CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A.

Background of the Study

Teguh Hermawan NIM : 1105086047

Is the language acquisition process the same for all children? Yes, all children acquire language in the same way. For example how to articulate words and how to put them together in ways that is acceptable to the people around them. They do not use language like adults, because children are not adults. Acquiring language is a gradual, lengthy process, and one that involves a lot of apparent 'errors'. They will learn to speak that are used around them. Children usually begin by speaking like their parents or people around them, but once they start to mix with other children (especially from the age of about 3 years) they start to speak like friends their own age, especially on their golden age. Based on UU No. 20 Tahun 2003 Bab I Pasal 1 Ayat 14 about the National Education System, the early childhood education is one of effort of constructing that is tended to the new born children to six years old which is done through giving stimulation of education to help the growing and developing of children physical and emotional in preparing children readiness to enter the next level of education. The early childhood is a new born to six years old children. This age is a critical to success in the developing character and children personality. The early childhood is where the children have the fastest development and growth. The early childhood is the early important period in human live. Golden age development is an early time (from born to six years old) as a crisis time in stretches of development time has been understood by many parents and society. It is impact on the fast growing number of Early Childhood Education (ECE) nowadays. It is characterized with the increasing number of the early childhood education institution in formal and non formal. In the formal institution there are kindergarten and Raudatul Atfal (RA). In the non formal there are play group, day care, and early childhood educational with the different variation of name. The institution on formal and non formal grow fast now in Indonesia. Many parents and teachers have understood the importance of golden age development in the early childhood. As an important time, the sensitive time of all potency that is belong to develop. Because of it, it needs support from the environment which is conduciveness for the children potency development. But, this understanding has not been had comprehensively. Consequently, it sets up new cause of early childhood education at the formal and non formal institutions. The perception of the importance of golden age is 80% of capacity of development which is achieved in early childhood, and the rest of 20% is achieved after 1

the age of eight years old. As a consequence, many parents and teachers compete with time to give learning experiences through activities and academic learning. It is almost all children learning time doing by academic activities. The teachers teach by explaining children learning by listening and doing some tasks that is dominated by piece or book of task. The children write letter or word and number without built the context of learning first. In this situation, the cognitive aspect or intelligence aspect gets the biggest stimulant, whereas the other aspects, such as emotional, social, and art are almost forgotten. The wrong perception about golden age development in the early childhood causes the aspect that almost every children do, in this case is playing avoided. Beneath it all, playing is one of children basic development needs. If playing as the children needs are not carry out, the children will get difficulty on reaching optimal development. Therefore, learning activity needs to be packed in the playing activity and through playing activity. The learning process on Early Childhood Education (ECE) nowadays just focuses on the academic activity and ignores the playing activity as a wrong practice of Early Childhood Education. Playing is not only as a vehicle of children learning, but also as basic needs of developing children. The children get knowledge from many ways. It is one of the characteristic of early childhood which is the children as active individual so the knowledge will be more getting from the experience doing some activities. Just listening teacher explanation is very small to develop knowledge of children who cannot concentrate in long time. From the explanation above, the purpose of writing this paper are to give new perspective about language on children early development as an important issue of early childhood education and also reveal the importance of early childhood education. By giving some term of language on early childhood education that is stated by some expert and also some examples.

CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEV A. Language The word language has two concepts based on Chomsky on Muhammad (2011), it make reference to competence and performance. Whereas, Saussure on Muhammad (2011) defined three terms related to the word language such as parole, langue, and language. Language is the sign of sound system which are arbitrary. It means that language is sound that is produced by human. The sound become sign outside the language, the example is sound of [flower] that shows a thing flower. This sound represents a thing that is called flower. So, flower as a language is complex sound to mark outside of sound. Therefore, language can be explained as blend of form, meaning, and even the situation, or we could say that language is a sequence of sound. We have known that every human used language as a tool to send a message in order to communicate with other people. They produced sound that other people agree and understand what the meaning of. But sometimes, language that is used by some people is different. The language variety is caused by the varieties of the member of language speaker in the community and for multiple purposes. It means that the language has many differences based on the speaker of language itself. It could be dialect and accent. And the differences based on the purposes are the journalistic language, literature, academic, etc. Chomsky stated that children are born with an innate knowledge of language when they are born and learning of their native language is at high speed when hearing it from others. This links to children over regularizing and putting grammar into utterances when they are not needed. Chomsky created the LAD- language acquisition device 1. Baby already knows about linguistic rules, as they are born with an innate knowledge of language. 2. The baby hears examples of his/ her native language 3. The linguistic rules help the baby make estimations and presumptions about the language it is hearing. 4. From these estimations and presumption the baby works out grammatical sets of rules. As more language is heard the grammar becomes more and more like adults. B. Golden Age Wiyani and Barnawi (2102) stated that golden age is the time where all the children potency growing very fast. It means that the children learn everything fast. In this period, the children enter the time of exploring, time of identification or 3

imitating, sensitive period, and playing period. Exploring time means that children always want to know something by giving some questions to get new knowledge. Identification or imitating means that children find the new knowledge through their five sense and imitate it. Sensitive period is a period that demands the development of children developed optimally. Playing period means that they have a basic need as a children, it is playing. Yus (2011:63) explained the golden age as a development period that become foundation and give big influence to the quality of children development on the next period of development. This period according to Yus is started from the children born to eight years old. The golden age period and the environment manipulation are factors that determine the development of the children. C. Children Early Development Many experts gave an explanation about child early development. The first expert is Jean Piaget (1896), he is an expert in the field of psychology, his theory of cognitive development is divided into four stages of development, and he did not stated the early childhood as a golden age. Jean Piaget has a major contribution to early childhood education, because these four stages became one of the guidelines in understanding and apply the learning in early childhood. In Piaget's theory illustrated that the children's self-knowledge in building faced with two processes, namely assimilation and accommodation. That children not be separated from the process of adjusting the new acquisition with knowledge of the old, or establish new knowledge, from the previously unknown child, into the schemata or cognitive structures. The fourth stage of development was described in Piaget's theory as follows: 1. Sensorimotor stage: from birth to 2 years (children experience their world through movement and senses or more dominated developments in the motor domain) 2. Pre-operational stage: from 2 to 7 years (during this age, children have learned to think but rather on efforts symbolization) 3. Concrete operational stage: from 7 to 11 years (children begin to think logically about concrete events) 4. Formal operational stage: after age 11 years (the development of abstract reasoning). Erik Erikson on Wiyani and Barnawi (2012) gives theory about child development has similarities to several famous others but with distinct differences. Like Freud, he believed that development came in specific stages, but rather than being sexually driven, he focused on the social aspects of evolvement. In a manner

reminiscent of Piaget, Erikson saw advancements coming in a predetermined order, but the socialization aspect was stressed, rather than cognitive development. 1st stage: Trust vs. Mistrust (Birth to 1 year) During the first year of life, a baby forms their first feelings about the world and whether or not it is a safe place based on the level of consistent care provided by the primary caregivers. When trust develops successfully, the child gains a sense of security but if this sense is not developed, a fear and inner mistrust of the world is formed. Anxiety and insecurity are indicative of an unsuccessful beginning. 2nd stage: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (1 to 3 Years) As children become increasingly independent, they tend to try to assert their opinions and do things in their own ways. These first attempts at decision making are actually important milestones, developmentally, according to Erikson. If a child's efforts at independent thinking are supported and encouraged, their self-confidence increases, helping to prepare them to survive in the real world. Parents who criticise or do not permit toddlers to make simple decisions are setting them up to feel inadequate and doubtful about their abilities. Low self-esteem and a tendency to be overly dependent on others can have their roots in an unsuccessful transition at this age. 3rd stage: Initiative vs. Guilt (3 to 6 Years) During the years between three and six, kids tend to enjoy expressing their assertiveness by choosing activities, inventing their own solutions to problems and approaching others to socialise. When their efforts are recognised and rewarded, children flourish, but if they are made to feel foolish or not allowed to even try, they may go through their lives preferring to follow, rather than lead. 4th stage Industry vs. Inferiority (6 Years to Puberty) The school years provide children with opportunities to take the initiative in planning and following through on a variety of projects. Parents and teachers who provide positive feedback can help children to feel confident and capable, vital characteristics for happiness and future success. If, however, important adults in a child's life decline to encourage the youngster's efforts, he may doubt his capabilities and fail to reach his full potential. 5th stage: Identity vs. Role Confusion (Adolescence) As all parents know, the teen years can be turbulent. No longer children but not yet independent adults, adolescents are making strides to cross the bridge into adulthood. This most important transition requires that teens begin to look at their futures and explore their possibilities. Career choices, romantic relationships, family plans -- their choices are plentiful and they are in a position of needing to figure just

