self-confidence and a good self-image tend to be more successful.
3. Anxiety
Low personal anxiety and low classroom anxiety are more conductive to learning new language.
The affective filter hypothesis states that acquirers with a low affective filter seek and receive
more input, interact with confidence.

C. Major Factors Affect Language Performance

Classroom activities are limited of time, while classroom learning focuses on the cognitive
aspect of English; the real performance is shown outside the classroom. Zimmerman and
Risemberg (1997) propose six major component of academic self-management or self-regulation
in learning (Myron H Dembo and Helena Seli, 2008; 10). Those components become factors can
affect the learners` progress and development of learning; affect the learners` speaking
performance.

1. Motivation
Dempo and Helena Seli (2008) write motivation as the internal processes gives behavior its
energy and direction. These internal processes include goals, beliefs, perception, and expectation.
The major difference between successful and less successful learners is that the successful
 665

learners know how to motivate themselves and control their motivation. This theory can be
adapted in learning a language that to be able to use English as a foreign language the students
must have motivation to practice and apply the theory of grammar in meaningful context of
communication. The internal process of achievement to be able to master and use a language
successfully is the essential of motivation. English learners will be successful in learning English
when they try to push themselves up to develop the theory of English grammar into the real use
and function in communication because motivation they have will encourage them to deal with
their objectives they want to reach in learning a foreign language. Whatever condition and
difficult situation even it the learning class activity, if the learners have motivation and ambition
to improve their English performance, of course they will do many thing more and greater
outside the classroom. There are many ways in showing the motivation to master a foreign
language, and not showing that the conventional and theoretical learning method used in the
class become a limit. One of the ways shows the motivation work is that concentrate the things
can improve personal potential, making good English environmental condition outside of box.
Motivation will lead the great behavior to break the limitation and the distracters when they feel
they want to be progress become successful English learners.

Most of the students want to speak English well; communicatively use in real life, unfortunately,
the chance they have in the classroom to improve their performance is limited and focused to
English Grammar over learning with traditional teaching. That reason should raise the
motivation and make self commitment to do something they cannot do much in the classroom.

A number of motivational self-management techniques can be used to can be used to develop

and maintain these important beliefs. The first is the goal setting, when the learners have a goal
to be able to speak English well and communicatively. (Zimmerman & Martinez-Pons, 1986),
educational research indicates that high achievers report using goal setting more frequently and
more consistently than low achievers ( Dempo & Seli, 2008: 12). When a foreign language
learners attempt to attain the English learning goal; speaking proficiency, they will do the greater
efforts and increase their confidence outside the classroom without any force and intervention
from the teacher about the strict grammar rule.

For the first time of practicing speaking, (e.g. Butler, 1981; Ottens, 1991), the learners can find
other friends to practice together and create the English learning environment outside the
classroom. Moreover, more elaborate self talk training program are available to help individual
controls anxiety, mood, and other emotional responses (Dempo & Seli, 2008: 12).

2. Strategy of learning and Use of Time

Learning strategy to improve speaking skill, the students can use cooperative learning or
autonomous learning. Especially in large EFL classrooms, there are proactive students who are
motivated to learn both independently and as a group. However, Nunan (2000). others are satisfied
simply with the limited exposure that they get from the class and some of these students choose not
to focus during the lessons. In a 1995 research project on learner agendas, it was suggested that
"while the teacher is busily teaching one thing, the learner is often focused on something else
(Andrew, 2008). The success using English as a foreign language in speaking communicatively as
well as the mother tongue or second language depends on how the learners use their time to practice
 666

outside the classroom and join with their friends. As the principle of learning a language that
“practice makes perfect” is right.

3. Social environment
Social environment can be created by commitment of the learners to initiate the English learning
environment to be a practice field of the learners. The commitment and the consistence of the
learners to use English in speaking for some period frequently are needed and important. Social
environment consist of some students practicing speaking and correct one another if there is
grammar error or misunderstanding, other words, English Grammar and vocabulary can be
corrected by speaking performance.

