The Students’ Needs in Learning Research Methodology in Linguistics

This study aims at investigating the students’ needs analysis in learning Research in Linguistics at a university in Indonesia. Its main focus is on the students’ academic needs including difficulties of the materials, learning methods, styles and goals, level of understanding on linguistic research issues, course planning, instructional materials and practices, and evaluation. Using descriptive analytical method, a set of questionnaires was employed in Likert-scale formula. It encompassed samples of 105 learners of English Letter’s study program of the university. To validate the finding of the questionnaire, semi-structured interview to the lecturers and the students were also conducted. It results in that the leaners need; 1) the suitability of the materials composition for learners’ need; 2) using group discussion method in learning activity; 3) a step-by-step process to support practical experience in collecting and analyzing data; 4) Overtly relating components of an academic journal article to the elements of developing a research project. The study ends with a recommendation for composing course materials of Research in Linguistics suited with the aforementioned findings.


INTRODUCTION
Research is internationally considered as a skill a student must experience (Munabil, et al. 2016) to brace them to face real life. In contrast, studies on empowering students' skill in research is lack of gauging (Earley, 2014, Wagner, Garner, & Kawulich,, 2011. Whereas, the significance of research skill in working field is pivotal (Pesti, Gyori, & Kopp, 2018) and accordingly universities are responsible to organize quality instructional practices in order to produce skillful graduates in research. There are some elements in organizing quality instructional practices. They are teaching methodologies (Nasution, Rochsantiningsih, & Santosa, 2016, Tarigan & Lasmunanda, 2020), qualified teachers (Muijds, & Reynolds, 2017), educational environment (Gurney, 2007, Ratmo & Sumartini, 2020, and representative materials (Richards, 2013). Providing representative materials is considered as the most essential yet challenging element (Hicks, 2016) which needs to be developed with strong basis (Nasution, Sukmawati, & Sesriyani, 2020).
Qualified material goes a long way to stimulate more expectable learning outputs in the typical teaching-learning situation (Basturkmen, 2010). It Sukma Septian Nasution, Tito Dimas Atmawijaya, Abdul Aziz The Students' Needs in Learning Research Methodology in Linguistics DOI: https://doi.org/10. 31605/eduvelop.v4i2.935 can encourage and support respectable learning. It transmits with it integrated essential framework that make sure certain desired outcomes even in contexts where lecturer is not prepared, not reflective, unexperienced, untrained and unresponsive (Littlejohn, 2012). A learner can develop himself/ herself more independently with the aid of a qualified materials, in spite of bad, existent or non-existent teaching. One of the primary roles or functions of materials is that they offer prospects for learning (Cunningsworth, 1995;Hutchinson & Torres, 1994). Researches focusing on examining and investigating the development of teaching materials based on need analysis had been mostly undertaken by previous studies (Quirk, 1985;Deutch, 2003: Ha, 2005Moslemi, Moizadeh, & Varnosfradani, 2011;Chovancov´a 2015;Menke, & Paesani, 2019).
The previous studies used a variety of approaches in developing qualified teaching materials by applying number of approaches such as integrated learning, multi-literacies framework, Task-Based Learning, Project Based Learning and several other ones. In applying one of the approaches, it must of course be based on the needs of teachers and learners.
In developing good textbook or qualified materials, there are several other aspects that should gain more attention: the primary skill of students, learning context, learning facilities and psychological aspect of the teacher (Nunan, 1994). Richards & Rodgers (1986) highlighted the importance of teacher and learner roles in comprehending learning content through materials and tasks. The role of course materials is to be that of a tool or framework to be used by both lecturers and students. This tool can be undertaken efficiently more or less and it is subjected to the comprehension of its users having of the nature of the tool. Making mistake in selecting course materials has implicated into negative impact on the achievement of learning objectives (Jeremy, 2007). Accordingly, it can have undesirable consequence on learning outputs, learner's academic motivation and many other aspects. Thus, good textbook or qualified material plays a very important role in the achievement of the successful learning process.
As one of compulsory subjects to learn, Research Methodology in Linguistics has passed some changes in material to be given to the students of a university in Indonesia. Initially, the material was taken from original books from influential experts  (2015) that focus on research on linguistics. However, it was found that the books were less acceptable by the students mostly because of the content. An interview to ten students randomly chosen from 3 classes revealed that most of them found the books hard to understand for technical and high-level content presentations. This finding became a reflective feedback that it is hard to provide the potential books of research on linguistics to meet the students' needs without firstly including the students' perspectives (Hicks, 2016).
Further, the reflective feedback also brought the writers to an effort to design a book of research on linguistics that meets the students' needs as Richards (2001) suggests that developing proper materials for students to learn is significant in making instructional practices a success. To design proper materials that meet the students' needs, analyzing the students' needs in learning research on linguistics is inevitable.
Accordingly, this study aims at analyzing the needs of learning research on linguistics as an initial step to design a book of Research on Linguistics.
To fulfill this objective, needs analysis can be baseline for good textbook. It has been used as one of the main aspects and a fundamental part of academic and education practitioners' activities such as lecturers, educators, course designers, testers, evaluators, material developers, teachers as well as classroom teachers for many years (Prachanant, 2012). It is the procedure of planning on what and how a course will be designed and will run.
There were some research of need analysis conducted by previous researchers. Firstly, Nimasari ended interview approach to the lecturers and 10 students chosen randomly.