who it is they are and who they want to be. An inability to figure that out may render them confused and directionless. 6th stage: Intimacy vs. Isolation (Young Adulthood) Typically, young adulthood is when people make their first real commitment to someone other than a family member. Success in this area can provide great satisfaction, while those who avoid intimacy may set themselves up to feel lonely, isolated, and even depressed. 7th stage: Generativity vs. Stagnation (Middle Adulthood) Ideally, middle adulthood sees us getting settled. These are the years when careers flourish, families are raised, and people find their comfort zones, being productive and responsible members of society. Those who fail to meet their objectives may stagnate and feel a sense of disappointment about their lack of productivity. 8th stage: Ego Integrity vs. Despair (The old period) Often, seniors, with their working years behind them, are able to slow down and reflect on their lives. Those who feel good about the lives they've led up to that point can take well deserved pride in their accomplishments, but for those who feel that they've been less productive than they had hoped, feelings of dissatisfaction and despair can lead to depression. Jean Jacques Rousseau on Wiyani and Barnawi (2012: 58) divided the child development to four stages of development such as (1) infancy (0-2 years old) as a physical development, (2) childhood (2-12 years old) as a primitive development, (3) pubescence (13-15 years old) as an adventure period which is shown by fast cognitive development, (4) adolescence (15-25 years old) as a period of live in civilization. Stanly Hall also on Wiyani and Barnawi (2012: 59) is an expert on psychology of development follower of evolution theory. Hall applies the recapitulation theory on the child development. Based on the theory of recapitulation, the individual development is the ontogeny recapitulation phylogeny. Hall divided all of the development period on the four stages. They are Infancy (0-4 years old) as a reptile and walking, (2) childhood (4-8 years old) as a hunter, (3) pubescence (8-12 years old) as a human who is not civilize, (4) adolescence (12 years old up) as a period of live in civilization. Another child development theory was stated by Robert J. Havighurst. He arranged the phases of child development based on problems that should be solved in every phase. He divided all of the child development period to be five phases. They are infancy (0-1/2 years old), early childhood (2/3-5/7 years old), late childhood (5/7 to pubescence), early adolescence (from pubescence to puberty), and 6

