THE INFLUENCE OF LEARNING MODEL ON STUDENT’S PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT IN FREEDOM WRITERS MOVIE: EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY APPROACH

ASTUTI, WIWIN (2009)

Abstract
The major problem of this study is how the learning model can influence student’s personality development based on 1). Educational Psychology Approach, 2). Andragogy and 3). Learning models. In this research the writer employs the qualitative method. In this method she uses two data sources, namely primary data and secondary data sources. The primary data is the movie itself. The secondary data sources are books, internet, journal etc, and also the other sources which are related to the analysis. The methods of data collection are library research and technique of data collection is descriptive technique. Based on the analysis, the result of this study shows that the student’s personality in school can be formed by a teacher whom understands his/her roles as the teacher based on Educational Psychology and also he/she has to know the characteristic of the adult learners or it can be called as Andragogy science. From those things, the teacher will be able to formulate some learning models which are appropriate with the condition of the students. A teacher is an agent of change. He/she is not only expected to able to impart knowledge but also give positive influence to the students, so that they can form their way of thinking.

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Freedom writers is a film based on true story which is taken from
The Freedom Writers Diary by teacher Erin Gruwell and her students. This
film is directed by Richard LaGravenese and produced by Michael Shamberg,
Danny Devito, and Stacey Sher. The location of making this film is in Los
Angeles, California USA. The major characters are starred by Hillary Swank
(Erin Gruwell), Imelda Staunton (Margaret Campell), and Aprill Lee
Hernandez (Eva Benitez). This film is released in January 5 th, 2007 in United
Stated.
The Freedom Writers film tells about problems in education
institution, racism, gang members among students, juvenile delinquents, and
underprivileged students. The problems in education institution are such as
teaching-learning process and school policy which have to be faced by Erin
Gruwell as a new teacher. In the racism problem it appears when Erin
watches as separates racial territories that are created within the room, as the
students take their seats: the back right section is filled by black gang
members, and the Latinos sit on the back left side of the room. Besides, The
Asians take seat on the front right and one Caucasian boy sits in the front.
Erin feels shock when she sees the riot a fight among gang war in and out her
classroom. Almost all her students are underprivileged students. Most of them
go to school taking three buses and almost ninety minutes to arriving at the
school and they also do not have good capability in reading lesson. In
addition, her students do not obey her and continuously talk back to her. At
the beginning her teaching, Erin never gets respect from her students.
Erin never surrenders to change her student’s behavior and attitude.
Although she does not get support from another, she has conviction that she
can do the best for her job. She tries several methods in her teaching-learning
process. She invites Holocaust survivors to talk with her students about their
experience and then takes them on a trip to The Museum of Tolerance. Erin
also asks for them to read The Diary of a Young Girl or Anne Frank s Diary.
Her colleagues and her department chair of Wilson High School regard her
methods as an unorthodox so they scorn her. Erin tries not to care. She thinks
that she has to make changing. She knows that her students do not only need
theory in classroom but also they need real experience.
Her methods do not get support from her school in realizing her
purposes; she takes two part-time jobs and spends more time at school. That
thing makes her husband, Scoot, protest her and finally Erin has to separate
from her husband. In other side she has never imagined previously that there
is changing in her student’s behavior and attitude. Her methods are
successful. At the last, Erin compiles her students’ stories in a book and it is
named The Freedom Writers Diary.
A literary work reflects life with all complex problems in its human
life. It is illustration from many life aspects, such as social, politic, culture,
law, education, and religion. Every literary work appears, it will invite
response from someone else whether that is support or not. A film is one of
parts of literary work which its appearance is influenced by certain public
background. This is likewise with Freedom Writers movie. This movie is
taken from The Freedom Writers Diary which is compiled by teacher Erin
Gruwell.
The movie also invites various arguments from viewers, either pro
and contradiction comments. They who give good comment come from
Eleanor and Claudia. Eleanor Ringel Gillespie from Atlanta Journal
Constitution) states that Erin is a really inspiring teacher to her students
although she teaches bad students in the bad school and bad area. She gives
new spirit in that school. She inspires her students to get happiness and to
become a leader until they can become writers who have desire and spirit to
their roles. (www.accessatlanta.com/movie/movie/etc/getcriticrevew. JSPD?
criticreviewID=883). Claudia Pluig from USA TODAY also adds that
Freedom Writers is really an inspiring drama for adolescent and it has well-
meaning for them. (www.USAtoday.com/life/movie/review/2007-01-09.