Methodology
Instrument
In this case study, the instrument used in collecting the data is questioners. The questioners
consists of 25 questions include the question about how long the students have learnt English and
grammar, whether they have good English grammar and vocabulary, whether their speaking is as
good as their grammar and vocabulary knowledge, whether they can speak English well, their
motivation in using English especially for speaking and communication, their feeling while they
are asked to speak English. The other components of questioners are about internal and external
factor influence the students` speaking ability (their performance).
Subjects
The subjects are the university students in State Islamic Jakarta University, Indonesia. The
samples are taken randomly. 200 students as the random samples are given the questioners. The
samples are between the 3rd semester-7th semester students and they are assumed have already
learnt English more than seven years. Those samples are randomly taken from different 10
faculty majors in State Islamic Jakarta University.

Finding and Discussion

a. Question about English Competence (Grammar and Vocabulary)

No. Question Choice of Answer

Yes No
1. You have learnt English since Junior High School till 95.5% 4.5%
university
2. You have learnt English Grammar more than 7 years 85% 15%
3. English Grammar you are learning in university has been 70% 30%
already taught in school before
4. Teaching English grammar is much dominant to be 77% 23%
taught in school that teaching productive skills
5. Beside learning English Grammar, teaching reading and 81.5% 18.5%
answering the reading passage question become the main
learning objectives
 667

6. Passing the English exam is more important than 87.5% 12.5%

speaking skill ability in the class.
7. Translating the reading text from English to Indonesian is 66.5% 33.5%
frequently done in the classroom than improving
productive skills.
8. Translating difficult vocabulary from textbook is more 68% 32%
frequently done that performance of speaking skill in the
classroom.
9. You have many friends who like to practice English 31.5% 68.5%
10. You agree that Grammar and vocabulary knowledge 91.5% 8.5%
must be used in speaking performance.
11. Your environment supports you to apply your English 24.5% 75.5%
grammar to speaking skill.
12. You agree that learning English Grammar and 83.5% 16.5%
vocabulary should be practiced with speaking.
13. You want to be able to speak English fluently 95% 5%
14. Your English grammar competence is enough 62.5% 37.5%
15. You need motivation to practice your speaking 74% 26%
performance and Grammar

The data that collected from questioners shows that 95.5% university students in state Islamic
Jakarta university have learnt English as foreign language since junior high school to university
level, 85% of respondent have learnt English Grammar for more than seven years, so long time
to learn consciously about competence of a language. Uniquely, the respondent experience said
that in teaching English activities inside the classroom, 70 % of respondents learn English
Grammar in university level that they have ever learnt it before, in school; Junior and Senior
high school. Moreover, 81.5% of respondents confess by questioners answer that they learn
English Grammar dominantly in the classroom and the teaching focuses on the answering the
reading passage exercise grammatically correct, as result 87.5% respondent feels that the English
learning focuses on the English exam and scoring, not to the speaking skills ability. The habit of
learning English Grammar makes the environment 24% supports the students in improving their
speaking performance. Greatly, most of respondents want to be able to speak English well
reaches 95% and they agree that they need motivation to practice their English grammar to
speaking performance by supporting from school and teachers. The complete data can be seen on
the research finding table above.

b. Question about Speaking Practice and Performance

No. Question Answer
Always Often Seldom Never
1. You practice English as a foreign 17% 13% 30% 40%
language outside the classroom
2. Your English Grammar is 23% 10% 32% 35%
practiced in your speaking skill
3. You try to find partners or friends 21% 22% 27% 30%
to talk in English
 668

4. You make English environment 19% 28% 38% 15%

for English speaking practice
5. You schedule your time to speak 16% 18% 27% 39%
English