late adolescence (puberty to adult). For every phase of development, Havighurst collects number of development tasks that children should be covered. D. Early Childhood Education The future developing of national education is based on the paradigm of whole human developing which is function as a subject that have capacity to self actualization and the human dimension optimally, directed to increase the quality and competitiveness of Indonesian Human resources on the knowledge based on economy and the creative economic development. Education development will optimal if all of stakeholders understood about the term of education. Based on UU No. 20 Tahun 2003 Bab I Pasal 1 Ayat 14 about the National Education System, the early childhood education is one of effort of constructing that is tended to the new born children to six years old which is done through giving stimulation of education to help the growing and developing of children physical and emotional in preparing children readiness to enter the next level of education. The early childhood is a new born to six years old children. This age is a critical to success in the developing character and children personality. The early childhood is where the children have the fastest development and growth. The early childhood is the early important period in human live. The early childhood is children who have not entered the formal education such as elementary school and actually they still stay at home or follow activity in term of the preschool education, such as play group, kindergarten, or day care. Hence, the early childhood education is education that could help children growingdeveloping and education could help the children developing fairly. So, early childhood education is an effort to stimulating, guiding, taking care, and provides learning activities that will produce the ability and skill for children in the early childhood. E. Language on Early Childhood Carol Bainbridge stated that language learning is natural. Babies are born with the ability to learn it and that learning begins at birth. All children, no matter what language their parents speak, learn language much the same way. This learning takes place in three basic stages. Stage One Learning Sounds When babies are born, they can make and hear all the sounds in all the languages in the world. Thats about 150 sounds in about 6500 languages! However, no language uses all 150 sounds. The sounds a language uses are called phonemes and English has about 44. Some languages use more and some use fewer.

In this stage, babies learn which phonemes belong to the language they are learning and which dont. The ability to recognize and produce those sounds is called phonemic awareness, which is important for children learning to read. Stage Two Learning Words At this stage children essentially learn how the sounds in a language go together to make meaning. For example, they learn that the sounds m, ah, m, and ee refer to that being that cuddles and feeds them mommy. Thats a significant step because everything we say is really just a stream of sounds. To make sense of those sounds, a child must be able to recognize where one word ends and another one begins. These are called word boundaries. Its not exactly words, though, that children are learning. What children are actually learning are morphemes, which may or may not be words. Thats really not as confusing as it sounds. A morpheme is just a sound or sounds that have a meaning, like the word mommy. The word mommies, however, has two morphemes: mommy and s. Children at this stage can recognize that the s means "more than one" and will know that when that sound is added to other words, it means the same thing "more than one." Stage Three Learning Sentences During this stage, children learn how to create sentences. That means they can put words in the correct order. For example, they learn that in English we say "I want a cookie" and "I want a chocolate cookie," not "Want I a cookie" or "I want cookie chocolate."

CHAPTER III DISCUSSION The phase of child development now has been understood by many parents and society. They becoming more care of the importance of early childhood education which is shown by increasing numbers of institution of early childhood education, whether formal and non formal. Yet the implementation of early childhood education raises some problems and gets many academic critics and the content of the curriculum still about the academic that dominate the learning activity. Almost all time of children learning are done by academic activity, not done through playing. Consequently, the children basic need that is related to emotional development, social, language, and art have not gotten maximal portion. It makes children face difficulties to reach their development. The research that was conducted in 1986 Ganzu province in Northwest China found that the enrolment rate in primary school was 10 per cent below that of the national average. The 1984 statistics showed that only four in ten children finished primary school. Faced with the Governments plan for education, Ganzu Province turned to the Joint Innovative Project (JIP). Developed by UNESCOs Principal Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (PROAP) and the University of Western Australia, the JIP aims at increasing the achievement level of children in primary schools in Asia. Ganzu province was accepted in the programme in April 1986 after a visit by Chinese provincial officials to Thailand and Pakistan to observe the JIP in action. JIP was founded on the assumption that there are four leading factors in the under achievement of children in Asia - the lack of preparation for schooling, irrelevant teaching materials, the poor quality of teachers and low community involvement. To combat these problems the JIP developed four approaches: the provision of increased access to pre-school education, improved teaching materials and methods of teaching, improved training for teachers and increased community involvement. It shows that there are still problem on implementing early childhood education there, but by joining the JIP program they could help to solve these problems. Another problem also related to the quality of early childhood education teacher. Moreover, if the teachers have not ability and skill on doing learning at early childhood education, it would be dangerous. In our country, woman who has certified of elementary school, junior high school, senior high school, and even post and master graduate could enter this field along they have a spirit in the early childhood education. Yet, just the spirit is not enough, because there are a lot of knowledge and skills that is needed as a teacher. The mistaken on giving stimulation to the children could be 9

