The Influence of Student Background Characteristics on Proficiency in English as a foreign language: Indonesian Context

Abstrak

In order to explain differences in English proficiency level, one needs to
consider a number of factors frequently considered important at a variety of
level of education systems. Among the factors that operate to influence
English Foreign Language Proficiency are those associated with the student
background variables. This study identifies the student level factors that
influence English Foreign Language Proficiency. It is expected that this study
can contribute to the development of a theory of foreign language learning
that applies to students studying the English language at other universities in
Indonesia and South-East Asia. This study involves the employment of an
exploratory approach for the examination of the relationships between
variables operating at the student level. Data are analyzed using Partial
Least Squares Path Analysis (PLSPATH) to identify in an exploratory way
the variables that have significant direct and indirect effects on English
Foreign Language Proficiency. The study shows that a number of student
background characteristics such as sex of student (GENDER), socioeconomic of student (SES), Faculty of Instruction (FACULTY), score of
English 1 (ENGLISH_1) and semester in which students enrol in English 2
(SEMESTER) have only direct effects on English Language Proficiency,
while student prior achievement (PRIOR) has both direct and indirect effects
on English Foreign Language Proficiency.