Concerning to the speaking practice and performance, the writes conclude that only 17%
respondent practice English as a foreign language outside the classroom, because they get used
to learn English on the Grammatical and vocabulary aspect, so the motivation to use English is
lack and not facilitated well and 40% never do practice speaking and shows low internal
motivation. Then, they confess that their English Grammar is not always practiced in speaking
skills and limited in reading passage and text, only 17% practice their English Grammar
competence to speaking performance. Only 21% respondents try to find partners and friend to
practice English together and make conversation use English, and 31% never do it. Then the
environment does not support them to practice English, then, only 19% respondent encourage to
create English social environment that facilitate the members who have commitment to practice
English speaking and do conversation in English.

c. Question about motivation

No. Question Answer
Always Often Seldom Never
1. You feel confident when you 22% 18% 40% 20%
speak English
2. You feel nervous while speaking 30% 53% 4% 13%
English
3. You are shy to speak English 32% 43% 5% 20%
4. You need motivation to improve 30.5% 50.5% 11% 8%
your speaking ability
5. You have willingness to make 26% 37% 12% 25%
English club to have friend to
practice speaking.

The interesting finding from questioners that only 22% feel confident when they speak English
in real life or even in the inside classroom, and 40% seldom feel confident. There 53% from 200
respondents feel nervous (often) while they are asked to speak English in front of many people,
having little speaking practice in front of the class and speak English in real life when they are
asked to use that foreign language. 43% respondents often feel shy when they are asked to speak
English to other people, and only 20% confess that they never feel shy to speak English.
Amazingly, 50% often need motivation to improve their English speaking skill, and 30% who
always need motivation. It shows that motivation is very important, whether it internal or
external motivation from other people, friend, and of course the English teachers.

The finding above shows that there must be needed balance between teaching English
competence and performance as the application the competence that the English learners have.
That competence will be useless if it is not supported by practice in order to the language can be
used appropriately as means of communication among the people. Language is not only used for
 669

written form as the application of grammar in reading passage only but also must be expressed
by oral performance.

Attention of the external and internal factors influence the English learning achievement like
motivation, environment, and methods of teaching English as a foreign language can prevent the
gap between English competence and performance.

References
Chomsky, Noam. (2009). Cartesian Linguistics. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Clark, Herbert H. (2008). Using Language. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Dembo, H. Myron and Seli, Helena. (2008). Motivation and Learning Strategies for College
Success. New York: Taylor and Fracic Group.
Harmer, Jeremi. (1996). The Practice of English Language Teaching. New York: Longman.
Mouton, de Gruyter. (2002). Noam Chomsky Syntactic Structures. New York: Walter de Gruyter
GmbH & Co. KG.

Richards, Jack.C and Rodgers Theodore. (1992). Approaches and methods in Language
Teaching. United States of America: Cambridge University Press.
Roberts, Paul. (1958). Understanding English. New York: Harper and Brothers.

Spolsky, Bernard. (1999). Concise encyclopedia of educational linguistics. United Kingdom:

United Kingdom.

Kreidler, W Charles. (2002). Introducing Englis Semantics. London: Routledge.

Yule, George. (1897). The Study of Language. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Journals:
Lie, Anita. Education Policy and EFL Curriculum in Indonesia: Between the Commitment to
Competence and the Quest for Higher Test Scores. TEFLIN Journal, Volume 18, Number 1,
February 2007.

Nowlan, Andrew G. P. Motivation and Learner Autonomy: Activities to Encourage Independent

Study. The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. XIV, No. 10, October 2008. http://iteslj.org/.

Bashir, Marriam. Factor Effecting Students’ English Speaking Skills. British Journal of Arts
and Social Sciences ISSN: 2046-9578, Vol.2 No.1 (2011) ©BritishJournal Publishing, Inc. 2011
http://www.bjournal.co.uk/BJASS.aspx 34.
 670

Lees, Robert B. Sintactic Structure. Language, Vol. 33, No. 3, (part 1 July-Sptember ., 1957).
375-408.
Grade 9 to 12, American Sign Language and Deaf Culture, Manitoba Curriculum Framework of
Outcomes (2009) Manitoba Education Citizenship and Youth, Manitoba.