Students’ Difficulties and Strategies in Learning English as a Foreign Language at Eight Grade Students of SMP Negeri 2 Tapian Nauli.

Abstract

Difficulty is a condition where there are problems in the learning process. Meanwhile, strategy is a way used to solve problems in the learning process. The objective of this study are; (1) to find out the Difficulties faced by students at Eighth Grade of SMP Negeri 2 Tapian Nauli School in Learning English as a Foreign Language, (2) to describe the students’ Strategies at Eighth Grade of SMP Negeri 2 Tapian Nauli to encounter their Difficulties in Learning English as a Foreign Language. This study used descriptive qualitative research. The subject of this study was 90 students and 25 students randomly from Eighth Grade. The researcher collecting the data by questionnaire and test. The findings of this study, (1) there are 3 difficulties faced by students in learning English as foreign language,namely; lack of pronounciation, difficulties understanding of grammar, and difficulties remembering of vocabulary (2) the strategies to encounter their difficulties in learning English as a foreign language there are 9, namely; the driling strategy, a focused listening strategy, a carefully strategy when writing, the grammatical reading strategy, LLS (Language Learning Sttategy), Cognitive Strategy, memorizing difficult vocabulary strategy, memorizing lots of new vocabulary strategy, and a relaxed but serious learning strategy.