Freedomwriters_htm).
The Freedom Writers Movie tells about the behavior of the students
in a school, which has bad setting and effect for them. If the students are
allowed to have bad behavior, it would be a dillema. But there is a hero,
named Erin Gruwell, who has succeed to change the students’ behavior. This
movie is good for teacher especially, and the whole viewer generally, to get
reference related to the method or the way to handle and manage the bad
behavior of the students because the students are responsibility of the teacher
in school. Here, the function of teacher is as the facilitator to the students’
education development and psychology.
Otherwise, this is from a Cristian Perpective who gives contradiction
comment. The man said that he was disappointed to that movie. After he
watched the movie, he went out and bought book that entirely told about
student own stories. It was not story between teacher and her students. As a
teacher, he was not sure how Erin Gruwell could do so much for her students.
He thought that Erin’s techniques would influence his entirely life whereas
teaching was something difficult without must take second job. Here, Erin
took part time job to support her program so he thought that it was impossible
(http://insear chchofatext.blogspot. com/ 2007/ 09/freedom writers diary.
html).
The role of the teacher in this movie is quite great, because usually
the teacher cannot do so much, especially in changing the students’ behavior.
In the reality, the teacher just transfers the knowledge to the students.
One of appreciations to literary work is an award. Although Freedom
Writers movie does not yet enter box office but this movie has gotten some
awards, among other things are in 2007 Freedom Writers won a Humanitas
Price Award for feature film category and Richard LaGravenese as a
recipient. In 2008, this movie got nominated in Image award for outstanding
writing in a motion picture (Theatrical or Television) category and Richard
LaGravenese as a recipient (www.Imdb.com/title/tt0463998/awards).
Freedom Writers film is entitled to get awards because this film
obviously has interesting story. It is about individual uniqueness which comes
from different racism. This thing causes students diversity in the classroom.
They have self background and self experience which influence one
personality. This is shown by behavior such as anarchistic, obstinate, not
respect each other, and introvert. They behave like that because they ever got
and saw rude behavior in past time. When they study in the school, the fact is
the school police never try to change their problems. The school only makes
students to obey the teacher and to learn discipline. The students in Wilson
High School need development and become a mature person.
Fortunately, a new teacher joins on that school. The new teacher
brings changing to the students need. Erin Gruwell as a new teacher in that
school combines learning-teaching model. She knows that her students not
only need theories in the classroom but also need experience outside. She
thinks how to teach adult learners. She is an inspiring teacher. She encourages
and reinforces her students. She wants her students better than now. She
educates them to realize that everyone has chance to take important role in his
life. A good teacher will create good students. The good students will have
good personality. The good personality can be formed by education. The
education can change man’s way of thinking and man’s future. In education
people will learn about knowledge, moral, science, and etc.
In education teacher has many roles in teaching-learning process.
(Richard 2001: 7-8) explains that there are some roles of a teacher in teaching
learning process such as:
First, an instructional expert is a teacher who has roles to facilitate and
plan learning activities and also evaluate the outcome of students’ experience.
Second, teacher as a manager, it means that a teacher must be able to arrange
the classroom and help development of the learning process. Third, teacher as
a counselor is a role where a teacher has to realize diversity of the students in
the classroom. They have various kind development issues, additional emotion
or societal stressors. Here, the function of teacher as a counselor must take
appropriate referral to others expert when necessary in facilitating learning.
This role will help a teacher to arrange the lesson plan and take
learning model which is appropriate with student psychology. A teacher who
considers those things will make teaching-learning process become effective.
Learning and teaching are essential in education world. There is no
education without learning. So it has important meaning in human
development. Muhibbin (2007: 59) explains that learning has important sense
to human life. By learning human can take important decision in their life.
People know that learning is a mean to defend human life and create
better civilization. As far as people know that they learn not only in formal
education but also they can learn by daily experiences from their life. Of
course these will give big influence toward their personality. A good teacher is
demanded to be able to combine the theories of learning so necessary of
students can fulfill by education process.
