SUCCESS IN LEARNING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE Nihta V. F. Liando Faculty of Languages and Arts, Manado State University e-mail: nihta02@yahoo.com Abstrak Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memaparkan bagaimana berbagai kejadian dalam proses pembelajaran mendukung para pembelajar meraih keberhasilan dalam belajar bahasa Inggris sebagai bahasa asing. Data penelitian diambil dari pengalaman-pengalaman pribadi dari tiga orang mahasiswa dan tiga orang dosen pada jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Universitas Negeri Manado. Wawancara semi terstruktur dan narasi pribadi digunakan untuk mengumpulkan data dalam penelitian ini. Ada tiga tema utama yang dapat disimpulkan dari data wawancara yaitu: keluarga dan masyarakat, pengaruh lembaga (institusi), dan faktor-faktor individu. Temuan penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa anggota-anggota keluarga, guru dan individual memegang peranan penting dalam mendukung para pembelajar sehingga bisa berhasil dalam pembelajaran bahasa Inggris Kata kunci: bahasa Inggris sebagai bahasa asing, pembelajaran yang berhasil, motivasi pribadi. INTRODUCTION The research literature in the area of second language learning suggests that motivation is one among several factors that play an important role in learning a second language (Crookes & Schmidt, 1991; Dornyei, 1994a, 1994b; Ely, 1986; Gardner & Lambert, 1972; Laine, 1978, 1988; Morris, 2001; Oxford & Shearin, 1994). However, what maybe important to explore is the other factors beyond motivation that lead some students to work harder and become more successful. Indonesia has adopted English as a tool of communication to establish relationships with other countries. English, despite its status as a second language, has become more and more popular among scholars, bureaucrats and the elites in Indonesia as the use of information technology is increasing. This has been called the era of autonomy in Indonesia. The rapid change is expected particularly because of Indonesia’s role in the ASEAN Free Trade Association (AFTA). However, the excitement of developing English as a second language of communication in Minahasa is paralleled by the fear of losing the languages of Minahasan, which form part of the people’s identity. The languages have been used by ancestors, and they characterize the Minahasan people as diferent from other ethnic groups in Indonesia. What is needed, therefore, is an appropriate method for teaching English, which will both contribute to meeting the needs of people as a part of a global community without displacing their identity. Many teachers and educators view English teaching as a neutral practice. However, teaching English cannot be seen as a neutral practice given the cultural and political assumptions embedded in it. Norton (1989), for example, examined how teachers and 146