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
In this section, we divide the discussion into three points: firstly, need analysis in research field; second, need analysis in linguistics and thirdly, need analysis regarding learning method and the materials or textbook lay out.

Selecting Research Topic
Selecting a respectable topic in research may be challenging. It must be constricted and more focused as it must be interesting, yet broad enough to find adequate information. Majority of the students (73%) felt extremely difficult in selecting the topic to begin their research. Table 1 shows how the student felt difficult to select the topic and make the title which suits their interest in research on linguistics. Students we interviewed said that choosing a research topic in linguistics was very difficult. To start a research, the topic has a central role, but the focus of the discussion they want to research, as they said, is not easy to determine. They hoped in the interview we conducted that the steps for choosing a good topic in research will be included in the course material.

Identifying Linguistic Research Problem
In addition to difficulty in selecting the topic and title of the research, students also faced difficulty in identifying the problem in research. So, one of the students' research complexities is to identify a problem that must be investigated and studied.  In Addition, most of them (80%) also alleged that formulating research questions was of the same difficulty they faced when they begin to research in linguistics. This must take some consideration for the textbook as most of the students felt very difficult in formulating the right question of research as Table   3 shows.  The essence and the use of data in linguistics gains increased significance in an academic world where the task of documentation is most importantly one of sufficient data provision. Concerning collecting linguistic data and data source, as in the interview we conducted, students cannot determine whether one is really the data or not. They also are not able to differentiate between data and data sources and between data and object of research. In the interview conducted to them, they said it was so complex to find what kind of data that can be obtained from the branches of linguistics such as phonology, morphology, syntax, pragmatics etc.

Analyzing Linguistic Data
Analyzing data is an effort or way to process data into information so that the characteristics of the data can be understood and are useful for solving problems, especially problems related to research (Podeva & Sharma, 2013). Analysis data is also some activities carried out to convert the data from research results into information that can later be used in drawing conclusions (Subroto, 2007).  semiotics. They also hoped that concrete steps will be taught gradually in analyzing data.

Knowledge on Linguistic Branches
Investigating students' needs analysis in developing Research on Linguistics textbook is highly needed. It aims to know to some extent the students' level of knowledge on linguistics and its branches.
The students were asked to rate their level of understanding on linguistics and its branches. The result is as can be seen in Table 6.  However, they complained about their lack of ability to apply their knowledge on linguistics in research field. And they want linguistics materials must suit their needs in research.

Learning Preferences and Textbook Layout
In addition to identify problem on linguistics and researches, the English Letter's students were asked in questionnaire to rate their preferred learning method as seen in