In essence education is to foster better students, form independent
students who have responsible to them selves without ignoring that they are
social creatures. Learning is a process of becoming person not process of
being shaped according to willing another person. In learning activity has to
involve individual in thinking process: what they want and what they do to
fulfill that wish. This principle is well-know as andragogy psychology.
(www.geocities.com/teknologipembelajaran/andragogi.html)
The theory of andragogy psychology is also called as adult education.
(Lunandi, 1984: 3-4) delivers that learning is a process independent interaction
which is centered on learner. Adult learners have motivation to study because
they feel unsatisfied with their behavior. Changing of the behavior can be
reached if content and learning model are appropriate with students necessary.
Adult learners are often regarded as an independent people, so they
have responsibility in learning. Therefore, the teacher has to consider content
and learning model, which is suitable with the adult learners.
From the explanation above, the writer knows that to educate adult
learners different with young learners. Adult learner is as independent person
and have responsible toward their selves. Thus the writer interest to analyze
“The Influence of Learning Method on Student’s Personality Development in
Freedom Writers Movie: Educational Psychology Approach.”
B. Literature Review
Freedom Writers movie is an interesting movie to analyze. This is the
first research in UMS, UNS or Surakarta regional. Further, in this study, the
writer studies Freedom Writers movie based on Andragogy and Educational
Psychology Approach. The writer focuses on learning method which is used in
that school.
C. Problem Statement
After analyzing the explanation above, the writer formulates problem
statement. As that is; how does learning model influence student’s personality
development?
D. Limitation of the Study
To carry out the study, the writer needs to limit the study. The writer
is going to analyze learning model which is done by Erin Gruwell as a teacher
and the major character in Freedom Writers movie based on andragogy and
educational psychology approach.
E. Objectives of the Study
Based on the problem that has been stated above, the writer states the
following objectives:
1. To analyze Freedom Writers movie based on its structural elements of
movie.
2. To analyze Freedom Writers movie based on educational psychology
approach, andragogy, and learning models.
F. Benefits of the Study
The study of Freedom Writers movie which is based on educational
psychology approach has two benefits. They are:
1. Theoretically, this research will add and improve the study of literature as
a part of knowledge.
2. Practically, the result of this study will add and improve the writer’s
knowledge especially about educational psychology. And also this study
can develop the writer’s ability in applying in the real world if the writer
becomes a teacher.
G. Research Method
The research is qualitative method, there are 4 elements involved:
1. Object of the Study
The object of the study is Freedom Writers movie directed by Richard
LaGravenese.
2. Type of the Data and Data Source
The writer takes the data from two resources, namely primary and
secondary data source.
a. The primary source is every data of the Freedom Writers movie
directed by Richard LaGravenese which is related to the study.
b. The secondary source is from all referential data. It can be from book,
internet, journal, and etc.
3. Technique of the Data Collection
The method used in this study is library research by collecting and
recording both of the primary and the secondary data. Some steps of
collecting data applied in this study are as follows.
a. Watching the movie repeatedly.
b. Identifying the topic of the movie.
c. Determining the major character that will be analyzed.
d. Reading some related books to find out the theory, data, and
information required.
e. Taking notes of important information both primary and secondary
data sources.
f. Arranging and developing the selected data into a good unity toward
the topic of the study.
4. Technique of the Data Analysis
Firstly, the writer views the primary data repeatedly to reach more
understanding of source. Secondly, the writer takes, compare, quote, and
study others data to reach information. Finally, the writer classifies the
data into some categories and develops into a good unity.
H. Research Paper Organization
The writer organizes the research in order to make easier to
understand. The contents of this research based on the following arrangement
Chapter I is introduction. This part consists of background of the
study, literature review, problem statement, limitation of the study, objectives
of the study, benefits of the study, research method, and research paper
organization.
Chapter II is underlying theory. It consists of notion of educational
psychology, major principles of educational of psychology, notion of
andragogy, major principles of andragogy, learning model, and structure
element of movie.
Chapter III is structure analysis of the movie. It involves structure
element of the movie.
Chapter IV is educational psychological analysis.
Chapter IV is conclusion and suggestion.