eliminate by giving teacher early knowledge and skill before they enter the early childhood education. Based on Muhammad Hamid on Wiyani and Barnawi (2011:21) Dirjen Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, Pendidikan Formal dan Non Formal (PAUDNI) until 2015 our country still need 727 thousands the early childhood education teachers. It means that there is still open chance for someone who is interested to teach in the level of early childhood education. Also, it shows that less attention from our society to become teacher of early childhood education. This happen because Indonesian peoples less knows about early childhood education so what reflect from morality of our people now is commonly less of responsible, tolerance, discipline, honestly, and sensitivity to others. The quality of early childhood education in our country reflects the curriculum that our country uses. It aims to develop the whole child potency which goals to develop human as a high individual with culture and national philosophy especially language. Actually, the curriculum of early childhood education in our country has followed the best one with some fun activities, approaches, and evaluations. Yet, the implementation is usually different on the practice. A national curriculum guide may be formulated based on the learning and developmental needs of children. The guide should be flexible in use and content so that it mat be adapted to the local setting/resources/culture, individual/age group needs and interests, available local materials, use of parents and community members etc. It should facilate the use and integration of topics/materials initiated or introduced or provided by the children.

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CHAPTER IV CONCLUSION Education is a life-long process. It is not provided in a vacuum. Education is furnished by a variety of people and influences. These include parents, the community, teachers, the media among others. Social, economic and cultural considerations also have a bearing on education as does the physical and emotional well-being of the learner, All these factors play a part in the development and education of the individual. Hence the links between them are of major importance in the promotion of achievement in learning, as well as in childrens development. It is well known that the earliest years of a childs life are decisive for his/her subsequent learning and development. Early Childhood Development and Education is the first and most important phase of the life long learning process. The effective linkages between the home and the school, between the community and the school, between the various forms of early childhood development and education and the primary school are, therefore, essential if access to learning is to be ensured, if it is to be of the requisite standard, and if it is to be meaningful. Related to language, children do not use language like adults, because children are not adults. Acquiring language is a gradual, lengthy process, and one that involves a lot of apparent 'errors'. They will learn to speak language that is used around them. They usually begin by speaking like their parents or caregivers, but once they start to mix with other children (especially from the age of about 3 years) they start to speak like friends their own age.

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REFERENCES ----------Action Research in Family and Early Childhood: Links between Early Childhood Development and Education and Primary Education. Workshop UNESCO November 1996. ---------- Early Childhood Education and Development in Indonesia: an Investment for a Better Life. Report of Early Childhood Education and Development. Government of Indonesia. ---------- http://go-learning.org/go-article/85-theories-of-child-development.html accessed on June 16, 2012 ---------- http://www.earlychildhoodeducation.co.uk/playing-with-children-important.html accessed on June 16, 2012 ---------- http://belajarpsikologi.com/pentingnya-pendidikan-anak-usia-dini/ June 16, 2012 accessed on

---------- http://www.ehow.com/about_5557351_middle-cognitive-language-developmenttheory.html accessed on June 16, 2012 ---------- http://www.paudni.kemdikbud.go.id/ accessed on June 16, 2012 ---------- http://pgtk--darunnajah.blogspot.com/2012/04/pentingnya-pendidikan-anak-usiadini.html accessed on June 16, 2012 ---------http://learningdisabilities.about.com/od/infancyandearlychildhood/p/5to6yeardevelo p.htm accessed on August 26, 2012 ---------- http://giftedkids.about.com/od/gifted101/a/language_learning.htm accessed on August 26, 2012 French, Geraldine. (2007) Childrens Early Learning and Development: A Research Paper. Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework: the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). Muhammad, (2011) Metode Penelitian BAHASA. Jogjakarta:Ar-Ruzz Media. Wiyani, Novan Ardy and Barnawi, (2012). Format PAUD: Konsep, Karakteristik, & Implementasi Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini. Jogjakarta: Ar-Ruzz Media. Yus, Anita, (2011). Model Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini. Jakarta. Kencana.

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