Introverted and Extroverted Personalities in Students' English Acquisition Process : A Comparative Study

Language learning, especially the acquisition of English, is a huge need, even for students. These characteristics are an important part of a person's personality because they make them unique, and are what researchers want to study and measure in the process of acquiring English as a foreign or second language. This research aimed at describing the differences between introverted and extroverted students in the process of acquiring English as a foreign language for class IX.7 students at SMP Negeri 56 Palembang. There were 30 students as the research samples, and the respondents in the research were 2 teachers who taught English in class IX. This research uses a qualitative descriptive method, data obtained using questionnaires, observation and interviews. The research results show that introverted students tend to be quieter or talk less but have long memories and show a deeper understanding of listening, observing and understanding. while extroverted students tend to develop speaking and interaction skills more quickly. In these differences, all students also have similarities, namely they have the same goal of acquiring and learning English and they also still need support and motivation from the teacher. This research also found that there are several obstacles or factors that influence student achievement; there is personality, attitude and motivation.
Key words: Language Aqcuisition , Introvert, Extrovert, Personality.